In a game with a scoreline that belies an otherwise dominant performance, WIndsor Men's 3s learned a valuable lesson in game management; and the painful cost of a collective lapse of concentration.

Travelling all the way into Bedfordshire, or Hertfordshire or wherever Leighton Buzzard can be found in the Middlesex, Berskshire. Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire league, Windsor's 3rd team took perhaps the largest squad ever to make the journey. It's not unknown for Windsor to travel to this fixture with a team of nine, so a squad of 16 gave skipper Andy Hayward a different set of problems to resolve, not least of which was which of the ten outfield positions Marc Jones wouldn't play in!

The squad has been strengthened of late with the arrival of new boys James Sandom and Tom Lotter, for whom this was his Windsor debut. Their recruiter George Parsons also rejoined the squad, bringing his uniquely physical and sartorially challenged style of play into midfield.

Windsor started sharply, moving the ball around as crisply as is possible through the thinly disguised beach that Buzzard call home, pushing forward down the flanks, with Ryan Linehan on the left and Jamie Harvey on the right seeing plenty of ball up to the final third. Converting superior possession into circle penetrations proved more difficult but at the other end, Leighton Buzzard were given very few scoring opportunities in the first half hour, all of which were capably snuffed out by the Windsor defence, marshalled by Yash Rampersad, alongside Ollie Cook, in the centre of the back four.

Tom Lotter proved a real handful in midfield, making some lovely weaving runs, both with and without the ball, distributing well and tackling back when required.

As Windsor grew in confidence, they were knocking regularly on the door, although still with a tendency to shoot straight at the keeper, giving Buzzard's shot-stopper a relatively easy, if busy, time.

A powerful drive from Ryan Linehan off a short corner went an inch the wrong side of the post, as did similar strikes from Yash Rampersad and Andy Hayward. Tom Lotter saw several good crosses go begging for just a touch to deflect them goalwards. Jai Gill scuffed another chance.

Half time and still goal-less, it was beginning to look like one of those games where just one-counter attack would cost Windsor dearly. One had already come in the last five minutes of the first period, when slack marking at the back had allowed the Buzzard centre-forward a one-on-one with keeper Lee Fairbrother, who stripped back the years, charging off his line swiftly to smother a goal-bound shot.

With Tommy Parsons working as hard in midfield as his prior, "late night" would allow, Windsor re-grouped and started the second half as strongly as the first. Buzzard were pressed back into their 23m area and circle time and time again, with just the occasional counter for Windsor to contend with. Yet, still that goal wouldn't come.

Eventually, a move down the right paid off, Jamie Harvey working the ball down towards the corner, before slipping back out to Andy Hayward on the 23m line. Another lovely run from Tom Lotter met Hayward's through-ball a couple of metres short of the baseline and after a quick sighting swing and miss, Lotter punched his shot in off the keeper's pads, to give Windsor a thoroughly deserved lead.

Life though, is, as they say, like a box of chocolates. Some of them are filled with caramel, or chocolate truffle. Others contain Turkish Delight (sic). Sadly for Windsor, Buzzard were quick to proffer one of the worst that the Christmas box of Quality Street has to offer.

Notwithstanding skipper Hayward's exhortations for focus and concentration, Buzzard's restart saw a quick ball played past a sleeping George Parsons out to their right wing. Windsor's left midfield is fortunate that this correspondent has forgotten who he was at the time, probably because he couldn't be seen anywhere near the player he should have been tracking. Said right wing was able to carry the ball unchallenged almost to the Windsor backline, before delivering a powerful cross straight across the goalmouth. In a horrible melee of sticks, feet and several collisions, one of which bundled keeper Fairbrother into the back of his own net, the ball crossed the line and the equaliser was duly conceded, within approximately seven seconds of the restart.

Windsor did their best to recover and seek out a winner, but with barely five minutes left, were unable to regain their hold on all three points, having to make do with just the one.

Interviewed after the game, when skipper Hayward was asked how he felt about conceding the equaliser, he said.

"********* **** ******** ***** ****** ******* ******* *******!"

On the plus side, the 3s would have come to a fixture like this last season very pleased if they'd managed to get a squad of 11 players together without having to cancel the Vets game; and ecstatic if they'd conceded less than eight goals. To have gained a second point in only the first four matches of the season must be regarded as a huge improvement.