Date   22nd September 2007     Competition   Blue Square South     Attendance   431

Lineup   1 Gareth Williams     2 Liam Pestle      3 Alan Bray     4 John Scarborough     5 Lewis Gonsalves     6 Paul Honey     7 Nicky Greene     8 Bashiru Alimi      9 Warren McBean   10 Craig Watkins     11 Craig Tanner           12 Jason Henry     14 Asher Hudson     15 Solomon Taiwo     16 Ross White     17 Phil Wilson

U's boss Ian Hazel must be tearing his hair out after seeing his beleaguered side put in a more than competent performance for most of the game, only to be undone in cruel fashion by moments of individual fraility and collective amnesia. Afterwards, even Cambridge officials and the local radio station were full of praise for the U's, admitting that the home team had got off lightly. That, however, will be little consolation to Hazel, who now sees his team pinned to the foot of the table and knows that after two months results don't lie.
Typical of United's luck to date Buari was ruled out after dropping a door on his foot, although Tanner was well enough to return to action. U's then made a great start, Gonsalves rising to powerfully head home Greene's corner. City had strong shouts for a penalty turned down but that was their only real moment of note in a half that the U's dominated. When the lively Watkins surprised everyone by his pace to beat keeper Davies to a long ball on the left, his flick round the keeper seemed goalbound but it bounced inches wide and Chaffey cleared the danger. A near post cross was met by McBean but the defender did just enough to make him shoot wide from 2 yards. U's continued to press but the City defence held firm.
U's were expecting to come under pressure in the second half but instead they continued in the same vein, creating a string a of good openings and really should have taken the game out of reach. McBean cut inside and squared the ball to Watkins, who seemed to have an unguarded net at his mercy, but a desperate last-ditch challenge did enough to poke the ball away. From a corner following a good spell of pressure Tanner's shot was cleared off the line and his blasted follow-up hit Watkins on the back. McBean then looped a free header from Tanner's cross into the keeper's grateful arms before City reminded U's they were about and Gonslaves and Williams had to be alert to snaffle the danger as the ball rolled loose deep in United's box. Watkins again got freeon the left but Davies parried his powerful volley and somehow the referee awarded a goal-kick when Watkin's attempt to cross the loose ball was blocked..  A really good spell of possession then saw Greene cross to the near post and yet again only a strong, last-gasp challenge prevented McBean from turning the ball home.  The turning point came after U's has defended a corner well and McBean was advancing swiftly down the right with City stretched. 99 times out of 100 the mercurial striker would put his head down and go for goal, but on this occasion he checked bacck and was dispossessed. With Pestle out of position on the overlap City had a free run forward and Midgley took full advantage to blast the ball out of Williams' reach. Barely had U's digested the shock when worse followed. Within 30 seconds of the re-start a speculative ball forward split the defence and Gash turned the ball past an exposed Williams. U's came forward again in search of the leveller and yet again City defended brilliantly when they looked to have been cut open, blocking Watkins just 8 yards out after he was set up by McBean. Davies then kept out McBean's shot with his legs after a free-kick dropped nicely in the box before the killer third goal squashed United's hopes. Williams could not hang onto a low free-kick and Chaffey turned home the loose ball. Still U's attacked though and yet again Davies denied McBean, recovering to then parry Green's follow-up. As the whistle neared U's were still piling on the pressure, but when a corner was cleared to Pestle - last man but still ten yards into the City half - he took too long to release the ball and was robbed by Simpson who ran on into a vacant U's half before slipping the ball sideways to gift Gash a second goal.
U's can take much encouragement from their display but that will count for nothing if they don't start converting the chances they create and cut out the silly errors at the back.

Cambridge team: M Davies, J Bruce, C Radcliffe, L Chaffey, G Fuff(sub L Baillie 88), B Bowditch, S Wales, J Simpson, M Gash, N Midgley(sub S Wall 85), A Fuller(sub A Gonella H-T). sub n/u S Herbert. Booked: Baillie(90).

Referee: G Hambling(Norwich).

Paul Honey passes the ball.
(Picture supplied by www.from-the-lane.co.uk)


Nicky Greene lines up a shot.
(Picture supplied by www.from-the-lane.co.uk)


Warren McBean lays the ball across for Craig Watkins.
(Picture supplied by www.from-the-lane.co.uk)


The Cambridge 'keeper claims a cross.
(Picture supplied by www.from-the-lane.co.uk)


McBean heads at goal.
(Picture supplied by www.from-the-lane.co.uk)


Watkins' shot is blocked by the defender's lunging challenge.
(Picture supplied by www.from-the-lane.co.uk)