Nationwide League Division Two - Tuesday 28th December, 1999
Cambridge
United (4-4-2): Marshall, Kavanagh, Eustace (c), McNeil, Wilson;
Mackenzie (Taylor 64'), Ashbee, Mustoe, Russell (Guinan 86'); Butler,
Benjamin.
Cardiff
City (5-3-2): Hallworth, Faerber, Perrett, Bonner, Nugent,
Fowler (Phillips 46'), Eckhardt, Middleton, Carpenter, Humphreys, Low. Referee: D. Elleray (Harrow on the Hill) Shots
on target:
Cambridge 9 Cardiff 1 |
Cardiff's thin blue line held on valiantly as their flu-ridden line-up was depleted by three sendings off, and when Martin Butler missed a 75th minute penalty even the most optimistic U's fan must have seen the writing on the wall. Roy McFarland was forced into another change for today's game, although not as many as his counterpart Frank Burrows who had eight players missing with 'flu and named every remaining fit player in his squad. David Preece followed skipper Paul Wanless in succumbing to the pre-millennium bug and his place in the four man midfield went to Neil Mustoe, while the captain's armband was worn by Scott Eustace in an unchanged defence. Up front Trevor Benjamin replaced Tom Youngs who sat on the bench alongside fellow strikers John Taylor and new signing Steve Guinan, Marc Joseph and youth team keeper James Mercer. Arjan Van Heusden was seen at the ground this morning but was reportedly also affected by 'flu. The match kicked off in cold but sunny conditions and the pitch, although bearing the sandy ravages of last week's flooding, looked in reasonable condition. It was a competitive opening half, marked by a lengthy period of treatment for Cardiff's Fowler after a first minute clash of heads with Eustace. The action was largely confined to midfield where there were several individual battles, and goalmouth action was largely at the away end as United attacked, while Shaun Marshall did not have a save to make. In the ninth minute a clearance from ex-U Craig Middleton, pressed into service as an emergency centre-half, hit Trevor Benjamin and bounced through to Martin Butler who scuffed his shot wide under some pressure. Then in the 21st minute Middleton's poor free kick went straight to Benjamin whose first time ball found Butler, and his shot from the edge of the area was tipped round the post by Jon Hallworth. Two minutes later Cardiff broke away from a United corner and Humphreys held the ball up well waiting for support, but when it eventually arrived in the shape of Josh Low he blazed a shot over the Newmarket Road stand. Russell Perrett was booked in the 27th minute for a foul that would prove significant later in the half, while Russell continued to look lively down left against Faerber. Up front Butler and Benjamin working hard against Cardiff's five man defence, always prepared to chase lost causes and looking for each other when in possession. In the 41st minute Russell went on a mazy run that saw him weave past three defenders to the edge of the box but Perrett got a vital foot in to direct the ball tamely back to Hallworth. Four minutes later Mackenzie's free kick found Eustace in a crowd but the big defender headed over under pressure, then in the second minute of stoppage time Hallworth dallied on the ball in his area, Benjamin chased him down and another mistake from Middleton meant Perrett had to lunge in to take out Benjamin, a challenge that meant his second yellow card and an early trudge back to the dressing room. That was practically the final action of an error-strewn and fairly tedious first half. (Half-time 0-0 Cardiff made a change at half-time, bringing defender Lee Phillips on for Jason Fowler who had collected a yellow card late in the first half and may also have been suffering the after effects of his head injury, while United set their stall out early and put plenty of pressure on Cardiff's ten men. In the first minute Russell fed the ball through to Benjamin but Middleton made a vital tackle as Benjamin burst into the box. Then a minute later Cardiff managed their first shot on target when Low cut in from the right but fired a shot on the turn straight at Marshall. In the 48th minute Clive Wilson's deep cross was met by Benjamin who flashed a header just wide as Hallworth played it cool, and moments later Benjamin's luck set up Butler whose curling shot was comfortably held. After 57 minutes Benjamin turned Phillips and found Mackenzie, whose shot from the edge of the area curled inches wide, and two minutes later Humphreys' 25 yard free kick whistled a fraction over the bar. Cardiff were further depleted in the 63rd minute when Middleton collected his second yellow for lunging into the back of Butler, and Neil Mackenzie fired the resulting free kick through the wall where it was well-parried by Hallworth. In the 64th minute Mackenzie was sacrificed for an extra striker in the shape of John Taylor as McFarland tried to make the extra men count, and two minutes later some heroic defending from Eckhardt stopped the ball reaching Benjamin in the box after Butler had got through and slipped the ball towards his partner. After 71 minutes Butler successfully set up Ashbee 20 yards out but the midfielder thumped the ball well wide, then in the 75th minute it all happened. Kavanagh got forward and crossed to Benjamin, he headed the ball back across the face of goal Taylor who hooked a shot goalwards but although Hallworth seemed to get a hand to it he made less contact than Phillips who pushed it clear. He became the third Cardiff man to walk and Ian Ashbee was booked in minor scuffling that followed the handball, before Martin Butler stepped up, surely to add to his 17 goals this season? But it wasn't to be as he capped a below-par performance by placing the ball too close to Hallworth's right hand. United rallied and Taylor curled one inches wide a few moments later, and he and Benjamin both went close as United cranked up the pressure and pounded Cardiff, but the visitors defended resolutely and their seven man defence didn't really allow United the room for a shot on target. Russell made way for Steve Guinan to make his debut in the 86th minute, and in the 89th Faerber was killing time in the corner and doing it well until he decided to lash in a cross which allowed United to break. Kavanagh found Taylor bursting into the area but the 35-year-old was challenged and fell over spectacularly, collecting a yellow card for diving from Mr Elleray. Wilson's 90th minute cross was headed clear by Eckhardt as Cardiff resisted the late bombardment to cling on for a point and United's players left the pitch to a loud chorus of boos. The only cheer U's can take from the result is that the long run of league games without a clean sheet has finally been broken - although that was hardly a huge achievement against a weakened side whose forwards spent most of the second half as defenders! Today's point and Blackpool's defeat means United climb one place to 22nd in the table, but with a month of tricky fixtures ahead the January 22nd home game against Chesterfield already has the potential to be a 'wooden spoon' contest if our luck doesn't change and a run of good results does not start very soon. Reporter Mark Johnson's man of the match is Alex Russell: "He had a good game and looked our most creative player until he was sacrificed to get another forward on."
RESULTS AND ATTENDANCES ON 28/12/99
AFC Bournemouth 1-0 Wrexham 5,394
Bristol City 0-0 Luton Town 11,832
Burnley 3-2 Oxford United 14,218
Cambridge United 0-0 Cardiff City 4,250
Millwall 3-2 Brentford 12,077
Preston North End 2-1 Bristol Rovers 16,680
Reading 0-0 Notts County 7,703
Scunthorpe United 1-0 Blackpool 4,476
Stoke City 0-0 Oldham Athletic 13,709
Wigan Athletic 2-0 Gillingham 8,054
BOTTOM OF DIVISION TWO
Pos P W D L GF GA GD Pts
18 Cardiff City 23 5 8 10 24 30 -6 23
19 Wrexham 23 4 10 9 21 35 -14 22
20 Colchester United 23 5 6 12 26 46 -20 21
21 Reading 22 4 7 11 25 40 -15 19
22 Cambridge United 23 3 7 13 30 40 -10 16
23 Blackpool 23 3 7 13 22 41 -19 16
24 Chesterfield 22 2 8 12 13 25 -12 14
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I suppose that if someone had offered a point and a clean sheet at the start of the game we would have taken their arm off, indeed I've said in one of my previous reports that perhaps a few boring 0-0 draws would not be too bad. If only this were a boring draw between two teams of 11 players!
Less than a minute on the clock before the game was stopped after a clash of heads, the Cardiff player coming off worse than Eustace needing a couple of minutes treatment before being able to continue. A fairly cagey opening, Butler had a shot go just past the far post after 8 minutes, then on 20 minutes a good move between Benjamin and Butler gave Butler a shooting chance which forced the keeper into a good low fingertip save at the expense of a corner. After the first corner was headed behind by a defender, Cardiff broke quickly down our left from the second, the cross was half cleared to a forward who shot high over the bar.
Wilson put over a good cross to Benjamin in space, but he couldn't decide whether to head the ball or shoot on the volley, and ended up doing neither except finishing on his arse! Butler was being very closely marked, and was crudely challenged from behind by #5 (Perrett) which resulted in the first booking. Russell didn't look match fit, but on 40 minutes managed a good run ghosting past 3 defenders, but his shot did not match the approach play and was easily saved.
3 minutes later #16 (Middleton) was booked for a late tackle on Kavanagh, and from the resulting free kick Eustace headed over. In the 3rd minute of injury time Perrett was very late on Benjamin after Benjamin and Butler had forced an error from a defender, and deservedly sent off for a second bookable offence.
We always seem to struggle against 10 men at home, so my hopes were not too high for the second half, indeed in the first minute of the second half Cardiff forced Marshall to make a save with a shot straight at him. Almost immediately Wilson crossed well and Benjamin headed just past the far post, then Butler had a shot saved easily, before another late challenge from behind on him resulted in a booking for #17 (Carpenter).
A poor kick out by a Cardiff defender gave Mackenzie a chance from the corner of the penalty area, but with the goal gaping he put his curling shot high and wide. He tried again soon after but this time was a yard wide. Cardiff still looked dangerous on the break, and from a free kick about 25 yards out put the ball just over the bar.
16 minutes on the clock and another late lunge at the back of Butler meant another booking, and as it was his second yellow card off went Middleton. The last time I can remember playing against 9 men was against Gillingham a few seasons ago, and we couldn't score on that occasion. From the free kick Mackenzie's shot was saved by the keeper, the follow up shot from about 20 yards by Kavanagh was over the bar.
Mackenzie was replaced by Taylor soon after. We made loads of chances, Butler and Russell having shots saved, Ashbee shot over, Taylor couldn't get a shot in from 8 yards before being closed down, then after 29 minutes a goalbound shot was grabbed on the line by #22 (Phillips). It looked to me as if the ball was over the line anyway, but Mr. Elleray gave a penalty and sent off Philips, so now we were playing against only 8 players. Has this ever to us happened before?
Butler took the penalty, but although the 'keeper made as if to dive to his left he actually dived right and made a relatively easy save. Butler followed up and in the resulting fracas of much gesturing Ashbee got himself booked.
Chances galore went begging, Butler shot high from an angle, a Taylor shot just cleared the angle of post and bar, Benjamin shot just wide, then had a shot blocked, as did a number of others. Guinan came on 5 minutes from the end in place of Russell, but had little time to do anything. Taylor got himself booked for a dive in the penalty area just before the end. The final moments even saw Cardiff holding the ball by our corner flag!
Despite the clean sheet and the point it is most definitely 2 points lost, and the confidence factor could mean even more in the next few games. Cardiff got players behind the ball, defended in their penalty area and will see it as a point gained unexpectedly. I'll be interested to hear the Cardiff view on the referee, I think a regular second division referee would have been a little more lenient than Mr. Elleray, although all the bookings were in my opinion justified. Once again we didn't get the luck, with another referee we may well have been awarded the goal so that the defender didn't have to be sent off if the ball had already crossed the line. Did anyone have a better view?
When Cardiff were down to 8 men if I'd been manager I'd have brought on Youngs to replace MacNeil. After all, 3 defenders to deal with no attackers should have been OK, and perhaps Youngs would have given us a bit more pace down the wing. But then what do I know!
When the teams were equal strength there was little between them, their midfield having the edge on ours early on, but not able to do anything with the ball, before we came into the game more midway through the first half. They played with 2 wide players, but were too slow getting the ball out to them, and crosses were dealt with effectively by our defence. Kavanagh had another good game at right back, and both full backs put over some decent crosses.
Benjamin did OK in a more central role, although at times his team mates seemed to forget he wasn't out by the wing until the ball went straight into touch. Butler seemed to have an off day, which are few and far between, and he was fouled from behind far too many times. Russell did well, showing his class, and will hopefully soon be back to full match fitness.
If anything is to be learnt from a game like this it's that we didn't have enough shots from around 20 to 25 yards out, and didn't get enough shots on target from inside the penalty area, preferring at times to walk the ball into the net. Get the players in for shooting practice Roy.
Surely things can't get any worse in the year 2000! (At least we didn't lose 5-0 at home like a certain other team in the county).
Terry
Wilby |
OK, biased I know but you had to be on the Cradiff terrace to understand where our emotions come from about today. Here's my view of today's bizarre and freak proceedings.
Now I've watched Cardiff City play home and away hundreds of times but if someone told me one of the games that will stay in my memory forever would be a nil-nil draw on a cold, grey day at Cambridge in a match where we hardly conjured any shots, I would have laughed. But tonight, I am celebrating being one of the Cardiff fans who can say we not only saw the last City match of the Century but that "I was there" on the day we had 8 men missing before we left Cardiff and 8 men left after 90 minutes and still got a result.
There was little taste of what was to come when our coach only got to ex-70's City star, Dave Carver's pub, near Cambridge shortly before 2pm thanks to icy weather setting out and, kid you not, a shed fire causing a diversion. All fortified in record time, we arrived at Cambridge just before kick off to try the much hyped bacon rolls which were exactly that - much hyped!! Where did this rumour start that they offer the best bacon rolls in football?
Before kick off, most City fans would have settled for a draw and the club were missing 8 players, 6 of whom would probably have started, due to flu and injuries. The club were forced to name the only 16 fit players left on the books. It was obvious the 5 youngsters or never-will-bes on the bench would be used in an extreme emergency only.
There really was no hint of the amazing drama to follow in a drab, lifeless first half. The only talking point amongst City fans was that the ref was the Premiership's David Elleray and a suspicion that he would play a part in the afternoon's proceedings. Well, he likes to be seen or make it known he's about, doesn't he? We were right. But for 40 minutes, we may as well have stayed in the pub, watched a repeat at home on telly or compared Xmas jumpers as there was no action on the
pitch.
Jason Fowler was badly injured within 20 seconds of kick off with a head injury that held up the game for nearly 5 minutes. Fowler carried on for the half but it was obvious he was still quite concussed although he had City's only effort of the half, a nice run but a shot blazed high and wide from 25 yards. Cambridge were no better and City, despite the lack of resources, were comfortable. Their only real effort was a 20 yard mishit shot which went through tamely to Hallworth.
But the game awoke for all the wrong reasons on half-time. Craig Middleton who had made a few errors and shown poor distribution in the half against his old club went to sleep in City's penalty area. He took too long to clear and was suddenly under pressure. He succeeded only in knocking the ball out of the area towards Benjamin. There was no immediate danger as Benjamin had his back to goal but Perrett closed him down and lunged. Yes he caught the player, yes he had been booked earlier but Benjamin made the most of it and the majority of referees would have simply awarded a free-kick. David Elleray however decided it was a second yellow card offence and amazingly sent off Perrett. It was City's 2nd sending off of the season and both times, Perrett was the victim. This was an immense blow as Perrett was City's best player and it also left only one tall centre back to counter Cambridge's strike force. Within seconds, the half time whistle blew giving City the chance to organise. Half-time Cambridge 0 City 0
What City fans had done to cause exception to Cambridge's mascot, Marvin The Moose, I really don't know. It had been a quiet game with no abuse whatsoever. But whoever the prize pillock in that costume was deserves a good slapping for thinking it gives him or her licence to walk onto the pitch and gesture provocatively to away fans.
Marvin decided to show what amazing bravado he had by standing 60 yards away from us, poncing about on the pitch, giving City fans the come on, thinking he was hysterically funny with an inflatable sheep (do they really think we've never seen it before or don't laugh at it ourselves?) and mincing across the pitch. If that was anyone other than a mascot, they would have been arrested for several offences. News emerges that Elleray also red carded the mascot. Maybe it can go and fry to death with Cyril The Swan and other sad excuse of a lower division football club that believe its furry and polyester prats are an essential part of football.
Before the 2nd half started, Lee Phillips started warming up. Now we knew we were in trouble! This was, after all, a defensive player/centre half who wasn't even able to get a place on the bench when City have had real crisis's this season and use midfielders, like Middleton, to fill the hole. Jason Fowler was unable to continue and was sent to hospital but, thankfully, released with no severe problems.
The game hadn't really woken up although Elleray clearly had an appetite for booking City players at regular intervals but not any Cambridge players. It was difficult to dispute the bookings in isolation but it was apparent that Cambridge players were more prone to diving than Jurgen Klinsman in a swimming pool. You could only assume that their desperate situation called for this equally desperate ploy. But decisions were inconsistent.
How can you justify a Cambridge player hardly being spoken to for handling on the edge of the area just before the hour. Richie Humphreys drove a free kick narrowly over the bar. A couple of minutes later, Cambridge's tough striker, Benjamin, reacted after Middleton had caught him from behind 30 yards from goal as if he had been run over by the population of China. Result? 2nd yellow for Middleton and another sending off.
Nerves and passions ran high amongst City fans who, quite frankly, just could not believe what they were seeing. City possibly have the least amount of sendings off of any team in the past two seasons yet we now had 2 off in less than 20 minutes for innocuous fouls that, in all honesty, most refs would not have cautioned for. It would have ruined the game as a spectacle or event but it was never that to start with.
What it did however was galvanise the City players and supporters in a way that Cardiff City fans will know and few other clubs will ever understand or experience. The support knew City would be under siege so rather than resign, the players were given an extra 1,000% support increasing it to 10,000%.
From the resulting free kick, Hallworth make a great save to an awesome shot with real power and the fans started the Hallworth wave with arms swaying. The ayatollah was going too and the decibels got louder and louder.
Cambridge decided to introduce another striker as substitute but City players, to a man, were heroes showing a level of passion and commitment beyond expectations. Players were literally throwing themselves at the ball and giving everything for the cause even though it looked worse than hopeless. Cambridge however seemed a poor side and it was easy to understand why they are in the position they are, so there was increasing confidence that a point could somehow still be salvaged.
At the back, this game was made for Jeff Eckhardt who won tackle after tackle after tackle. Winston was putting in a great show too with some excellent blocks, Low was running the ball at every opportunity and Phillips looked ok. City still found time to attack and Richie Humphries, who is perhaps showing the most passion in a City shirt since Psycho Perky, hooked a shot over his shoulder and off the underside of the bar. Just as well it never went in as Elleray would have disallowed it.
And then when you thought it couldn't get worse, guess what?, it did!
A deep cross from the left was headed back across goal to find Taylor unmarked on 8 yards, as if we could mark everyone! His hooked shot was partially saved by Hallworth but still goalbound when Lee Phillips dived to push the ball away, according to City fans in the Cambridge end, with both hands. Cambridge supporters also believe the ball had already crossed the line.
It was staggering to see Lee Phillips red carded and Cambridge given a penalty by Mr Elleray. David Elleray seemed to remember there were two sides as, shock of shocks, he booked a Cambridge player for a minor scuffle after the decision. Memories came flooding back of the worst ref seen last season for City. Mr Barry Knight (how can we ever forget?) but anyone remember the game was against Cambridge. Amongst his many crimes, he sent off Mike Ford and gave Cambridge a penalty. Now don't ask me why but every City fan just seemed to know Jon Hallworth would save it. Sure enough, Taylor stroked it too straight and Hallworth saved.
In the mad scramble, Cardiff and Cambridge players squared up. A bit mad as City had 3 fewer to smash them with! But despite pushes, shoves and fists everywhere, Mr Elleray couldn't find anyone to book or send off for the most unsavoury incident of the match.
From this moment on, you knew City players had the bottle to see this out and it just fired up the fans more and more. In fact, Abbey Stadium was booming to Cardiff support. You would have thought we were the team with extra men and leading comfortably. City fans were now so loud and passionate that some were complaining of headaches from all the shouting and chanting. It was absolutely immense. Images of Rorke's Drift, Zulu, The Great Escape, etc etc were in everyone's minds as we knew this could be the most heroic City performance for years.
After spending all season complaining about Frankie's intransigence with the 3-5-2 formation, 3-3-1 looked like a winning combination and the way to go!! Suggestions are that we should start with 8 next game. Richie was up front on his own and Captain Kevin Nugent was made an emergency centre-half and looked a class act as he won every header and clearance that came his way. City battled way beyond expectations and I just cannot do it justice. It was only lowly Cambridge, but it was our team against the odds. The pride and passion, even by our standards was just immense. Cambridge had no real answer.
Every time they broke through, a City player got in the way. Every boot upfield was cheered as if City had scored a goal. Every shot was wide, blocked, cleared or found Jon Hallworth was a rock in goals. And yet still City came. Josh Low broke through three players and was charging through with the last defender to beat. This was pure fantasy that we could score and win it and it proved to be as the defender got a desperate tackle in. Winston Faerber found time to charge down the right wing and hit one of the best crosses he has sent over all season. The problem was no City player was within 20 yards of the penalty area and the ball was cleared upfield to see Winnie chasing back and Frank Burrows going berserk at what he had just seen.
Elleray found 2 minutes of extra time but City fans now had all the time to taunt Cambridge with "you're not very good" and "8 men, we've only got 8 men" amongst many others and had done so throughout the closing stages.
When the 2 minutes were over, Elleray found another 2 minutes, still Cambridge came and still Hallworth saved. Then he blew the final whistle. WE HAD DONE IT!!! THE FAMOUS CARDIFF CITY HAD PRODUCED AN OUTSTANDING RESULT TO GO TO CAMBRIDGE WITH 8 PLAYERS MISSING, GET 3SENT OFF AND GET A DRAW!! It's the best miracle at Christmas for 2,000 years!!!
I know it sounds far fetched but there's no way Man United could have felt prouder or happier than Cardiff City players and fans alike. Richie Humphreys was mobbed as he came to the terrace. Frank Burrows walked across the pitch, threw off his cap and was dancing, jumping up and down and doing the ayatollah. He has never been more animate. Every member of City staff were celebrating on the pitch and every Cambridge player looked totally haunted. And now they are going to bed to experience one of the worst nightmares of their lives. And I loved every moment of that second half. Only Cardiff City could finish the Century like this ... and ... I was there.
I love Cardiff City Football Club. Bloooooooooobirds!!!! I write this 7 hours after the match finished and I'm still smiling at the memory of it all. What a day. Only those who were there will truly understand.
Thank you Jon Hallworth, Winston Faerber, Jeff Eckhardt, Josh Low, Richey Humphreys, Kevin Nugent, Mark Bonner and Richard Carpenter. I salute you all. We have to start a new FREE THE CARDIFF THREE campaign for Perrett, Middleton and Phillips.
As Rocky would say after a battering but still getting a result, "Yo.....we did it!!"
NIGELBLUES
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Cardiff City pulled off an extraordinary escape after being reduced to eight men with a quarter of an hour still to go at Cambridge.
They had two players sent off for two bookable offences, Russell Perrett a minute before half time and Craig Middleton in the 63rd minute, followed by a red card for handball by Lee Phillips in the 75th minute.
His dismissal looked sure to hand victory to Cambridge as top scorer Martin Butler took the penalty awarded against Phillips for stopping John Taylor's shot on the goal-line. But Cardiff goalkeeper John Hallworth made a brilliant save from the 17-goal top scorer to inspire Cardiff to a remarkable draw.
Cambridge laid siege to the Cardiff goal in the final quarter of an hour, but the makeshift Bluebirds defence protected goalkeeper Hallworth so well that his only real save apart from the penalty was from a Neil Mackenzie free kick in the 64th minute.
Cambridge recorded their first clean sheet of their league campaign after 23 matches but it was little consolation for their frustrated fans who booed them from the pitch.
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JON HALLWORTH inspired the late rearguard action which salvaged one of the most unlikely points in Cardiff City's history.
Hallworth's brilliant save from Martin Butler, Cambridge's 17-goal top scorer, set the tone for 15 minutes of heroism from the weary eight-man Bluebirds.
Russell Perrett had been dismissed by Premiership referee David Elleray on the stroke of half-time for his second bookable offence. He was joined on the sidelines by Craig Middleton, who was shown a second yellow card in the 63rd minute. And Lee Phillips was dismissed by Elleray when he handled John Taylor's goalbound shot in the 75th minute.
That gave penalty specialist Butler the chance to snatch victory in a clash of two Second Division strugglers. But Hallworth denied him and for the last 15 minutes Cardiff were pinned in their penalty area as Cambridge rained in shots and crosses.
Veteran defender Jeff Eckhardt and skipper Kevin Nugent, pulled back from the front line into a makeshift defence, battled away and led their team to an astonishing result.
As Cardiff's players acknowledged the cheers of their 500 fans at the final whistle, Cambridge were booed off the pitch by their frustrated supporters.
The home team dominated from the start against a Cardiff side missing six regulars because of a flu virus. But there were signs in a low-key first half that all was not well with the Cambridge attack as Butler and Alex Russell failed to beat Hallworth after breaking through.
Perrett was sent off seconds before half-time when he tangled with striker Trevor Benjamin. And a home victory looked certain when former Cambridge midfielder Middleton followed him down the tunnel. But despite their overwhelming superiority Cambridge could not get the clear break they needed.
A minute after Middleton's departure, Hallworth saved Neil Mackenzie's flashing 25-yard free-kick. But when Cardiff went down to eight men the keeper was so well protected he hardly had a save to make.
There was one scare in the dying minutes when Winston Faerber, instead of holding the ball by the corner flag, suddenly sent a huge cross to the other side of the pitch which allowed Cambridge a rare break. But Cardiff's depleted ranks raced back in time to block Taylor's cross.
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The new signing Steve Guinan is only on the substitute bench today as the flu bug hits United. Paul Wanless is also missing. For this six-pointer Cambridge are playing 4-4-2 with a midfield of Mustoe, Ashbee, and the two playmakers returning from injury - Alex Russell and Neil Mackenzie. Cardiff are also riddled with what appears to be a nationwide Millennium Flu Bug, and have no fewer than six of their first team squad down with it. Cambridge should really win this game easily but not many think they will.
The latest rumour on the transfer front is that Gillingham have increased their offer for Trevor Benjamin towards a million pounds, but there is no news of the departure of him or Martin Butler yet. On the pitch the lines of new under-pitch drainage are clearly visible after the problems of water logging earlier this month. With Paul Wanless missing, the captain's armband has been handed to Scott Eustace. He and Martin McNeil are the centre-backs, with Marc Joseph on the bench. The referee today is David Elleray, the controversial and well-known Premier ref doing an obligatory lower division game. In the light of what is to come, it is pleasing to hear both sets of fans respect the minutes silence after the tragic death of Cambs FA official Mick North on Christmas Eve.
Cardiff kick-off towards the Newmarket Road end and after just 30 seconds Jason Fowler collapses after a clash of heads with Scott Eustace. Elleray stops the game instantly and there is an immediate call for a stretcher. Everyone is looking very worried as the doctor runs on. After four minutes Fowler is back on his feet and gingerly walks to the sideline. As the game restarts, they examine his mouth and check for concussion, then to everyone surprise, he comes back on as Trevor Benjamin sends a cross into the terraces. In a scruffy start Martin Butler misses a good chance, slicing wide with his left foot after a clearance blunder. The first Cardiff corner is cleared and when a Cambridge attack breaks down, you can hear the buzz of excitement from the Cardiff fans as Josh Low races away on the overlap. After 14 minutes Ian Ashbee touches the ball on for Butler, the crowd howling in fury as the linesman flags for offside as he races clear, having looked to have timed his run perfectly.
The Cardiff right back Winston Faerber is getting acres of space down the right-hand side and United are not picking him up. If Cardiff can pick him out, the Cambridge defence will be in real trouble. After an excellent turn by Trevor Benjamin the ball just will not run for Butler, then Faerber almost gets Humphries in as he finds the wide open spaces again. Cardiff are a big side and easily gobble up the procession of high ball lobbed hopefully in. Halfway through the half the Cardiff keeper John Hallworth dives full length to turn round a low shot from Martin Butler who has been set up by a neat touch from Benjamin. It's a poor game, with Cambridge giving the ball away far too often but encouragingly Alex Russell is showing the class that United have lacked in his absence. Fowler is lectured for stopping a quick free kick but not booked. Centre-back Russell Perrett obviously sees this as a sign of weakness by Elleray as he tries to get away with a wicked tackle from behind on Martin Butler. Stupid man. First yellow card for him.
This is turning into an afternoon in which Martin Butler is quite literally a target man to be heavily marked. Unfortunately he is a target for the Cardiff players and the marking is on his ankles and the backs of his legs. Low goes on another exciting run which wakes up the Cardiff fans but Mackenzie runs back to intercept the pass. In this stalemate Cambridge look marginally more likely to score, and the Cardiff overlapping fullbacks look the Welsh side's best attacking option. Alex Russell almost beats 4 men but Perrett's last ditch touch knocks the ball away from him. More good work from Russell leads to Butler being pushed off the ball and a packed defence keeps out Mackenzie's free kick. The second yellow card goes to Jason Fowler as he removes the legs from Jason Kavanagh. If you run at this lot, they look in trouble. As the four extra minutes board is held up Scott Eustace heads over the bar. With the stopwatch showing 50 minutes, Trevor Benjamin hassles Perrett into making a mistake. With Benjamin going towards the Habbin touchline, a red mist descends on the centre-back. He takes him out with a dreadful tackle from behind, instantly flagged by the linesman and instantly red carded by David Elleray. Quite right too. If I was Perrett's manager - Frank "Mr Misery" Burrows - I'd stop him a fortnight's wages for sheer stupidity. 0-0 at half-time but surely we can win this one against a poor side with 10 men, even though the Cardiff keeper has had only one shot to save in the entire half.
The second half starts with Jason Fowler substituted for defender Lee Phillips who go straight into the back four. Cardiff have signalled their intention and rearranged the side to leave just one up front. Trevor Benjamin bursts into the box immediately but Craig Middleton's tackle denies him. On 47 minutes Shaun Marshall makes his first and only serious contribution to the game as Low shoots straight at him. Cambridge are having trouble finding the target and when Trevor Benjamin rises for a Wilson cross, he flicks the header wide. Butler tries a snapshot but there is no venom in it. On 50 minutes Middleton goes into the book for chopping Butler down. The free kick is touched to Butler but he hits it into the Newmarket Road end car park. Almost immediately, the defence give the ball straight to Alex Russell but with the keeper in No Man's Land his chip towards the unguarded net is too high. Cambridge just can't make it happen and Cardiff are defending desperately with all ten men back. Some excellent work by Trevor Benjamin sets up Mackenzie but he shoots wide. At least he is shooting. Mustoe and Ashbee are yet to have a shot between them. Ashbee is constantly giving the ball away and Mustoe doing little more that touching short passes to the nearest player.
Just before the hour Cambridge have a rare scare. Ashbee is penalised for handball three yards outside the Cambridge area and with everybody back Humphries whips a vicious shot inches too high. Back come Cambridge to waste the ball again with Ashbee's cross closer to the far touchline than to any of the United front runners. On 63 minutes Cardiff go down to nine men. Craig Middleton slashes Butler to the ground once more. Elleray has no option but to send him packing. The free kick is 2 yards outside the Cardiff penalty area. Neil Mackenzie hammers in a fierce free kick which is brilliantly saved by Hallworth. The ball rebounds out to Kavanagh who wildly belts high over the bar from the edge of the box. A minute later John Taylor is thrown into the action, Mackenzie surprisingly the man substituted. One can only assume he is injured. To take him off for tactical reasons would defy all logic.
Martin Butler gets to the by-line, just about the first Cambridge player to do this in the entire game, but when he drives it across the face of goal, it is again hacked away for a corner. Wilson has a shot blocked then the keeper saves with his feet from Butler. The ball just will not go in. Low produces a dramatic swan drive as Mustoe challenges him. Elleray rightly gives the free kick to Cardiff, then has a quiet word in the Cardiff player's ear. Good reffing, that. Cambridge survive an up-and-under as Eustace is fouled. You can see Eustace turn to have words with the Cardiff crowd, and bearing in mind their unsavoury reputation, we wonder if something nasty has been said. 19 minutes left and Cambridge are still going nowhere against nine men. Ashbee hammers a ferocious shot just off target, and Taylor gets tangled up in his own feet. With 15 minutes left Cardiff astonishingly go down to eight men as Phillips handles the ball on the line to prevent Taylor forcing it in. Phillips trudges off and Butler places the ball on the spot. Huge sighs of relief all round. At last Cambridge have found the way through. Butler doesn't miss penalties. Cardiff are about to get their well-deserved come-uppence….. Except that are not. Butler's weak shot is too close to the keeper. Not only does Hallworth get down to save comfortably but he also hangs onto it. Butler follows up looking for the loose ball that isn't there and all of a sudden a mass brawl erupts in the penalty area. as the Cardiff players all dive in after him. Elleray somehow restores order. At the end of it all surprisingly Ashbee is the only person booked.
A minute later Martin Butler has another great chance but again he misses it. Cardiff are defending heroically but surely there must be a way past a side down to 8 men. John Taylor agonisingly curls a shot inches wide and Trevor Benjamin is off target as the Cardiff fans jeer "You're not very good" and "We've only got eight men". The siege of the Alamo continues but the defenders refuse to die. Every belted clearance is cheered to the echo by the Cardiff fans. Anywhere will do. There is no pretence at any finesse or football, but you have to admire their determination. The name of the game is survival against what should be overwhelmingly superior opponents. If only we could defend with this kind of commitment. Cambridge continue with the increasingly desperate tactic of lobbing in crosses towards a tall defence. Nobody from midfield or the overlapping full backs seem to want to run at the tired defenders, who have never looked in trouble from crosses. The bookings and sending offs have come from Butler and Benjamin getting at them on the deck.
With four minutes left, Benjamin's low drive in is claimed by the keeper and McFarland makes another baffling substitution. Alex Russell goes off to be replaced by Steve Guinan and Cambridge are now playing 4-2-4. In God's name why? What the hell are we doing with four defenders still on against eight men that couldn't mount an attack even if they wanted to? On top of that the two midfielders who have provided what class there has been in this game have been taken off, leaving on the two midfielders Ashbee and Mustoe who have produced very few bullets for the front runners in this game. Everybody is up for an 87th minute corner but when this is cleared, Cardiff take the ball to the United corner flag. When Cambridge get it back Kavanagh goes on the break and John Taylor tumbles dramatically in the penalty area, collecting a yellow card for a blatant dive. Cardiff continue to clear it anywhere, any how and the two minute board is held up as Hallworth catches another cross. "What's the excuse this time?" a lone voice shouts from the stand at McFarland and the whistle goes to hysterical cheers of amazed delight from the Cardiff fans, with boos and "What a load of rubbish" sailing up from the stand and terraces.
In 35 years at Cambridge United, I personally cannot remember fans more shell-shocked than they are this afternoon. "What the hell are we doing ending that game with four defenders still on the park?" "That is the most clueless performance I have ever seen from a Cambridge United side", and "If he says at least we kept a clean sheet in his post match comments, I think I shall scream" are some of the more printable comments I hear from angry fans.
Sky Sports is on in the Vice President's Club and when they put up the Division Two table, it shows that Cambridge have moved from 23rd to 22nd. Huge ironic cheers greet this news. "Going up, going up, going up," a group sing to laughter which relieves some of the anger and dismay.
"Our finishing was very poor" admits McFarland. "In fairness I thought we played some good football. We got balls in there, got headers back across the box and turned their defenders, but they got people in the way and not much fell for us. When it did, we didn't hit the target."
He leaves it to John Taylor to say what no one wants to hear - "we've got to take something positive from the game. We kept a clean sheet, got a point and went up a place in the table."
That convinces no one. It's a grim time when by Christmas the fans are already resigned to relegation. The opening comments on Radio 5 Live 606 show sum it all up as the phone-in presenter says "We want to hear from Cambridge United supporters. What's it like to support a side that can't beat eight men?" Before this game Cambridge United - at the wrong end of the table and shipping goals as if they were going out of style - were becoming a bit of a joke. Today they have turned into a laughing stock. The last home match of the millennium is one that we all want to forget but will never be able to.
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Just when you think things can't get any worse being a Cambridge United supporter, something happens that makes you realise it can! I think failing to score against 8 men is more embarrassing than a defeat at the hands of a non-league team! (Don't remind of this when we next lose to a non-league team though).