Cambridge United Post Match Thoughts

[GlennMiller]

Wish I'd stayed in the pub till half time; that first half was worse than watching Burnley v Leeds! Much better 2nd half with more energy and movement. Cracking double save by Phillips who is developing well. Great to see Nombe back; his movement gives us much more threat. How we didn't get a penalty when he was pulled onto his back I'll never know.

Although we're an average side, we have players such as Powell, Wilkes, Haks and Sibley who have the ability to do something special and turn games in our favour.

Finally, thanks to the highways agency for closing the southbound A1 and turning a 1.5 hour journey into two hours. Had we not won, that might have really annoyed me!

[Scum-Triumphant]

Very poor first half l. Bringing on Ragget and pushing Haks into midfield instantly made us into the better team and heads not going down after going one down was a positive.

[Brin]

Very poor first half l. Bringing on Ragget and pushing Haks into midfield instantly made us into the better team and heads not going down after going one down was a positive.

Have to agree pal, McDonald wasn't to blame but was rightly subbed making the move for Odoffin/Raggett to happen.

As for MacDonald, that crunching tackle he did going in between two of their players was brilliant! Came out of it unscathed and just carried on. Wish we had got his services when he was 10 years younger. A proper battler.

[avondalemiller]

Brin, San Miguel has been taken off and replaced with Kronenberg, it's a nice drink, but i'd rather have a nice beer which they don't sell.

Chantry out of a bottle isn't the same.........

[NorthWestCorner]

Difficult first half as they came to block but a good switch by SE to change things up. Malik Wilks was outstanding in that second half. Goal, assist and movement. I underestimated him - he is much better than I first thought. If only he was consistent but then he wouldnt be here.

Quiet on here though - did we win?

[DerekMiller]

Last nights game had all the typical Football league misery cliches attached to it. Freezing cold, damp midweek January night fixture between two sides who have been uninspiring for a lot of the season. Couple of hundred away fans, a lot of empty seats in the home stands. Then the first half happened and yep, it lived right up to the drab scene setting. The highlight of the half was the cup of Bovril I drank, followed by one decent chance where a dangerous ball was whipped into the box and Haks was a toenail away from burying it into the back of the net.

The second half started and somehow it got worse, Cambridge scored. It was a good, well taken goal but I thought our defence flapped too much and could have done more to stop Loft breaking through.

I feared the worst and I was out of Bovril, but what an unexpected gift that goal turned out to be. It woke the lads up and things improved a lot. We took control of the game and importantly got the equaliser quickly. Good header from Wilkes that crept over the line and got us back into it. We kept the pressure on and played some decent stuff.

We showed that when we wanted to, we have some excellent dangerous play. The link up between Green and Sibley went through their defence like a hot knife through butter, which concluded with a piledriver shot from Sibley and an excellent save from their keeper.

The second goal was probably offside, as has been pointed out already. From where I was sat I didn't get a good view but I've seen the replay. The camera pans after the ball is passed so it isn't captured on screen but from where Wilkes is when he comes into shot and receives the ball he was either offside or covered a lot of ground very quickly. But the ref gave it, Cambridge didn't protest and we had a deserved lead.

It felt pretty comfortable after that, we managed the game well and apart from one worrying moment very late on where the ball was pinging around in our box and nobody could seem to get clean contact on it, the blood pressure stayed pretty steady.

Good three points, good character shown, crowd got behind the team well when the team woke up. Not a bad evening at all for a freezing cold, damp, midweek January night in Rotherham

[Ericsladkilnhurst]

The first half was dismal from both teams, with different comments from fans
around me to the football on show.
I thought Wilks man of the match, Cambridge United couldn't handle him in the 2nd half,
hate to think the fans reaction had we lost this game, after the collapse at Burton Albion.

But we gathered the 3 points, that is what counted.

A big test on Saturday at Birmingham City, but they are there to beat, so Steve Evans has
to get the players to believe in themselves, & go for it.

[mellowmiller]

Dreadful first half against a team that clearly came for a point and were content just to defend.
People around me were saying McDonald had got a knock before he went off but whether the substitution was forced or tactical it certainly made a difference to the way the team played.
I feared the worst when they scored a well taken goal because I thought they would just pack their defence even more and hang on for a one goal victory.
Fortunately we created a decent equaliser and were pretty much on top after that.
Everyone thought Wilkes was yards offside for the winning goal but we got a bit of luck for a change because the linesman was way behind play. Not surprisingly the Cambridge goalkeeper went absolutely ballistic at him.
Wilkes was man of the match for me......if he played like that on a consistent basis he would be earning a lot more money and operating at a higher level.
Not a game that will linger long in the memory but a welcome 3 points.
Obviously Birmingham will present a much tougher challenge but if the players can't get motivated for that game they should choose something else to do.

[mellowmiller]

Scrappy game, average first half by both teams with no shots on goal by us. Good call by Evans taking MacDonald off as their midfielders were just too big for him to deal with, and out wide, where he hardly one a header, not his fault though so no backlash on Macca.

I will say on our second goal, Wilks was way offside when he took control of the ball. The Assistant must have been 10 yards behind play so couldn't call it but all around us we were laughing asking just how far Wilks was offside. Brilliant lay off to Odoffin though and what a finish by Haks. Happy times once again

A win is a win so we'll take it but it wasn't an enthralling game at all for those in attendance.

Evans says the MacDonald substitution wasn't tactical it was because he was struggling with an injury.
He's now a doubt for Saturday.
The way things are going we'll be struggling to fill the bench soon particularly if Bramall leaves quickly.

[Brin]

Evans says the MacDonald substitution wasn't tactical it was because he was struggling with an injury.
He's now a doubt for Saturday.
The way things are going we'll be struggling to fill the bench soon particularly if Bramall leaves quickly.

Mellow picture our bench Saturday if MacDonald isn't fit.....

Phillips
Rafferty
Jules
Raggett
James
Humphreys
Sibley
Powell
Oddoffin
Green
Wilks

Bench

Dawson
Nombe
Hugill
Holmes
Kelly

Injuries:
McWilliams
Macdonald?
Clarke - Harris

Bramall gone to Portsmouth