Southill vs Radipole – Match Report

After what felt like an age, we were finally heading back up to the football pitch for our very first match of the season. Today’s opponents? Radipole - a tough side who proved difficult opposition last academic year, when the game ended in a slender 2–1 victory.

With some familiar faces and some new players gracing the pitch, everyone was excited and eager to get started.

Over the first 10 minutes, Southill played some slick, confident football. Radipole struggled to cope with our quick two-touch passing and intelligent movement off the ball. After a few near misses, we finally broke the deadlock - and what a way to do it!

A whipped-in cross from Jacob on the left was cushioned beautifully by Maxwell, who laid it back to Ronnie and he fizzed a half-volley from outside the box past the helpless goalkeeper. What a start and a contender for goal of the season already!

We kept the ball firmly in the opposition’s half, but couldn’t quite get our final pass or shot away quickly enough, as Radipole defended their box well. Unfortunately, we were then caught on the counterattack - a whipped ball from the right struck Ronnie on the back and ended up in the net for an unfortunate equaliser.

Despite the setback, Southill didn’t let their heads drop. We continued to play some fantastic football. Max, Noah, Filip, and Jacob linked up brilliantly across midfield, while Maxwell made some excellent runs in behind the Radipole defence.

Five minutes before half-time, Gurraag played a superb diagonal pass out to Noah, who beat his marker and whipped in a dangerous cross. It ricocheted all the way to the back post through two defenders, where Jacob smashed it home to make it 2–1 to Southill at the break.

In the second half, we struggled to find our rhythm in the opening 10 minutes and we were punished. Despite Luca, Reggie, Gurraag and Bryce defending our goal heroically, Radipole managed to score not one but two quick goals, turning the game on its head and leaving Southill trailing heading into the final stages.

However, we didn’t give up. Max and Filip worked tirelessly to win back possession and help us regain control. That determination pushed us up the pitch, and we came close when Noah, after a clever bit of skill to beat his defender, whipped in a teasing ball that narrowly missed Maxwell’s outstretched foot.

In the dying moments, Southill found a dramatic equaliser. Ellis played an excellent pass wide to Jacob, whose trademark trickery opened up space to fizz a low cross into the box — and Maxwell was there to poke it into the bottom corner. 3–3!

We even came close to stealing all three points when we hit the post right at the end, but on reflection, a draw was probably a fair result.

Every player gave their absolute all today in tough conditions, and that effort makes me incredibly excited for the season ahead.

A huge thank you to Radipole for coming over to play us, to the parents who braved the rain to cheer us on, to Mr. Frampton for capturing the magic on camera, and finally, to the whole Southill team for entertaining us with your skill, effort, and teamwork.

Tom