Blue Square Premier - 16th February 2008
At The Glass World Stadium - Att 1,021 (295 York)
Report
Another slow start by City saw them two goals down yet again.
This time, however, things couldn't be turned around as the
Minstermen slumped to a disappointing defeat in the chill February
sunshine on the outskirts of Cambridge. City failed to get to
grips with a Histon outfit very much in the John Beck mould
and on a pitch that just did not allow passing football.
That the pitch was in such a state was no barrier to the home
side. In true Beck style, the ball rarely got within feet of
the floor when Histon were in possession and in Adrian Cambridge,
they had the long throw merchant that no side of Beck's would
be without. The constant lumping of long balls up front and
piling crosses and those long throws into the box causes a particular
problem and City summarily failed to deal with it. Not that
these tactics should be a surprise to anyone as Beck has been
deploying them since God was a boy.
After a couple of early scares, the third paid dividends as
the home side took an early lead through debutant Jack Midson
who got a thin tickle on Danny Wright's free-kick to divert
it into the bottom corner. The second wasn't too far behind
and came shortly after Simon Rusk got himself booked for a late
tackle. The free-kick was half-dealt with, but a poor clearance
from Martyn Woolford
was launched to the back post where Nathaniel Knight-Percival
- one of three players on the field with double-barrelled names,
which was something of an oddity - was unmarked and he lashed
it home under precious little pressure.
City just couldn't get going and to get back into it would either
take something spectacular or something gift-wrapped. It turned
out to be the latter as Ben
Purkiss put a cross in and referee Amy Rayner adjudged John
Kennedy to have handled just inside the box. At best, it looked
a generous call, but Nicky
Wroe wasn't about to argue too much as he stepped up and
drove the spot-kick home with typical aplomb.
Oftentimes, a goal in these circumstances sparks a period of
concerted pressure, or at least a spell in possession - the
'goals change games'theory - but it simply didn't happen here.
Instead, Histon went straight back on the attack, lumping it
forward at every opportunity and flinging those long throws
in. Knight-Percival had a goal-bound effort deflected wide and
shot over the top when unmarked and Wright headed straight at
Tom Evans from point-blank
range.
City switched to a 4-5-1 in an attempt to gain some sort of
foothold in midfield. It simply served to isolate Leo Fortune-West
up front and his frustration grew exponentially as the game
progressed. Indeed, he seemed determined to conduct a running
battle with most of the Histon side - a hangover, perhaps, of
his Cambridge days for whom he was sent off on this ground earlier
in the season. He did manage to find time to have City's best
effort of the game other than the penalty in between times as
he spun and shot, but Danny Naisbitt had everything behind it
- not that he knew much about it, as it was blasted right him.
The remaining action of the half had more than a whiff of farce
about it as Fortune-West's one-man wind-up crusade continued,
the tackles got a bit fruity and the referee threatened to lose
all control. Fortune-West needlessly talked himself into the
book after Wroe had been fouled, presumably for attempting to
persude Rayner that she ought to show the culprit a red card.
He may have had a point as the guily party, Patrick Ada, was
the last man back, but it's not big Leo's place to point it
out. After more shenanigans by him attempting to infiltrate
the Histon wall, the free-kick that eventually came from Woolford
didn't even beat the first man. Talk about an anti-climax. Naisbitt
then became the third name in Rayner's notebook for cleaning
Wroe up in the box. No penalty was forthcoming as, technically
speaking, the ball was dead after Rayner had awarded a free-kick
for a foul on Anthony
Lloyd - one of the least culpable City players on the day
and playing on the right of the five-man midfield at this stage
- on the edge of the box. City had attempted to take it quickly,
but Rayner was dealing with the original offender and hadn't
restarted the game. Again, the free-kick came to nought.
City needed a good start to the second half if they were going
to get anything out of the game. It didn't happen. Quite the
reverse, as Histon hit them once again with some direct football.
Midson made it a double on debut as he nipped in front of Evans
as the City keeper went down to collect a nothing ball, though
there was some suggestion that Midson had nodded it out of Evans'
hands. Either way, the goal was awarded and Histon were now
massive favourites to sweep all three points.
Craig Farrell
replaced Lloyd as Colin
Walker shuffled the pack in an attempt to salvage something
and Simon Rusk was withdrawn for Onome
Sodje moments later as City went 4-3-3. Histon were more
content to sit on the lead, but City couldn't break them down.
Indeed, only two real chances materialised in the whole of the
second period. Knight-Percival couldn't capitalise on a poor
Purkiss clearance, but the City full-back atoned for the error
with a rasping drive at the other end that Naisbitt just about
turned behind. The resultant corner saw a shot cleared off the
line and the brief spell of pressure ended with Wroe firing
over. Highlights in the second half were few and far between
and the pick were a couple of PA announcements, one requesting
that the owner of a greyhound go release it from where it was
tethered and one informing us that somebody's taxi had arrived
and if they didn't show up soon, the driver was off.
As the board went up indicating four minutes of additional time
to be played, it was time for Beck's other tactic. Having saved
all his substitutions up, it was now time to deploy them all,
one after the other, as the clock wound down on City's first
defeat under Walker.
"It was an ugly game"
said the now un-undefeated manager, "and
they play that ugly game very well. We knew what they were going
to do and we just couldn't live with it on a pitch that you
can't play football on". So that's the end
of the run under Walker's stewardship. "All
things come to an end, but if you'd said to me on Novermber
29 last year that we'd not have been beat in the next 17 games,
I think we'd all have taken it. The manner of the defeat is
disappointing though". Despite that disappointment,
he was quick to throw his hands up.
"No excuses. We knew what they were going to do and we
couldn't live with it. In a way, they paid us respect by that.
If they'd let us have time on the ball, they know we'd have
passed them off the park. Me and Eric [Winstanley] are not happy
bunnies. We've come up against John Beck many times and his
teams always play the same way". The cause
was hampered from the off by the absence of the skipper Manny
Panther. "It was Manny's
type of game", said his manager. "He's
got a patella problem and we've got to look after him. We couldn't
risk him today". In summary then, "we
knew how they'd play, but you can't account for silly mistakes
and individual errors. It's about how we react to this now,
but it's a good job I haven't got a dog at home or I might kick
it".
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