There was a sour end to the season for Cambridge after their successful battle against relegation.

They looked on their way to a comfortable home win when they dominated the opening half an hour against Wycombe at the Abbey Stadium. But the U's faded so badly after the break it was no surprise that their bogey team, who they had not beaten in five meetings, grabbed the points.

Wycombe took the lead with a shock breakaway goal in the 35th minute when Andy Baird broke through to float a shot inside the far post. Cambridge hit back immediately, Trevor Benjamin getting his 23rd goal of the season from close range in the 36th minute, and still looked the better side.

But they wilted in the sun after the break; goalkeeper Lionel Perez kept them in contention with a couple of excellent saves, but there was nothing they could do four minutes from time when Jermaine McSporran raced away to bury a shot under the crossbar from the edge of the box.

To add to Cambridge's last day misery their old hero John Taylor missed a penalty midway through the first half, heading his shot at goalkeeper Martin Taylor who made one of his many vital saves during the opening half an hour. .

(c) Copyright Press Association Ltd 2000

Cambridge dominated the opening half-hour. The tone was set after 52 seconds when Trevor Benjamin's flick found John Taylor six yards out but his shot was blocked by the advancing Martin Taylor.

They came close again after 18 minutes when Jason Kavanagh, a defender who claims to get a nosebleed when he crosses the halfway line, started and finished a silky move only to see his shot parried by the keeper.

Cambridge won a penalty in the 29th minute. Neil Mustoe was scythed down by Alan Beeton but John Taylor hit the spot-kick straight at his namesake. Another flowing move two minutes later saw John Hansen's cross met at the far post met by Kavanagh, whose shot was saved by Taylor.

Wycombe took the lead against the run of play after 35 minutes. Sean Devine found Andrew Baird, who cut inside two players before placing a shot in the top corner from just outside the box.

Cambridge hit back a minute later when Marc Joseph's throw was flicked on by Taylor to Benjamin who deftly lifted the ball over the keeper on the turn from eight yards. Cambridge started brightly after the break but wilted gradually in the sun.

Club captain Paul Wanless was introduced in the 69th minute after a bizarre hand injury had kept him on the bench. His first touch was almost as disastrous as the moment on Thursday evening when his wife shut his hand in the car boot. In the 75th minute, his misplaced backpass let in Baird but keeper Lionel Perez smothered the danger.

Wycombe finally won the points with a stunning goal with four minutes left. There seemed little danger when Jermaine McSporran collected a loose ball in midfield and drifted away from two defenders before lashing a rasping drive into the top corner from the edge of the box.

AND so a roller-coaster story of thrills, spills and scares was neatly and annoyingly put away between two identical bookends.

We could have been back at Bournemouth in the August heat as Cambridge United roared into their final game of the season like lions, but tottered out of it as uncertainly as new-born lambs.

Their dominance during the opening half-an-hour was so complete it revived the memory of one awe-struck Bournemouth player famously comparing them with Brazil. It had United fans that day casting their minds back to the previous promotion, and wondering if their team could once more rip straight through Division Two.

But half time broke the spell at Dean Court, as it did on Saturday, when we glimpsed again some of the frailties and inconsistency which quickly transformed this campaign into a long battle against relegation.

There were, however, some valid explanations this time for the failure to make the early superiority tell, and for the fade-out which led to defeat. Wanderers goalkeeper Martin Taylor played a blinder, stopping a couple of thunderous drives from Jason Kavanagh in the 18th and 31st minutes, plus a 29th minute penalty from John Taylor, after Neil Mustoe was felled by Alan Beeton.

His manager Laurie Sanchez admitted: "Martin kept us in the match. Cambridge are a good footballing side, and we could have been out of it, 3-0 down before we scored. We were a bit fortunate their winger (John) Hansen had to go off injured at half time. He was giving us a lot of problems."

That was the second reason for the reverse of fortune. The third was the absence of United's powerhouse, the midfield pairing of Ian Ashbee and Paul Wanless. Ashbee's ambition of playing in every match this season was wrecked by a pulled muscle in the final pre-match training session.

And bizarrely, Wanless, who has stood up to the toughest men in the division throughout the season was put out of most of the match by his wife Catherine, who trapped his fingers in their car boot.

"It was just one of those things," he said. Although Catherine, with a wife's unshakeable logic, said: "He shouldn't have had his hand there when I shut it."

It meant five hours in Addenbrooke's Hospital, a damaged tendon, and demotion to a place on the substitutes' bench for the skipper. That left his team with - as manager Roy McFarland admitted - a slightly unbalanced line-up.

Said the United boss: "There were times when we had too many people playing a bit too much football."

Alex Russell making an encouraging return, with next season in mind, Jonathan Hunt, and Neil Mustoe often weaved pleasing patterns through the Wanderers defence, but there were sometimes too many twiddling bits. The ball did not get to the front men as often as it should, or to Hansen on the left, whose pacy, direct running panicked the youngsters in the Wanderers defence.

With the Dane downed by a deadleg just before the interval, when the score was a totally unrepresentative 1-1, the second half accident was poised to happen.

Suddenly, it was Lionel Perez who was having to peform the heroics between the posts as a re-organised Wycombe began to make the most of two of the best attacking players in the division, striker Sean Devine, and wonderfully-named winger Jermaine McSporran. Perez dived full length to grab a McSporran 20-yarder in the 58th minute, and somehow finger-tipped Devine's flashing bicycle kick over the bar in the 79th.

There was one moment when United might have grabbed the win to go with the end-of-term party atmosphere at the Abbey, but after working a superb one-two with Benjamin early in the second half, Russell saw his shot deflected inches wide of the post.

Both sides slowed as the 75 degree heat took its toll, and the game seemed to be drifting to a draw, until Wycombe - a bogey team United have never beaten - snatched the points four minutes from time.

Glancing at their line-up it would have been strangely satisfying to say the goal was: Simpson, Lee, Devine. It was pretty wonderful, but in fact was scored by McSporran, all on his own, after the ball had been kindly donated to him by United. A jinking run and fabulous finish.

Not something United could claim on the final day.

But the fans, still celebrating the remarkable recovery which secured second division survival against great odds, gave them a rousing and fitting farewell.

Report © Cambridge Newspapers Ltd

That sums it all up

On a beautiful sunny day, a crowd of us are in the centre circle for the end of season awards to the players. As we wait to hand over web awards to Trevor Benjamin voted Player of the Year and Tom Youngs as Young Player, you get some idea of just how hot it is and just how difficult it is going to be for all the players today. The centre circle is like a cauldron which in itself is a surprise after the cold, wet weather of late.

The rain and the sun has helped Ian Darler. The pitch is in tremendous shape. It looks good enough to play another season on right now. If you got points for producing surfaces like this, United would have been promoted. Roy McFarland says that he wants to end the season in style and speaks before the game about wanting to field his strongest side.

Despite this, Ian Ashbee is missing with a calf strain but comes onto the pitch smartly dressed in the suit to receive the Cambridge Evening News Player of the Year award. The Radio Cambridgeshire award, given to the person who gets the most votes as Man of the Match each week from the fans who always phone in after the game, goes to Neil Mustoe. Roy McFarland has already announced that there is no place next year for Arjan Van Heusden, Ben Chenery, and Jamie Cassidy, as well as 37 year old Clive Wilson who is hanging up his boots as the injuries have caught up with him. Still, we have to be grateful for some class we had from him this year. He certainly played his part in the struggle to survive. Also missing from the starting line up is Paul Wanless who is on the bench having been struggling with a slight injury, but to everybody's delight Alex Russell is back.

Today's opponents Wycombe are a useful mid-table side, and this will be no easy game. For some reason we always seem to struggle against them. Ex-Wimbledon player Lawrie Sanchez, in his day one of the nastier nigglers in the game, has put together a effective side of journeymen and in the exotically named Jermaine McSporran he has a 23 year old midfielder with pace and skill enough to attract the attention of Premier clubs. Up front they have Sean Devine who the club paid Barnet a record £200,000 for and who has set a new goal-scoring record for Wycombe this season.

Wycombe- in red, white and black instead of their traditional light and dark blue - kick off towards the Newmarket Road and after just 54 seconds John Taylor, of all people, misses a sitter. The man in the No. 8 shirt, the local hero, is just three yards out when he shoots but the Wycombe keeper Martin Taylor saves it with his legs. It's head in hands time again. Shades of what is to come. They got the 33 year old Taylor from Derby for whom he made 140 appearances, and he is highly rated. Wycombe have a really dangerous looking player in Jermaine McSporran, which only goes to prove that sometimes parents don't love their children very much when it comes to choosing names. McSporran is blessed with electrifying pace and immediately shows it.

There is a great deal of effort going on in the early stages on a very hot day. On six minutes an excellent Cambridge build up ends when Hansen's shot is blocked for a corner. United are playing some very neat football and we are all hoping that they will soon score, if only to shut up the Beck-style manic drummer on the allotments terrace. The sweat is pouring off us in the stand so what it is like out there goodness only knows.

Cambridge continue to force corners with Alex Russell oozing class that shows what we have missed through his long injury. A chip from him is caught by this very good goalkeeper off John Taylor's head and when Wycombe counter, McSporran is blocked off the ball by Trevor Benjamin chasing back to the United corner flag to defend. It's not often you see you that. Keeper Taylor is launching long kicks right to the edge of the United penalty area but the Cambridge defence look in little trouble. On 17 minutes, just after another Wycombe corner, comes a superb United move. Slick one touch passing ends with a crashing shot from Kavanagh and again the keeper is there with a tremendous save, the rebound smashed by Benjamin against the side netting stanchion.

It takes Wycombe 20 minutes to launch a real effort. McSporran chips to the near post from the right and Simpson shooting into the side netting as Perez covers the angle. Perez would have saved that anyway. We all know that for sure and we're going to miss him next season. Wycombe are getting a lot of players behind the ball and negate some real midfield class by solid defending.

The class is coming from both Alex Russell and Jonathan Hunt who is starting to hit some telling passes which are above the usual quality of this division. With 25 minutes gone United miss yet another chance. Hunt's cross seems to go straight through John Taylor and his marker and from close range John Hansen heads over the top. To be charitable, it looks as if it is taken him by surprise when neither the centre-back or Taylor have been able to get a touch. A minute later Wycombe win a corner as Alex Russell clears a dangerous one-touch build up and when this comes over, Perez is bold and decisive as ever, making a great catch under pressure.

According to the programme Paul Danson - who is another one of those referees I would be reluctant to let loose on Coldhams Common - is in charge today but the team sheet handed out under the stand says that the ref is some guy from Stoke. Well, if it is not Danson it looks like him and this bloke certainly refs like him. He books John Taylor as Beeson gets hurt when he and Taylor climb up for a 50-50 ball.

A minute later Cambridge United are given a penalty. Neil Mustoe flies through the air on the very corner of the penalty area as Beeson challenges him and the referee pointed to the spot. If he's booked Taylor for that innocuous challenge he must surely do the same for what he considers to be a deliberate trip in the penalty area. Does he book Beeson? Answers on a postcard to "Inconsistent Referee of the Year Award, care of the Football League." John Taylor steps up to take the penalty and Martin Taylor saves with his feet. Thank God it doesn't matter. Surely Cambridge United can find somebody who can take penalties? This is the third one missed in the last few games and it has come in a match which a few weeks ago many of us thought Cambridge United would have to win to survive.

Soon after John Taylor heads a Kavanagh cross wide. Today, Kavanagh has shown just what a dangerous full-back he can be when he overlaps. Just after the half hour some great play by Hunt finds Marc Joseph. His cross is met by Kavanagh with a ferocious shot brilliantly tipped over by Martin Taylor. This keeper is preventing Cambridge United from given Wycombe a tonking. Sean Devine, the ex pony-tailed poser, shoots wide as Wycombe create a real chance. Soon after McNeil fails to read an Alex Russell dummy in the centre circle and Devine has a great chance to run at goal, only to step on the ball. "You're not very good " the Newmarket Road end inform him. Then after 34 minutes, after all the pressure and chances have been to Cambridge United, they go behind to a quite brilliant finish.

Central striker Andrew Baird neatly side steps McNeil and Scott Eustace and as Perez comes out, he beats him up with the magnificent chip right into the top corner. The defenders should have shut him down, but you have to admire that great finish. Just over a minute later Cambridge United are level. The Wycombe defence are caught asleep, as so often happens after scoring a goal, and when Marc Joseph hurls in a long throw, it is touched to Trevor Benjamin who lashes in sharp finish. Dave Sexton, here again today, must have been impressed with that. The manic drummer is silenced. Thank God.

In the next attack Devine makes a hash of a cross which he should have done better with and is accused by the Newmarket Road end being a self- abuser. The ref is booed for failing to book McSporran after he wrestles with Hansen off the ball after Hansen has got the better of him. Just no consistency at all. This is far more intended and far more malevolent that the foul he booked John Taylor for. At half-time Cambridge United should be going in three goals up but it is all square. Martin Taylor has been brilliant in the Wycombe goal and Perez has had little to do except catch a few crosses and pick the ball out of the back of the net.

At half-time Wycombe bring on Roger Johnson, and United replace John Hansen with Tom Youngs. Almost immediately Youngs has a shot blocked and when Joseph crosses the ball in again, Trevor Benjamin can't put the header on target. Youngs is immediately causing problems and appears to have been held back in the box but to howls of disgust from both the Habbin and the Newmarket Road end closest to the incident, the free-kick is given to Wycombe. Hunt and Russell continued to look a class of double act in midfield but Wycombe are now much more in the game and Cambridge United appear to have taken their foot off.

Perez collects a low cross from Vinnicombe as he gets up on the overlap. Baird and Eustace are in a personal battle and this stage Eustace is winning and Baird is whining. In another neat build-up Alex Russell has a shot deflected wide but United find themselves under pressure as Marc Joseph hits an aimless long ball forward and Wycombe come roaring back on the counter. Vinnicombe gets to the byline and two efforts are blocked before Perez makes another of his great diving saves as the final shot looks heading for the bottom corner through a mass of legs.

Wycombe are much livelier now and the game in the heat is drifting away from Cambridge. Perez makes a dodgy punch but Devine replies with a weak effort as United look in real danger. The drummer has woken up. Marc Joseph produces a good covering header as Wycombe threaten again and now they are on top. Baird miskicks a half chance from the resulting corner. A teasing Hunt pass is headed away for a Cambridge corner but McSporran breaks at great pace until McNeil just gets a toe in. Another Alex Russell shot is blocked and Marc Joseph is booked to more boos when the player he fouls makes a right meal of it. Devine, plainly not divine today, shoots into the wall.

With just over 20 minutes left to play Neil Mustoe goes off to be replaced by Paul Wanless. There is warm applause for both of them and Neil Mustoe is asked by the Newmarket Road end to "Sign your contract for the lads". You can't help remembering a similar plea to a similar midfielder, and his name was Billy Beall. We all know where he is languishing now. Mustoe is a similar player and will always give you 101% but in 73 league and Cup appearances for Cambridge United he has scored just 3 goals, and you have to wonder if he would get into the side when Russell, Mackenzie, Ashbee, Wanless, Hansen and Youngs are all fit.

As Wanless settles himself into central midfield, Marc Joseph produces another great attacking run but runs out of ideas at the end of it. After a double substitution by Wycombe, the sleepiness of this United side in this half even gets through to Paul Wanless, the man I voted for as Player of the Season, Mayor of London, Emperor of the Universe and Grand High Vizier of the Planet Zog. A bad back pass by him lets them in again but Perez makes a super but "routine for him" save at Baird's feet.

Hunt and Trevor Benjamin get in each others way and there is good cover by McNeil as Wycombe break 4 against 3. Cambridge are now looking in danger of losing this game. A free-kick on the left-hand corner of the box by Cousins flicks off a boot and goes inches wide with Perez scrambling. From the corner an overhead kick results in a super tip over by Perez who then positively claims the corner as it homes in. Alex Russell, quickly getting back to match sharpness, beats two defenders but shoots into the car park. With 10 minutes left there is a great reception for John Taylor as he goes off to be replaced by the young prospect Dan Chillingworth. How Shaggy has got through 80 minutes in that heat is a mystery. No wonder a man in the stand is sporting a Number 8 shirt with LEGEND printed above it.

Tom Youngs sprints forward but his pass to Trevor Benjamin catches him offside then at the other end Devine fires it into the net long after an offside whistle is blown. I've seen bookings given for that sort of time wasting. If it had been Benjamin or Butler earlier in the season, you'd have put your mortgage on a yellow card. A minute later the yellow card is produced, but to a United player when Jason Kavanagh trips McSporran in full flight. He immediately apologises. It is obvious to us right by the incident under the main stand that he has not done it on purpose. It is just inside the Cambridge half way and there is no real danger. He has just been done by skill and blistering pace. Some of us are glad to see that the card is only a yellow. With these refs of this standard you wouldn't really be surprised if such a spectacular flight through the air resulted in a sending off.

Scott Eustace stops substitute Larkin after he has shown tricky footwork but with five minutes left Eustace produces an appallingly careless mistake. He has time and space to put the ball whenever he likes but instead he presents it to McSporran. The midfielder bursts past McNeil and gives Perez no chance with a fine finish. That encapsulates Cambridge United's entire season. It is an appropriate way to end a season constantly dogged by basic mistakes at the back. Once again Cambridge have contrived to lose a game they should have won easily. They could well have been 3 up at half time and are now about to lose a game they were well on top of.

Soon after Devine can only hit a weak shot straight at Perez. The three minute board is held up as Trevor Benjamin is fouled just outside the area. "Alex Russell range" we all announce. Instead the ball is touched to Benjamin but his shot deflects just wide and when the corner comes over, he heads the last chance of the season over the bar.

It is a long while before Cambridge United come out to take their farewells with the fans who have stayed behind. "Perhaps they are getting a rollicking in the dressing room" says one season ticket holder. "They deserve to" he adds.

In the end it hasn't mattered, but I can't help thinking that it so easily might have done. Roy McFarland has a lot to do in the close season. Every successful side is built round a spine. Cambridge United's survival this season has been around the spine put together almost accidentally towards the end. Perez in goal, Scott Eustace at centre-back, Paul Wanless in midfield, and Trevor Benjamin up front have produced the goods at the death when we needed promotion form to stay up.

No one expects to see Perez back here next season, even if Reg Smart wins the Lottery. Scott Eustace is yet to sign a contract and despite his inconsistency, Trevor Benjamin probably won't be at Cambridge much longer. McFarland has made it clear that the team need strengthening in some departments. Next season, unless somehow we can attract players of the right calibre with the kind of wages Cambridge pay, next season could be another struggle to survive.

Having said that, there have been tantalising glimpse this season that suggests that with a little bit more luck, they would have ended the season much higher than at the 19th place they have ended at. Ah, well, the sun is shining and its only a couple of months before we're back again ...

Graham Nurse

The season started in bright sunshine at Bournemouth with a defeat, and finished in bright sunshine with another defeat. The bit between these 2 games gave us quite a lot to discuss, and I'm sure that is what regular Moosenetters will be doing during the summer months.

On a sad note I found out last week that Malcolm Aldridge died recently. Malcolm was a regular in the Supporters Club before home matches, and was a season ticket holder in the Main Stand. He also had a season ticket at Old Trafford, and followed Man.Utd all over Europe as long as it didn't clash with a Cambridge game. Our sympathies are with his wife Ann.

Andrea kindly asked if I would be interested in presenting a U's Net award on the pitch before the game, and of course I was very pleased to accept. This meant getting to the side of the pitch by 2:15, so a quick drink was all I had time for, but I did buy my usual draw tickets which I left with Neil to look after. Standing on the pitch allowed me to feel how hot it was, at least the terrace behind the goal is mostly in the shade of the sun. In a role reversal, the players applauded on the members of the Away Travel Club who had clocked up more than 2000 miles following the U's.

Various presentations were made, Ian Ashbee as CEN player of the Season, Trevor Peer left his microphone to give a glass decanter to Neil Mustoe, Andrea and Wil presented Trevor Benjamin with U's Net player of the Season, Graham Nurse and myself presented Tom Youngs with young player of the season. The Away Travel Club presented to Trevor Benjamin, Neil Mustoe and Paul Wanless. I made my way back to my place on the terrace to find that I had won £5 in the draw.

Quite a few Wycombe fans made the journey, helped in some part by a free travel offer.

Starting line-up:
Taylor, Benjamin,
Hansen, Russell, Hunt, Mustoe,
Joseph, Eustace, McNeil, Kavanagh,
Perez.
Subs: Van Heusden, Wanless, Abbey, Youngs, Chillingworth.

A slightly unusual midfield as we welcome back Alex Russell for his first full game in a while.

There may have been little to play for in this match, but that didn't affect us as we went at Wycombe from the start. in the opening minute Benjamin headed on a cross which Shaggy Taylor tried to flick into the net but was denied by a save from his namesake Martin Taylor in the Wycombe goal for our first corner, which came to nothing. A few minutes later a good shot from Hansen was again well saved, then Russell had a shot deflected away for another corner. Another cross almost went in, then a shot from Kavanagh was well blocked and the follow up shot hit the outside of their post and went away.

Wycombe had been unable to do much except punt the ball forward, however a bit of quick passing on 19 minutes did give their forward a chance to shoot, but he hit the side netting from a tight angle as Perez covered the near post. We continued to push forward, a cross was just missed by Shaggy, then Hansen headed wide. On 27 minutes Mustoe turned quickly just inside their penalty area and was tripped giving us a penalty. Shaggy stepped up and placed the ball to left side of goal, but the keeper guessed correctly to beat the ball away. Soon after Shaggy headed wide, then another fine shot from Kavanagh was well saved.

Of course with all these chances going begging we duly conceded a goal. On 34 minutes their forward rode a couple of challenges, the ball fell nicely at his feet on the edge of the penalty area and he curled the ball into the top corner out of the reach of Perez. A well taken goal against the run of play. From the restart at the other end, Hansen crossed, Shaggy headed on and Benjamin turned the ball into the net for the equaliser. At half time the score was 1-1, but we should have been winning by 3 or 4 goals.

Will Jones presented Graham Eales with a bottle of champagne as a guesture of thanks from us Moosenetters, for all the work he does at the club. He really is a credit to the club, always making time for a quick word despite having a lot work to do, especially on match days with presentations etc. to organise yet never seems flustered.

The second half started with Hansen being replaced by Youngs. We again started brightly, with a shot being unfortunately blocked by Benjamin, the ball falling to Joseph who crossed but Benjamin headed wide. Benjamin then set up Russell for a shot which was deflected just wide for a corner. Wycombe started to cause us more problems, Perez having to save a shot. On 20 minutes from us taking a corner we gave the ball away which allowed Wycombe to break but we defended at the expense of a corner, from which Perez caught the ball and immediately kicked downfield to the unmarked Hunt. He chose not to go for goal but to pass square where the ball was intercepted and the chance gone.

Mustoe came off after 23 minutes to be replaced by Wanless. With half an hour gone we had lost control of the game, a bad back pass was intercepted and Perez had to make a good recovering save, and he had to make a save from a free kick too for a corner, from which another reflex save kept us in the game. 10 minutes from the end Chillingworth came on to replace Shaggy. Kavanagh committed a late foul, tripping the attacking player long after the ball had been played past, and was rightly booked. With 5 minutes to go the game seemed heading for a draw, however poor play in the middle gave the ball away and allowed their player a chance to run through and score what turned out to be the winner. In the dying seconds we gained a free kick just outside their penalty area from which Benjamin's shot hit the defensive wall and was deflected for a corner, which came to nothing.

The players left to applause from all sides. The tannoy had said the players would come out after a few minutes to acknowledge the crowd, which they duly did. Unfortunately the Wycombe fans had already left (to warm applause from U's fans which was reciprocated), so their players warmed down in front of empty terracing!

The real plus from the game was seeing Russell in action again. He has so much talent, and can pass the ball short or long to great effect, and has a decent shot too. In the first half everyone played well, but in the second I don't know if it was the heat or the end of a tiring season, but we never really got going.

In Youngs we know we have a good prospect, and Daniel Chillingworth also looks quite useful. A number of other squad players such as Hansen and Russell will benefit from a proper pre-season training and be better players next season. I think Mustoe is the only regular who has not signed for next season. Assuming Roy will bring in a couple of players during the summer I think we can look forward to next season with some hope that we will not be involved in relegation battle.

Terry Wilby
Proud supporter of Cambridge United Football Club.