Cambridge United: Van Heusden, Chenery, Duncan, Eustace, Wilson; Ashbee, Wanless, Russell; Taylor (Kyd 87'), Butler, Benjamin.
Notts County: Ward, Holmes (Beadle 66'), Blackmore (Pearce 90'), Warren, Redmile, Richardson, Hughes, Owers, Stallard, Darby (Rapley 78'), Ramage.
Referee: Mick Fletcher (Smethwick) |
Despite a much improved performance against leaders Notts County this afternoon, Cambridge United were denied by the woodwork and desperate defending and had two points snatched with a breakaway goal just four minutes from time.
Alex Russell was fit to reclaim his place in midfield from Neil Mustoe for the visit of leaders Notts County, while John Taylor made his first start of the season in place of Michael Kyd. Notts County fielded an impressive side including former Manchester United, Middlesbrough and Wales star Clayton Blackmore, Mark Stallard and Craig Ramage who started out at Derby as teenagers under Roy McFarland, ex-Sunderland player Gary Owers and tough striker Duane Darby.
Taylor marked his re-call in the first minute with a snap shot from 20 yards that was collected comfortably by goalkeeper Darren Ward. The first half got off to a scrappy start with numerous off-sides, but while United carved out several chances County were struggling to get balls into the danger area from their wing-backs. In the 10th minute an Alex Russell corner bounced off Scott Eustace's shoulder and Paul Wanless was just unable to supply to the final touch at the far post.
Seconds later an intricate build-up involving all of the midfield and most of the attack ended with Ian Ashbee trying his luck with a shot from 35 yards that dipped over the bar. Then in the 19th minute Paul Wanless met a Russell corner but his delicate header was tipped onto the bar. Referee Mick Fletcher was handling the game well despite the tendancy for the odd niggle and that was demonstrated in the 21st minute when Martin Butler and Blackmore were tussling for the ball on the wing and Blackmore went down as though shot. The referee's assistant saw no offence and Mr Fletcher simply waved the players to calm down and get on with the game.
In the 35th minute County made a rare chance when a Stallard break was held up by Eustace, but the ball still made it to Hughes who scuffed his shot badly wide. Then in the 42nd minute Clive Wilson and Butler combined well to feed Russell whose great ball to Butler was flicked on to Wanless. The United skipper received the ball just inside the box but Butler was adjudged to be offside and Wanless' reward for flicking the ball wide after the whistle was a yellow card.
There were a few dangerous moments during the three minutes of stoppage time when County were camped in United's half, but they were unable to convert the pressure into chances and United broke out in the 48th minute of the first half. Goalkeeper Ward was forced to head the ball clear from five yards outside his box, Wanless tried to head the ball back from 35 yards and the chance sailed just wide. In summary the Us were not convincing going forward, County's wing-backs were proving ineffective while the football overall was scrappy. (Half-time 0-0).
Arjan Van Heusden required treatment after a knock on the head in the first minute of the second half and County looked more dangerous after the break, but United took the lead in the 58th minute. Four minutes after Scott Eustace met Russell's corner, only to head it over the bar, John Taylor scampered away down the right and beat a defender before supplying an inch perfect cross for Martin Butler to meet with a diving header and score.
It was Butler who beat the offside trap in the 65th minute and he fired in a shot that was well-saved by Ward who punched the ball into the air and did well to collect it under pressure. Four minutes later Stallard crossed for Darby who was unmarked at the far post but fortunately headed wide from two yards out. In the 74th minute Ben Chenery hoisted a ball into the area, Ward missed the ball under pressure from Benjamin but Russell's shot was hacked off the line by Richardson, then five minutes later Benjamin burst into the box and thumped a rasping drive against the inside of the box with such power that it rebounded out of the box.
United were to pay for failing to convert those chances with four minutes left when County equalised. The Us really should have had the game sewn up when substitute Beadle attacked down the left before crossing for Stallard to head the ball home unchallenged. Michael Kyd replaced John Taylor a minute later and he carved out the final chance of the game two minutes into stoppage time when his ball across the face of the goal was just missed by Benjamin.
Reporter Mark Johnson's man of the match was Alex Russell: "We missed him against Bristol City."
United must face the Division Two leaders for the second time in three days on Monday when we travel to Wigan Athletic (kick off 3pm), who took over at the top after this afternoon's results.
RESULTS AND ATTENDANCES ON 28/08/99
Brentford 2-0 Blackpool 5,353
Bristol City 1-1 Bury 9,537
Burnley 1-0 Stoke City 11,328
Cambridge United 1-1 Notts County 4,329
Colchester United 3-2 Reading 3,443
Gillingham 2-2 Wycombe Wanderers 6,180
Luton Town 1-0 Cardiff City 5,874
Millwall 1-1 Chesterfield 6,256
Oxford United 1-0 Oldham Athletic 5,098
Preston North End 1-4 Wigan Athletic 13,885
Scunthorpe United 3-1 AFC Bournemouth 3,376
Wrexham 2-1 Bristol Rovers 3,365
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From an over hit cross Butler got possession and was shielding the ball near the touchline when Blackmore ran into the back of him, then went down holding his face. The referee and assistant saw nothing wrong, the impression of many in the ground was that Blackmore was trying to get Butler sent off, so Blackmore was booed whenever he got the ball.
Wanless got himself stupidly booked for kicking the ball towards their goal after the whistle had gone for offside. He missed the target too! Benjamin was also booked for a late tackle on Blackmore near the end of the half, although it looked more as if he lost his footing as he tried to stop, which is probably what the referee thought or he could have been sent off.
In the last minutes Van Heusden had to make an easy save of a low shot, then at the other end Wanless headed wide from a long distance after their 'keeper got caught well out of his penalty area.
At the start of the second half Van Heusden had to react quickly to a poor back pass, then got fingertips to a low cross for which he needed treatment. On 6 minutes Eustace had a free header from a Russell corner but headed over.
I had just been saying to a friend that Taylor was not in the game and perhaps Kyd should have started, when he performed a bit of magic from a Chenery pass to take the ball past his defender before putting in a curling cross that was met by the head of the flying Butler and into the net. It was the first league goal conceded by County this season.
Shaggy even started to take the piss by playing without boots. For some reason he decided to change boots, and of course the ball came to him when he had none on! He put a good ball through to Butler who beat his man near the bye-line, but his low cross was saved.
Soon after Butler had a similar chance, this time his superb rising shot bought out a reflex save. On 28 minutes the 'keeper misstimed a punch of the ball off the head of Benjamin, the ball fell to Russell but his shot was kicked off the line. A few minutes later a free kick from Russell went just past the far post, then a fine run by Benjamin gave him time to hit an angled shot across the keeper which hit the inside of the far post and came out. We continued the good football, Benjamin crossed long to the far post where Taylor, Ashbee and Russell combined to give Russell a shooting chance around the edge of the penalty area, but his shot went just over the bar.
Of course with all these missed chances we all knew what was likely to happen, and 4 minutes from the end of normal time a County cross from the touchline was headed in unchallenged to even the score. Taylor was replaced by Kyd, and still we made chances to take all three points, Benjamin heading just over from a tight angle, and Butler shooting on the turn but the shot had little power and was saved easily.
The first half was even, but we had the better of the second and were unlucky not to get all three points. Ashbee had another good game, as did Benjamin and Butler. Van Heusden showed why he is called Ice, there were a few occasions when he had to take back passes with forwards running in, he made the sidefoot to the full back look so simple as he dummied the forward. Nobody played badly, and yet again when we pass the ball around we are going to make chances.
I thought the crowd of 4,329 was a bit disappointing considering the position of County. There was another cock-up in the programme which had missing text on the County players. On the fixtures page surely something can be put in the blank space, even if it's only adverts.
Terry Wilby
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"WE had a bit of luck," admitted Notts County boss Sam Allardyce, re-defining "bit" in the way that Michael Jackson once turned bad into good. His unbeaten but battered second division leaders clambered off the canvas to snatch a draw by the skin of their teeth and the width of a post. A defence which had not conceded a League goal in three games this season was rocked, stretched, and pummelled once Martin Butler broke the deadlock in the 58th minute, aided by a moment of "blast-from-the-past" brilliance from John Taylor. There was nothing flukey about Darren Ward's super save to deny Butler seven minutes later. But twice after that the goalkeeper could only watch helplessly and hope as shots whistled past him. He was stranded at the other end of his goal when Alex Russell's 75th minute drive was hacked off the line by centre-back Ian Richardson. And he was probably resigned to picking the ball out the net four minutes later when Trevor Benjamin broke through to blast it past him. The United striker was wheeling away to start his celebrations when the ball thudded against the left-hand post and bounced back into the goalmouth. So United, pride fully restored after their woeful Worthington Cup exit, would have to be content with a 1-0 win. Or so it seemed until their lack of experience caught them out with four minutes to go. They must have felt so certain that if another goal was going to be scored in the game it would be at the County end, all notions of time went out of their heads. Piling forward, all guns blazing, was the perfect plan for 20 minutes after they scored, but they failed to notice the moment when they needed to retain possession and hold what they had. County broke away to punish a defence which had restricted them to only two real chances in 90 minutes, Mark Stallard heading an easy, and heartbreaking, equaliser. But once the disappointment, albeit bitter, began to ease, most United fans would probably have felt as relieved by the afternoon's events as Allardyce and his team. There was a growing fear after two consecutive away defeats, and rare criticism by manager Roy McFarland of his men's commitment, that the stay in Division Two would be brief and bruising. But even if County were in a false position in the early League table, they were a strong enough side to provide a meaningful test which United passed with a grade or two to spare. County clambered all over Colchester in their other away match this season, cantering to a 3-0 win. But as dreary as the first half stalemate was, it meant United were matching the leaders in midfield and snuffing out their attack, even if they were struggling to get their own forward line firing. A Paul Wanless header from a Russell corner, finger-tipped over the crossbar by Ward in the 19th minute was the only dangerous goal attempt of a half in which County's first shot arrived via Stallard on the half hour, and quickly departed over the top of the stand. The only slightly anxious spell for United was immediately after the interval when County at last began to play some of the neat passing football which brought them their early season success. It failed, however, to force a save from Arjan Van Heusden, although the keeper had to receive treatment for a kick on the head when he dived to beat Duane Darby to a through ball. United's goal was against the run of play, but as Allardyce accepted it completely altered the nature of the game. County's confidence drained away as United put them under the kind of pressure at their favourite Corona Kop end which wrecked Reading. Wanless and Ian Ashbee bossed midfield, releasing Russell to hit some probing passes. And the power and pace of Butler and Benjamin -- backed by Taylor's know-how -- must have impressed the harrassed defence as much has it probably did the usual army of higher division scouts in the stand. United almost snatched back the lead they deserved in a thrilling finish, Benjamin heading inches over in the 88th minute, then substitute Michael Kyd getting to the by-line, only to blast a centre across the face of goal. Their disappointment at the final whistle was obvious and acute, but would eventually have been offset by positive thoughts about a performance which prompted Allardyce to comment: "If you get a point at Cambridge you have to feel satisfied. We'd have settled for it before the match. We were glad of it at the end." Report © Cambridge Newspapers Ltd |
The first half wasn't the footballing spectacle it might have been, however we did make a few half chances but the shots from Taylor, Ashbee and Russell were poor, high or wide. Their 'keeper had to tip over a good header for a corner on 18 minutes though.