Martin Butler has reacted to referee Mark Cowburn's comment that he did not allow Neil Mustoe's free kick to count, despite it appearing to cross the line, because of the reactions of the Cambridge players nearest to the line.

Cowburn said after the match, "The ball wasn't over the line. You can ask Martin Butler. He was closest to the ball and he had a big grin on his face, which indicated he knew what really happened."

However United's top scorer told the Cambridge Evening News, "I had my back to goal when the free kick dropped into the box. When I looked around their keeper was holding it on the goalline. I thought at first it couldn't have crossed the line, but then the keeper winked at me, which told me it probably had, and that he dragged it back.

"It would be a dull game without incidents like that, but it was a match in which we weren't going to get anything. When we went off at half time our supporters were chanting: '1-0 to the referee', and the Bournemouth fans were singing: 'Can you ref us every week?'"

Reflecting on the game as a whole he added, "We didn't get enough good strikes on goal, but we didn't deserve to lose. A goalless draw would probably have been a fair result, because their penalty decision was a very harsh one, and we could easily have had one when Trevor Benjamin went down."

Roy McFarland thought there was more to take from this defeat than last weekend's at Blackpool, after which he subjected the players to extra training. He commented in today's News, "We got a response after the Blackpool game. We played some better football, and had much more possession than Bournemouth, but it has to be said they defended very well, and we didn't make enough good chances which was disappointing."

The side was unchanged despite Alex Russell's return to action in the reserves last Wednesday and the signing of defender Jason Kavanagh. Russell said after the game that he had not felt quite ready for a return to first team action while McFarland explained Kavanagh's presence on the bench:

"Jason wasn't able to do any work with us in training," he said, "and I don't think it would have been sensible to throw him straight in."