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Match Report |
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Cambridge
Utd
Boylan (45, 50) |
2 |
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Blue Square Prmier - 1st March 2008
At Abbey Stadium - Att 3,666 (382 York) |
Report
The prospect of league football in the 2008/9 season now looks
very distant to all but the 2% most optimistic City fans following
defeat to Cambridge United at The Abbey. The fact that the play-off
dates had been pencilled in by a majority of the support shows
how far City have come since Colin
Walker took over, but the next few matches could determine
whether the season peters out or provides a platform for a new
push next season. Two Lee Boylan goals either side of half-time
were City's undoing in a frustrating encounter for the 382 away
supporters in the 3666 crowd.
Cambridge are riding high in the table and it's easy to see
why. Lining up in a 3-5-2 formation identical to City, they've
a couple of lively strikers in the shape of the slight Boylan
and the not-so-slight Lee McEvilly, a bit of pace and skill
out wide in Courtney Pitt and a trio of centre backs who are
all comfortable on the ball. That trio of Joshua Coulson, Wayne
Hatswell and skipper Mark Albrighton barely allowed City's front
two - Onome Sodje
and Craig Farrell
this week - a meaningful kick in any area that could be described
as dangerous.
City's one area of dominance was in the centre of midfield where
Martyn Woolford
was afforded time and space, but had precious few options to
use the possession positively and shots from range were order
of the day. Stuart
Elliott might have done better with something of a toe-ender
that flew just the wrong side of the post, but was perhaps unlucky
moments later with a swerving, dipping volley - think Paolo
di Canio for West Ham - that came crashing back out off the
top of the post with Cambridge keeper Danny Potter well beaten.
It was two individual errors that swung the game. For all City
weren't really going anywhere with a wealth of possession, neither
did Cambridge provide a significant goal threat. McEvilly had
a couple of early chances as City struggled to deal with balls
into the box as the howling wind, which had taken out the roof
in one section of the main stand the previous evening, swirled
around the ground and Ben
Purkiss had to be at his alert best to deny the burly striker,
coming from nowhere to block the shot when McEvilly seemed all
ends up a goalscorer. With the first half in it's death throes,
a long ball down the inside left channel didn't appear to be
problematic, but as Darren
Craddock and Tom Evans
indulged in lengthy debate over whose responsibility it was,
Lee Boylan nipped in to poke it past Evans for 1-0. Somebody
had to take control; either Craddock belting it away and arguing
later or Evans coming for it far more decisively than the yes-no-maybe-sorry
situation akin to the England one day side's recent attempts
at running between the wickets.
A loose back pass from Sodje just after the break allowed Cambridge
to get in behind the defence. Seemingly stunned by the mistake,
the defence were caught static - showing all the speed and awareness
of a chest of drawers - as the ball found it's way across goal
to the unmarked Boylan who fired past Evans at the near post
from an incredibly tight angle.
And that was pretty well that. A brief spell just after the
hour saw Farrell and Woolford shots deflected wide while the
returning Darren Kelly could and probably should have done better
from ten yards, but the ball ended up where City's best efforts
generally did - in the stand.
Colin Walker had few doubts as to where it had gone against
City. "We gave them two goals.
We've done it before and got away with it, but we can't keep
going two behind". He wasn't totally despondent,
saying "I thought we were the
better footballing side. They had a game plan and stuck to it;
we had a game plan and it went out of the window. We didn't
put any balls into the box at the end. There's no point having
Richard Brodie on if you don't put ball in there".
Games come thick and fast and Tuesday gives the team a chance
to exorcise any demons that may linger as a result of this defeat.
"The next game can't come soon
enough. It's a big week ahead and we're looking for a positive
reaction on Tuesday night. It's only our second defeat in 19
and there's lots of football left to play".
Ref: C Pawson (Sheffield)
The Teams
Cambridge Utd: Potter; Albrighton, Coulson,
Hatswell; Wolleaston, Reed, Carden, Beesley (Farrell 72), Pitt;
McEvilly, Boylan (Jeffrey 86).
Subs (unused): Convery, Wilmott
Booked: Boylan
York City: Evans; Parslow, McGurk, Craddock
(Kelly 53); Purkiss (Panther 52), Elliott, Woolford, Wroe, Lloyd;
Farrell, Sodje (Brodie 72).
Subs (unused): Mimms, Rusk
Booked: Sodje |
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