Cambridge United: Van Heusden, Chenery, Duncan, Eustace, Wilson; Ashbee, Wanless (Cassidy 80'), Mustoe (Taylor 64'); Kyd (Youngs 77'), Butler, Benjamin.
Bristol City: Phillips, Brennan, Sebok, Taylor, Carey, Goodridge, Tinnion, Hutchings, Torpey (Pinamonte 76'), Thorpe, Murray. Referee: Clive Wilkes (Corfe) Shots on target: Bristol C 11, United 6 Corners: Bristol C 12, United 6 |
A surprise absence from tonight's team was Alex Russell, ruled out through injury. His place was taken by Neil Mustoe while John Taylor, who claimed the second goal in the first leg, had recovered from a foot injury to take his place on the bench. City were without striker Ade Akinbiyi who is on international duty with Nigeria, but called upon £1m replacement Tony Thorpe.
City got off to the better start and rained shots and corners in on Arjan Van Heusden's goal. After five minutes Tony Thorpe's 25 yard shot deflected off Ian Ashbee and was tipped onto the bar by Van Hesuden, and in the 12th minute the Dutchman was called upon to tip Hutchings' 25 yarder round the post after he was given acres of space to shoot.
In the 15th minute Ben Chenery's looping cross brought City goalkeeper Phillips out to the edge of his box, Trevor Benjamin beat him to the ball and fired in a shot, but it was bravely headed clear by Carey under pressure from Martin Butler who was following in. Then City took the lead three minutes later when Brennan got away down the right, shaking off a challenge from Michael Kyd before sending over a cross that Van Heusden could only push out to the feet of Thorpe, but despite making a great save from the rebound, Torpey was on hand to stab the ball home from six yards.
Our midfield was lacking Russell's invention and City were well on top of the game when in the 22nd minute Greg Goodridge saw his 20 yard shot curl wide, and two minutes later Thorpe turned a defender but slid his shot just past the post and the stranded Van Heusden. There was a brief respite when after 26 minutes Andy Duncan's vicious shot from 30 yards was tipped round the post at full stretch by Phillips, but seconds later Shaun Taylor galloped to the edge of the area only to see his shot skim off the damp surface.
City kept the pressure on and were rewarded with a second goal after 37 minutes. Tinnion got away down the left and cleverly clipped the ball through to find Murray whose cross was tapped in at the far post by the unmarked Tony Thorpe. The half-time score was a fair reflection of a half dominated by City, leaving the Us requiring a comeback of Forest-esque proportions to stay in the competition that produced some great moments last season. (Half-time 2-0)
City continued to have the better of the game and four minutes into the second half a deep cross from Tinnion found Sebok six yards out but he skied a volley over. Two minutes later Trevor Benjamin broke clear and fed the ball to Martin Butler who rolled the ball into the path of Ian Ashbee, but the midfielder's shot from just outside the box was just the wrong side of the post. In the 64th minute Roy McFarland went for broke by sending John Taylor on for Neil Mustoe to play an adventurous 4-2-4 formation, and two minutes later Martin Butler saw his 25 yard drive tipped over.
Lorenzo Pinamonte replaced Steve Torpey in the 76th minute and had an immediate impact when his cross was mis-kicked by Scott Eustace into the path of a surprised Thorpe, but luckily the striker scuffed his shot past the post. Pinamonte was involved again three minutes later when he stopped to meet Tinnion's cross but his header was brilliantly blocked by Van Heusden from three yards.
Jamie Cassidy and Tom Youngs replaced Wanless and Kyd as Roy McFarland used up all his attacking options for the last ten mintues, and Van Heusden was busy again in the 82nd minute when he mis-kicked the ball to Goodridge just outside the area, but recovered in time to save the Barbadian's rasping volley.
United finally broke through to score in the 87th minute, when Martin Butler picked the ball up about 20 yards out and from nothing rifled the ball into the bottom corner to ensure a few tense moments in the dying stages. The Us made a good go of it against a good Bristol City side but left themselves too much to do after two poor first half performances.
Reporter Mark Johnson's man of the match was Arjan Van Heusden (right): "A number of good saves keeping us in it for longer than would have otherwise been the case."
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For the first time this season, United dished up a mediocre display and were seemingly resigned to defeat from the moment they set foot onto the pitch. They started the same as they had the first leg, and allowed City to slice through the defence and test Ajran Van Huesden's growing reputation to the limit.
Thankfully the giant Dutchman was on top form, as he made two spectacular saves from former Luton player Tony Thorpe and did well to tip a deflected attempt from Hutchings around the post. It was one-way traffic, but remarkably United soaked it all up and then looked as though they had taken the lead.
Phillips in the City goal got in a muddle under pressure from Trevor Benjamin and the ball spun up into the air and towards the unguarded goal. Martin Butler looked as though he would have the simple task of tapping home to put United into an aggregate lead, but after an awkward bounce Carey was able to clear the danger ... and that was that as far as United's first half goal scoring opportunities were concerned.
Before the small band of travelling supporters had chance to return to their shiny red seats, Bristol City were in the lead. Ben Chenery was caught napping and Brennan eased his way past Michael Kyd before watching his cross palmed out by Van Heusden into the path of teammate Tony Thorpe. His shot was well saved on the goal line, but former Bradford striker Steve Torpey stabbed the rebound home to Torpey-do the home side into the lead.
The United heads dropped, and never came back up. The midfield unit of Neil Mustoe, Paul Wanless and Ian Ashbee desperately lacked creation and the front line was struggling to make the most of the limited service they were receiving. Andy Duncan and Scott Eustace were failing to deal with the dangerous City strikers, backing off them and allowing them time and space to either shoot, or pick out their teammates. The City midfield were being allowed to play like a cartoon mouse smothered in some kind of mystical invisible ink. They were, time and time again, taking the ball 30 or 40 yards forward without being challenged or even bothered by any member of the United team. If they hadn't been as wasteful in possession as United, then the game would have been over as a competition before half time…but in reality it was anyway.
The relentless pressure eventually produced a second goal for City, and killed off the tiny remainder of spirit present in the United team. Tony Thorpe did well to drill home a cross on 37 minutes that appeared to be skidding behind for a goal kick. This didn't actually change the task for the United team, as they knew after the first City goal that due to the away goal rule they would need to score twice. The goal appeared to offer the perfect excuse for the United team to curl up and die, an excuse it appeared they had been looking for from the moment they stepped onto the field. At least this was one thing they were able to do impressively, as they 'treated' the fans who made the long trip West to a performance lacking in passion and commitment…for once.
The second half contrived to produce one of life's mysteries... how on earth did we manage to win it 1-0? City began the half as they had finished the first, and were left frustrated that Ajran Van Huesden was preventing them from putting the final nail in the United coffin. The rain was pouring down, and the shots were raining in. Midfield runners were still not being picked up, and United were left thanking some wayward finishing from Tony Thorpe for them still being in the game.
Roy McFarland decided that seeing as though the midfield was almost non-existent anyway, he would take the opportunity to once again try out the much famed 4-2-4 formation which slaughtered Nottingham Forest last season. Neil Mustoe made way for John Taylor and this lifted United somewhat, and certainly woke up the United fans who had fallen asleep in the away end. United almost immediately reduced the aggregate score, as Martin Butler latched onto a John Taylor flick on and spotted the keeper off his line 25 yards from goal. The 2m rated striker produced a shot to match his valuation. The Bristol City goal keeper did well to tip it over for a corner.
Unfortunately this did not lead to a spirited United comeback... we just slipped back into the desperately half hearted sit-back. Tony Thorpe somehow managed to mis-kick with the goal at his mercy on 77 minutes, and Pinamonte watched the inspired Van Huesden acrobatically save his point blank header moments later. It was starting to get a little silly, as City were looking likely to score every time they gained possession.
It was nothing short of a miracle when, out of the blue, it looked as though United had been thrown a lifeline three minutes from the end. Martin Butler thundered the ball home from 20 yards out when it looked as though the opportunity had disappeared…surely this would ignite a stagnant team into a rousing last 5 minutes? Guess again. I am not even sure if United got hold of the ball for the rest of the match, as Bristol City made sure justice was done by holding on to the ball, and holding on for the victory.
It was United's third defeat of the season, but the first worrying performance. The team were, in Roy McFarland's words, 'dysfunctional' and not supporting each other in the vital areas of the pitch. Last season this competition acted as a springboard for out league campaign, installing confidence, belief and competence into the whole side. It is important that such displays are not repeated with regularity for the remainder of the season, or a campaign that promised so much will almost certainly deliver very little.
Ajran Van Heusden - 82% (8) *mom
Ben Chenery - 62% (6)
Ian Ashbee - 74% (7)
Andy Duncan - 65% (6)
Scott Eustace - 61% (6)
Clive Wilson - 67% (7)
Paul Wanless - 66% (7)
Michael Kyd - 61% (6)
Martin Butler - 66% (7)
Trevor Benjamin - 67% (7)
Neil Mustoe - 59% (6)
Subs used:
John Taylor - 64% (6)
Tom Youngs - 54% (5)
Jamie Cassidy - 60% (6)
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RANDALL BUTT reports as United give their supporters little to cheer at rain-swept Bristol City NEVER mind Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest, Watford was a world away as Cambridge United wandered out of the Worthington Cup. The contrast between this dismal display and the power-packed performance a year ago was as pronounced as the weather which reflected the mood of the matches. Shirt-sleeved supporters celebrated on a balmy summer evening at Vicarage Road. This time they huddled in the cold as the rain lashed down at Ashton Gate. When they deservedly ousted Watford, United were praised and tipped for promotion by Graham Taylor. Last night the only flattery was supplied by the scoreline. Martin Butler's superb strike three minutes from time disguised a game in which his side were comprehensively outplayed. There was a chasm of class between the teams when Bristol played in top gear, which unfortunately for increasingly dejected United they did throughout the first half, which effectively decided the tie. City were sharper than in the opening half they dominated at the Abbey a fortnight ago, United in the same sluggish mood, and this time there was no transformation during the interval. Twelve minutes into the mis- match the home side had racked up half a dozen corners, and forced two full-length saves from goalkeeper Arjan Van Heusden, the first of which, from £1m striker Tony Thorpe, bounced away off the crossbar. When a sweeping left wing move found City's strikers queuing up for close-range shots which produced the first goal, the only surprise was that it took them as long as 18 minutes to go ahead. United, robbed of the crucial services of midfielder Alex Russell by a last- minute training injury, simply could not get near the ball as City stretched them the width of the pitch and threaded perfect passes through. Overlapping full-backs found acres of space on the flanks, and the midfield had movement and vision United could only stand and admire. In doing so they appeared to become mesmerised by opponents who were two divisions higher than them last season, and failed completely to play any of the blood-and-thunder game which rattled City and wrecked Reading at the Abbey. There were short spells when they had some possession, and passed the ball around neatly, but far too often that was in their own half, meek little moves that broke down when the first ball which really mattered had to be hit. There were precisely two threats to the City goal in the first 45 minutes, and neither could said to be created with any real craft. Goalkeeper Steve Phillips misjudged a Ben Chenery cross in the 15th minute, allowing Trevor Benjamin's header from outside the box to loop towards goal. But Louis Carey, on the line, headed the ball around the post under pressure from Butler, instead of punching it into his own net, as he did in the first leg. And in the 26th minute Phillips did much better, palming away a blistering 30-yard drive from Andy Duncan. It was much more hectic at the other end in a half which produced the statistics: shots on target -- City 7, United 2, corners -- City 8, United 2. Van Heusden, who prevented a five or six-goal hammering, saved well in the 27th minute when centre-back Shaun Taylor strolled through the middle, but could do nothing when Thorpe made it 2-0 in the 37th. Unlike on that stirring night at Forest, when United raged against the dying light of their cup life and staged a magnificent if ultimately unsuccessful fight to the finish, this time they succumbed meekly to their fate. Manager Roy McFarland, clearly surprised by his men's supine acceptance of defeat, attempted to hand them a scrap of credit by suggesting they kept City quieter in the second half. But the complaint by City boss Tony Pulis that his team "took their foot off the gas," while coasting 2-0 up, was maybe a more accurate explanation. There was one moment which might have jumped-started United back to life and made a real match of it. A Butler 30-yarder was finger-tipped away for a corner in the 66th minute, and when the flag kick bounced out to Clive Wilson the full-back clipped a centre which Butler then substitute John Taylor helped on to Benjamin, who could not find the power or the angle to beat the keeper from a couple of yards. The scare prompted Bristol to keep the ball to themselves for much of the rest of the game, without looking anywhere near as threatening as in the first half. And although their team were winning, hundreds of bored home fans had headed off into the rain before Butler struck the excellent, but totally irrelevant, 87th-minute goal which provided a scrap of cheer for the 200 or so United supporters behind that goal in the huge echoing stadium. Report © Cambridge Newspapers Ltd |
BRISTOL CITY squeezed their way into the second round of the Worthington Cup last night after a thoroughly entertaining tussle with Cambridge - and a late,late scare. Steve Torpey got his first goal of the season and the recalled Tony Thorpe celebrated his second, to rock their spirited opponents. But almost inevitably City had to endure a nailbiting finale as the impressive Martin Butler pulled a goal back three minutes from time with a clinical strike. But City did just enough to edge through. Thorpe had almost enjoyed the perfect start to his long-awaited return to the City front line. He collected the ball outside the Cambridge box and watched as his shot corkscrewed off the boot of Ian Ashbee and dipped viciously before landing on top of the crossbar. In fact City generally looked the brighter in the opening minutes, with Brian Tinnion pouncing on Greg Goodridge’s cross and finding a defender blocking his strike. Then Carl Hutchings let fly with a fierce 25-yard drive that looked destined for the top corner before keeper Arjan Van Huesden dived acrobatically to tip away for a corner. But there was a scare at the back for City when keeper Steve Phillips surged alarmingly off his line and was beaten to a swinging cross by the head of Trevor Benjamin. The ball bounced agonisingly goalwards but mercifully Louis Carey was back to clear the danger under severe pressure from Butler. Cambridge were made to regret the near miss by City's breakthrough in the 19th minute. Jim Brennan skipped down the left and pulled the ball back low for Thorpe who looked set to open his account but was denied by a block on the line. The ball, however, rebounded kindly for Torpey to drive home. At the other end Phillips atoned for his rush of blood by brilliantly pushing away Andy Duncan’s raking drive as Cambridge tried to hit back in the teeming rain. But there were holes in their back line to exploit and Shaun Taylor almost did that with a powerful burst through midfield, ending with a firm drive that Van Huesden had to beat clear. Thorpe's big moment arrived in the 37th minute. The striker, in because of Ade Akinbiyi's international call and desperate to impress, capped a busy opening half by turning Scott Murray's low cross in at the back post following a move orchestrated by Tinnion. City began the second half on the attack, backed by a small but lively majority in the 5,352 crowd. Vilmos Sebok had his name chanted for a turn and volley just over in the opening moments, but City were nearly caught out by a swift Cambridge break, Butler ending the move with a first-time shot from distance that skidded narrowly past the upright. Murray had the chance to increase City's lead, steering Tinnion's cross just over before John Taylor, the former Bristol Rovers striker, was greeted by the customary, derisory jeers as he replaced Neil Mustoe in the 64th minute. Minutes later Butler unleashed a magnificent 35-yard drive that back-pedalling Phillips did well to palm over. Then he finally achieved what he had been threatening all through the game and pulled a goal back, with just three minutes to go. Report © Bristol Evening Post & Press Ltd |
A worrying performance lacking motivation, creation, ambition and, at times, ability sent Cambridge United crashing out of the Worthington Cup to an impressive and expensively constructed Bristol City at Ashton Gate.
Man of the match: Arjan Van Heusden made some fine saves, as he kept the score out of double figures. Some of the saves followed poor kick outs by himself, and this is an area of his game which must start to improve. Nevertheless, this performance was littered with enough world class saves to make me think if he wasn't there, we would have faced a cricket score.