| Barnet | 2-0 | Cambridge United |
| Heald 27' | ||
| Simpson 63' | ||
| Att: 2,455 |
United line-up: Barrett, Chenery, Wilson (Taylor 65), Duncan, Joseph, Campbell, Wanless, Brebner, Barnwell, Kyd (Youngs 76), Beall.
Sub not used: Preece.
Booked: Brebner (foul 27')
Ref: M E Pierce (Portsmouth).
[Keith Webb's match report] [The Abbey Rabbit match report] [Terry Wilby's match report] [My summary of media reports]
Keith Webb's match report:
I'm beginning to think that I'll never see the U's win away ever again. Although we never played that badly today, apart from a couple of incidents of schoolboy defending, we weren't that much good either. Todays match just about sums up our season - barely ordinary at best.
Apart from the two goals and a couple of saves from Barrett, one in each half, we looked fairly comfortable for most of the match and indeed had three excellent scoring chances ourselves. In the first half Brebner shot straight at the Barnet keeper when clean through and then Kyd managed to miss a free header in front of an open goal from 4 yards out.
In the second half a pass from Wanless skidded across the Barnet goalmouth with four United players standing and waiting for each other to put the ball in the net. Although Barnet look a well balanced side I did not leave Underhill feeling that we had been beaten by a far better team. It's difficult to put your finger on exactly what is missing from the present U's side but the nearest I can get is that there seems to be a lack of passion in the team as a whole. Some individuals like Wanless never give less than 100% effort even if their achievement falls below that, but as a team United just do not seem to gel or understand each other, nor does there appear to be any team plan or match tactics as such. Some people might say that McFarland does not motivate the players but I do not believe that it is that simple, indeed it appears sometimes that the players are unable to motivate themselves and almost appear to expect to lose games. Even the warmup seems very low key and functional with very little apparent banter or chat amongst the players.
We now too have feelings between different sets of U's fans starting to boil over as today at Barnet things became pretty ugly between the pro- & anti-McFarland factions and both Police and Stewards needed to calm things down on several occasions. I have sympathies with both points of view but I have to say that it was a very sad thing to see United fans spending more time threatening each other than getting behind the team and trying to lift them. Despite our poor form there was a good turn out at Barnet today but yet again the more vocal groups spent the whole time barracking McGleish/Charlery/McFarland/Smart/Greenall/Hunt/each other instead of getting behind the team. If only the players could provide a little bit of spark on the pitch to get the fans behind them instead of at each others throats.
We seemed to spend large parts of todays match passing the ball aimlessly sideways rather than producing a bit more excitement and running at the Barnet defenders as Jamie B did a couple of times in the second half. I also believe that it is a mistake to play Kyd instead of Taylor up front as Kyddie is totally out of sorts and was a passenger for most of the match, as well as Wilson whose distribution is dreadful, I lost count of how many times he hoofed the ball into touch in the first 20 mins when attemting to knock the ball into the path of Barnwell.
What price a 0-0 draw against a 10 man Doncaster defence next week?
Keith
The Abbey Rabbit match report:
The team that were 15th at start of play lost 2-0 away from home to the team that was 3rd.
I didn't think there was much difference betwen the two sides. Barnet were well organised (as they were at the Abbey) and had strikers who knew where the goal was. Our strike force is too light-weight to play just the two-up as Neither Kyd or Barnwell are convincing target men.
Apart from one excellent save in the first half, Scotty had little to do except come off his line once or twice - oh and pick the ball out of the net a couple of times. We had a couple of realy god chances , Kyddie's header - which didn't even find the target and Brebner's finish to a (for once) really good piece of play. However, when we went two down, the lights went out and we never really looked interested - which was the really disapointing aspect of the day.
Actually, correct that - the really disapointing aspect was the attitude of THAT bunch of "supporters" (you know who they are). Their attitude was disgraceful, especially the "you're not fit to wear the shirt" jib at the end... The players tried - they know, McFarland knows, we know that we're just not good enough.
SteveJ@AbbeyRabbit
Terry Wilby's match report:
Oh how I like these close away games, left my house at 1:15pm, in the pub near the ground just over an hour later. Apparently Devine had been practising shooting before the game, he was crap. Luckily he continued crap shooting in the game. It must be something to do with the green boots!
Barrett was called into action as early as the 4th minute, making a good save, but we should have been awarded a free kick before the ball got to our area. Soon after Devine had a great chance when our defence went walk-about, but shot well wide from the edge of the penalty area, as mentioned above.
Mid way through the half we managed a bit of pressure, forcing a corner, then a good cross from Brebner which was headed out and gave Barnet a good break-away from which Devine shot wide again. Barnet took the lead on 28 minutes, a free kick that shouldn't have been awarded was headed in almost unchallenged by Heald. Although I was at the far end it looked like our normal inability to defended an inward curling free kick. Brebner forced a good save from their 'keeper, a good cross from Wilson to the far post where Brebner got behind the defence and volleyed only for their 'keeper to block. Soon after Kyd missed the ball with his head from all of 2 yards out with the 'keeper out of position. We had a goal disallowed, a cross from our left was volleyed in by Wilson but Wanless was adjudged to have fouled the defender.
10 minutes into the second half Wanless headed just wide. We lost a second goal after a period of possession which resulted in a 3 on 2 break-away, instead of closing down the man with the ball the defenders marked the players without the ball! It was like the waves parting, allowing a free run into the area and an easy shot into the corner past Barrett. Taylor came on for Wilson, soon after Youngs came on for Kyd. We had another chance but it was cleared off the line.
I can't say we deserved to win, but a draw would have been a fair result. We made some chances, if Wanless could shoot on target and others apart from Brebner would actually have a shot from outside the penalty area we may score more. Duncan played in the middle of defence with Campbell and Joseph, they need to work as a team. I guess Foster usually tells his defence partners what to do, without him the others are looking for guidance! Beall was superb, the only one who really looked to pass and then receive the ball in a new position. Brebner was also good, particularly his skill on the ball. I would play Taylor with Kyd and have Barnwell as a substitute, without Taylor we are too light at the front.
Barnet's ground as we all know slopes quite a lot, but some players on both teams had problems keeping the ball in play, Wilson and Campbell for us, and their 'keeper taking goal kicks. I decided that the reason was because the ball contained a small piece of metal, and under the stand on each side was a bloody great magnet! The metal of the temporary stand behind the goal negated the effect of the magnetic flux which is why we had some decent crosses! £8 to sit is not too bad.
Ratings: Barrett 6, Chenery 6, Wilson 5 (Taylor 6), Duncan 5, Joseph 5, Campbell 5, Wanless 7, Brebner 7, Barnwell 5, Kyd 6 (Youngs 5), Beall 8.
As has already been mentioned, there was a rather vocal group of about a dozen or so at the front of the seats who seem to think they are better supporters than the rest of us because they went to Rotherham, and thus have more justification to want McFarland and Smart out. They had some chant about Reg's wife which I couldn't understand the relevance of. At the end of the game they were even louder. They have just as much right as I do to voice my opinions, they just can't seem to see that we are playing reasonable football but just can't score. If we had a 20 goal a season player at the front we would be near the top, where would Boring be without Quinn's goals?
There was a funny moment at the match. Charlery was warming up in the corner near the U's fans, some-one went over to shake his hand, just as Charlery lifted his hand the chap pulled his away, thumb to nose wiggling his fingers. Charlery laughed. Probably thought he would score against us when he came on. McGleish got the expected abuse which he took with a smile. He only had one chance which Barrett saved.
Summary of media reports:
The return of goalkeeper Scott Barrett was the only change to the team which drew at Rotherham on Tuesday.
Despite the scoreline this was a fairly even match decided by some more inept defending that granted Barnet a goal in each half. From a free kick by the 'other' Paul Wilson, ex-Posh defender Greg Heald headed past Barrett to put Barnet ahead. But United were not without chances to get back into the game.
Grant Brebner showed his confidence to shoot at goal has not been affected by recent results although after getting on the end of a Chenery pass his 36th minute effort was saved at point-blank range. The terribly out-of-sorts Michael Kyd is still getting into shooting positions, but minutes after Brebner's shot he contrived to head Wilson's cross wide of an open goal.
In the second half United were toiling up the (in)famous Underhill slope but there was plenty of effort and a fightback was on the cards until Barnet's second. The home side counter-attacked from a United corner, Scott McGleish fed the ball to Phil Simpson on the edge of the box and he dummied the defence before sliding the ball under Barrett. For United, a golden chance to get back into the game went begging when three or four United players failed to connect with a cross from Paul Wanless that passed straight in front of Barnet's goalmouth.
The other main action of the afternoon was on the terraces where sadly some United followers spent more time barracking the management and directors than supporting the team. Police and stewards were required to step in and cool the situation when the 'debating' between different factions threatened to get ugly.
United dropped two places to 18th in the table after this sixth game without a win.
Many thanks to Keith, Steve and Terry for their reports and ratings.
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