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Cambridge United: (4-3-3) Barrett, Chenery, Ashbee, Duncan, Joseph, Campbell, Wanless (Moore 81'), Beall (McCammon 87'), Butler, Kyd, Benjamin.
Sub not used: Taylor.
Swansea City: Freestone, Lacey, Jenkins, O'Leary, Walker, Bound, Cusack, Watkin (Newhouse 65'), Bird, Appleby (O'Gorman 77'), Hartfield (Coates 58').
Booked: Cusack (foul 90')
Sent off: Bird (dissent 39')
Ref: M L Dean (Eastham).
Shots On Target: Cambridge 11, Swansea 6
Corners: Cambridge 5, Swansea 4
[Keith Webb's match report] [Terry Wilby's report and ratings] [My summary of media reports]
Keith Webb's match report:
What a great result today against a more than useful Swansea side.
This could quite easily have been a typical end-of season bore but both sides approached the game as if there were still prizes to play for and contributed to an attacking style game. United started off at a reasonable pace and attacked straight from the kick off, their approach play was neat and good to watch but the final ball too often was very poor in the first quarter of an hour but improved as the game went on. Swansea looked very dangerous on the break and for the second consecutive Saturday it was pouring with rain and the pitch was very slippery and soon started to cut up.
Once again we managed to dominate midfield and adapted better to the heavy pitch than Swansea did with Beall and Ashbee again putting in excellent performances and starting off most of our attacks with their thoughtful distribution. Ashbee really has come on in leaps and bounds and a couple of times he showed his new found confidence by standing with the ball and looking around before laying the ball off, something that we badly missed earlier in the season.
Trevor Benjamin again made up for what he lacks in finesse with his sheer enthusiasm and it was his usual determination to terrify goalkeepers that led to the first goal when he chased a through ball that many strikers would have given up on and forced the Swansea keeper into a hurried clearance, which he made a hash of by slipping over and scuffing the ball out to big Trev, his shot was blocked on the line and Butler scrambled it home. After another couple of good chances went begging for the U's, Swansea equalised with an impressive sweeping move from their own penalty area which ended in a pin point cross being headed past a helpless Barrett with the United defence appealing in vain for off-side.
Earlier in the season United may well have capitulated and gone on to lose a game like this, but one of the players grabbed the ball out of the Swansea net and ran to the centre circle in a bid to kick off again as soon as possible. From the kick off United carried on where they left off and Martin Butler cracked in a screamer of a goal after turning smartly on the right hand edge of the box and firing in an unstoppable shot that the Swansea keeper had no chance with.
Swansea were restricted to an ever diminishing number of counter attacks but when they did break they looked very dangerous and Barrett had to come off his line quickly a couple of times to clear after the U's defence were caught flat footed. Then in a moment of sheer madness one of the Swansea players was sent off for first throwing a lump of mud at the linesman and then foul-mouthing him and from then on United dominated the match creating a couple more chances close on half time, one a superb soaring header from Benjamin that flashed just wide and another from a blistering shot that brought out a brilliant save from the Swansea keeper.
After the break it was virtually one way traffic although Swansea, even though they were down to ten men, still looked dangerous on the break and Barrett made a couple of excellent saves before United got the third goal that sealed the victory. Kyd lashed in a shot from the right hand corner of the penalty area, low and hard into the bottom corner, similar to the goal he scored against Peterboring last week.
United battered away at the Swansea defence after that and only some fine goalkeeping and last ditch defending stopped Butler, Benjamin, Wanless and Kyd adding to the scoreline. Eventually though the pressure told and Kyd scored another cracking goal from almost the same position as his first, this time rounding two defenders before shooting high into the net to cap an excellent second half performance from himself and the rest of the team.
Keith
Terry Wilby's match report and ratings:
I got to the Supporters club a little late this week, so no draw tickets, however I did manage a lucky pint.
Despite being low in the table Swansea looked quite a useful team, trying to play some football. They forced the first save from Barrett after 12 minutes, almost immediately Ashbee had a good shot saved. We took the lead after 16 minutes, Benjamin and their keeper Freestone going for a 50-50 ball, Freeestone seemed to get the ball but it spilled out, Benjamin got up quickly and shot for goal but a defender stopped it on the line, Butler slid in to make sure though.
5 minutes later they equalised, a long cross from our left was headed in from 6 yards unchallenged, Duncan appealing for offside, Barrett stayed on his line. We continued to play the better football and pressed them back, Freestone saving from Kyd. From a partially cleared corner Butler turned just outside the edge of the penalty area and shot which went in at the near post.
8 minutes from half time they lost their number 9. Joseph tackled and won the ball right in front of the linesman, as the attacker was getting up he threw some mud at the linesman and I believe said a few rude words which got himself sent off.
In the second half Barrett had to make a save before we really got going, but after 10 minutes we scored again, a good run through the middle by Billy Beall drew defenders, he passed right to Kyd who shot in across the 'keeper. Barrett saved us again after 26 minutes when Duncan mis-controlled a through ball which gave Swansea a chance.
On 35 minutes Kyd had a looping header go just over, a minute later he started a run on the right which took him past 3 defenders and his looping shot went in at the far post. Wanless went off to be replaced by "new bloke" whose name I don't know (Mark Moore). 5 minutes from the end Billy came off for McGannon. The Swansea right full back must have thought he had double vision as McGannon is similar to Benjamin! Just before the end Butler had a shot saved.
There were times when we were passing the ball backwards and forwards, making Swansea run about. It looked really good. I know they were a player short but I think we would still have done the same.
Billy Beall had a super match and is my MoM. If he goes it will be a great loss, he always seems to have time on the ball and very rarely makes a poor pass. I can't believe that Orient have a better squad than us, so the reason must be more money (for which I cannot blame him), but I would think that we are in a good enough position to be able to offer a similar deal. The rest of the team also played well, although there is still room for improvement from in particular Benjamin and Kyd.
Ratings: Barrett 8, Chenery 7, Ashbee 8, Duncan 7, Joseph 8, Campbell 8, Wanless 8 (Moore 6), Beall 9 (McCammon 6), Butler 8, Kyd 8, Benjamin 7.
My summary:
Roy McFarland named an unchanged side to face Swansea this afternoon and watched his side romp to a 4-1 win. Strikers Martin Butler and Michael Kyd, both of whom have had seasons interrupted by injury, confirmed their return to form with a brace apiece to take their individual tallies to twelve. Swansea had their scorer Tony Bird sent off in the first half.
United recorded their biggest win of the season in style this afternoon, at times able to play exhibition football against ten-man Swansea. Both sides started brightly in the rain although United's early attacks lacked the final ball, but Martin Butler opened the scoring on 17 minutes. Trevor Benjamin harried goalkeeper Roger Freestone into a poor clearance only to see his shot blocked by defender Matthew Bound, but Butler slid through the mud to poke the ball over the line.
United were unable to build on the lead as within five minutes Tony Bird finished a flowing Swansea move, connecting with Richard Appleby's pinpoint right-wing cross to head home.
United continued to press and Martin Butler restored the lead in the 38th minute, dispossessing Bound on the edge of the area and turning to hammer a rocket shot inside the near post from 20 yards. Almost immediately Bird was in conflict with a linesman and not only voiced his displeasure but threw mud at the official, a foolish act which was punished with a red card. United were comfortably in the driving seat and could have added another before half time but for Benjamin's header going wide and a good save from Freestone.
Swansea started the second half well and forced a couple of saves from Scott Barrett, but United extended the lead in the 56th minute and killed the game. Freestone's poor clearance was collected in midfield by 'Billy' Beall, he spotted Michael Kyd breaking into the area and picked him out with a superb pass. Kyd took the ball in his stride and lashed the ball past the keeper from the edge of the area, a goal similar to his winner in last weekend's derby game.
From then United dominated the game completely, stringing together pass after pass although the moves often lacked the cutting edge, but at 3-1 up that didn't matter too much! Even so, Butler and Kyd could have added to their haul, Paul Wanless had chances and Ian Ashbee set up Benjamin for a thunderous shot that was well saved by Freestone. Swansea's one real effort from sub Aiden Newhouse was similarly well saved by Scott Barrett.
United's pressure eventually told and Michael Kyd's second and United's fourth was the stunning icing on the cake. The confidence of scoring recent goals showed in the 81st minute as Kyd ran from almost the halfway line, jinked past two defenders and from 15 yards lobbed the ball home over the stranded Freestone.
At 4-1 the exhibition football was in full flow and McFarland was able to hand a debut to Mark Moore, who replaced Paul Wanless with nine minutes to go, and with about five minutes left lanky teenage striker Mark McCammon came on for his League debut in place of the human dynamo Beall.
To complete the perfect afternoon, Lincoln City all but ended Peterborough's play-off hopes with a 3-0 victory at Sincil Bank, pushing POSH down to ninth place.
Halifax Town clinched promotion from the GM Vauxhall Conference this afternoon and they will replace Doncaster Rovers in the third division next season.
Many thanks to Keith and Ben for their report and ratings.
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