SkyBet League One, Saturday 10th February
Now most of you who reads my blogs or know me personally will know that my Dad's birthday is February 8th and the weekend closest to that date sees me and the step mum make the annual trp to Sunderland to watch the Black Cats in action in memory of my Dad who was a big Sunderland fan of course.
Now this year was a bit different as due to engineering works and other issues on the line between London and Newcastle/Sunderland meant there was just no way we could make the trip, so we decided for this year we could pop to my Dad's other love in football, Cambridge United, a team he was also very fond of, and in fact The U's were the last side I watched with my Dad before his death in August 2008, the Conference Play Off final against Exeter City in May that year, so the club will always have a special place in my heart.
Now The Abbey Stadium is certainly not the same as The Stadium of Light, but the fans are no less passionate at the club, and a new sell out of over 7,000 were inside the stadium to see if their side could continue their four match unbeaten run which had given themselves hope of pulling away from the drop zone in League One, they began the day five points above it in fifteenth spot in the table.
Their opponents for the day were Cheltenham Town who were in a much more precarious position themselves, they sat second bottom in the division and several points from safety and in desperate need of wins sooner rather than later, but they came into this contest off the back of three straight defeats, so many felt that the hosts would probably win this one, but it sometimes doesn't aways run to the form book.
The hosts certainly the the first real chance to get their noses in front and settle the home crowd when Lyle Taylor was played in on goal with fifteen minutes on the clock, but he saw his powerful effort well saved by Southwood who made himself big to deny the blonde haired U's forward, and then a minute later Andrew curled an effort inches wide from outside the box, could the hosts build on this early pressure.
Well, Cheltenham were not without their moments too, they saw Kinsella send a long range effort over the bar, and the hosts were sitting quite deep for a side playing at home to a relegation threatened outfit, which was frustrating the spectators around us, and they seemed to be inviting the visitors onto them, Cambridge though when they did attack found Southwood in the way, and he managed to catch a goal bound volley from Lyle Taylor before The Robins thought they had gone in front just before the half hour mark.
Matty Taylor sent an effort towards goal and Lloyd turned the ball past Taylor in the Cambridge net, but the assistant's flag then went up, much to the relief of the hosts, but it was a warning that they were sitting far to deep and needed to push out somewhat and press their visitors into losing the ball perhaps, and moment later the game switched back up to the other end and saw Southwood make another decent stop to prevent a Jack Lankester effort.
Lankester was involved again in the latter stages of the half but saw an effort from an acute angle saved by Southwood, and it meant the half would end goalless and with both sides feeling they could be happy with their efforts despite not being able to break the deadlock, it was certainly a battle that was for sure.
How would this one go then, well The U's were screaming for a penalty early in the second half when Lankester appeared to be tripped inside the box, but the referee was unmoved and provoked quite an angry reaction from the home fans, and to be honest in did look like a penalty to me as well, but there you go, it wasn't according to the man who mattered.
The U's passed up another decent chance just past the hour mark when Lankester took the ball past the keeper and then looked to cut the ball back to Lyle Taylor but instead passed the ball behind him and saw the chance go, much to the dismay of the home fans, and they were to be even more dismayed a few minutes later.
This is because Cheltenham were looking dangerous when they attacked too, and again the defence seemed to be sitting deep, and a break away saw Sercombe fire straight at Stevens, but in the 64th minute they did find the opener, and it was Taylor who ran onto a pass from Ferry, this after he had stolen the ball off the hosts, to fire a lovely footed effort across goal and in off the inside of the post.
Cue big celebrations from the visiting players who all ran over to celebrate in front of a delirious 207 away supporters who had made the trip from the West, the question was would the hosts be able to find a route back into the game and salvage something from this contest?
They probably should have done, as after making four changes, which included MOTM Lankester, to try and shake things up, and one of those substitutes Macaulay Bonne sent a near post effort into the side netting, most of us thinking he had found the net, but it was the wrong side of the post, and then minutes later Kaikai fired a ball across the area and Bonne again failed to find enough purchase on the ball to send it goal wards, they were two brilliant chances and you kind of felt that it wasn't their day.
Six minutes of stoppage time gave the hosts more hope of finding something late on, but to be fair the visitors battled gamely and easily held on in the end to record a huge win in their battle against the drop, whereas for Cambridge it was a very frustrating and disappointing day indeed, they are four points above the drop zone and drop a place to 16th now and have some tough games coming up, Cheltenham climb a place to third bottom and are now only five points from safety, this was certainly a boost to their survival hopes for sure.
Cambridge United 0 Cheltenham Town 1
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