Cambridge United kick-started life back in Sky Bet League Two with an assuring 1-0 victory over Cheltenham Town at a bumper Cledara Abbey Stadium…
Remaining calm and collected throughout, the U’s capitalised on a dominant spell of pressure shortly into the second half as Louie Appere slotted home on his debut to get the season off to the perfect start.
Neil Harris’ first team selection of 2025/26 saw him name six of his summer signings in the starting XI, which included recent additions Shane McLoughlin and Appere. Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu appeared on the seven-man bench, which included former Academy prospects Mamadou Jobe and George Hoddle.
Optimism was well and truly in the CB5 air on a warm Saturday afternoon, with the U’s attacking towards the Newmarket Road End in the first half. At the other end, they received a close shave one minute in when Jordan Thomas drove forward and tested his luck from over 20 yards, curling just wide of the post.
Nonetheless, most of the play in the opening minutes came in the visitors’ third, with the U’s showcasing a real desire to press high and use their outlet on the wing to their advantage.
Their ability to fight for scraps earnt them a free-kick on the 15th minute, which resulted in the best opportunity of the afternoon. Sullay Kaikai’s delivery from the right was swung in impeccably and matched by Dom Ball’s run, but his planted header from close range was off target.
Remaining dogged defensively, Michael Flynn’s men looked to clear their lines when called upon and go long for dangerman George Miller, whose athletic runs helped him to test the gloves of Jake Eastwood on 23. After battling to a high ball, it fell invitingly to the striker from outside of the box, who pulled the trigger and forced a stern stop from the number one.
Turning defence into attack in a matter of seconds, a counter from Ben Knight got fans off their seats as he raced past a couple of opponents and darted towards the penalty box, where he was brought down by Darragh Power. The free-kick from 20 yards out hit the wall and forced a corner.
Five minutes later, the Robins had no choice but to scythe down the playmaker once again and receive another yellow card through Luke Young as he wriggled his way into the danger zone. This time, the attempt was agonisingly close to nestling the net as it trickled past the top corner by inches.
Finishing in the ascendency, a good move down the left was concluded with a header from Liam Bennett at the back post – where the full-back flashed it wide of Joe Day’s post. The veteran goalkeeper was yet to be tested, but United were certainly growing.
Coming out of the blocks firing, Kaikai was presented with two golden opportunities to break deadlock within the space of seconds on the 48th minute. First, he unleashed a peach of a curler from a tight angle which almost trickled in, before Cambridge completely undone the visitors in the middle to carve out a three-on-one, where Knight set up the Sierra Leone man to touch and shoot from 12 yards, only to be denied by Power’s sensational clearance on the line.
On the 57th minute, Harris’ men capitalised on their dominance and got what they deserved as Appere marked his debut with a poacher’s finish. A composed period of build-up and overlap play on the right wing resulted in a cut back to Kaikai, whose drilled shot was stopped by the feet of Day and on a plate for Appere to slot home from yards out.
Refusing to let their foot off the gas, yet cautious of a response from the Gloucestershire outfit – who rolled the dice with four substitutions on 65 – the U’s looked to keep things tight and win their individual battles. Mpanzu was soon drafted on to do just that, with the home faithful giving him a big welcome.
As the clash reached its dying embers, it was time to dig deep and execute a disciplined conclusion. A couple of deliveries from Arkell Jude-Boyd probed, but United’s right-back Bennett dealt with them well.
Prior to the confirmation of six additional minutes, Ryan Loft, Hoddle and Jobe all entered the fray, with each playing their part in seeing out a professional victory and ensuring that maximum points were tallied at the first attempt of asking.
Up next, the U’s make the journey to the County Ground next Saturday (9th August) to take on Ian Holloway’s Swindon Town – be sure to back the boys.
Cambridge United: Eastwood, Bennett, Morrison, Watts, Purrington, Ball, McLoughlin (Hoddle, 79’), Brophy (Jobe, 86’), Knight (Mpanzu, 73’), Kaikai, Appere (Loft, 79’)
Subs Not Used: Hughes, Bradshaw, Gibbons
Goalscorers: Appere (57’)
Bookings:
Cheltenham Town: Day, Power (Mazionis, 82’), Cundy (Wilson, 65’), Bennett, Anderson (Jude-Boyd, 64’), Kinsella, Young, Thomas, Broom (Bickerstaff, 65’), Archer, Miller (Angol, 65’)
Subs Not Used: Diallo, Tustin
Goalscorers:
Bookings: Power, Young
Referee: Craig Hicks
Attendance: 6673 (301 away fans)
