Cambridge United had to settle for a point in their latest Sky Bet League Two match as they played out a 1-1 draw with Harrogate Town at the Cledara Abbey Stadium…
Louis Appéré continued his fine early-season form by instinctively firing home in the opening stages, but it proved to be a game of two halves as the U’s were unable to build on a positive first 45 as the visitors equalised through Stephen Duke-McKenna’s volley, before finding more of a foothold to see out a share of the spoils.
Tinkering with his XI following the assuring cup victory at Bristol Rovers four days earlier, Neil Harris opted with five changes as he reverted back to the same line-up from the first two league games. The only swap on the bench saw Glenn McConnell replace an ill Ryan Loft.
Requiring no time to find their feet, the U’s forced the first opportunity with just 25 seconds on the clock when Appéré held the ball up in the box and teed to an unmarked Shane McLoughlin from distance, who cracked a vicious attempt which lashed inches wide of James Belshaw’s right post.
The industrious start continued, with some astute link-up play and combinations down both flanks, forcing the Sulphurites to sit back and deal with a wave of pressure.
Their defence was breached on the 17th minute as United opened the scoring – and it was that man Appéré who applied the finishing touch once again. Starting from Sullay Kaikai’s deep corner, Kell Watts powered a header at goal from the back post which was pushed away by Belshaw and at the looming striker in the six-yard box, who fired home.
McLoughlin, prone to a clean strike from distance, had two bites at the cherry from just outside of the area on 27 and 31 respectively, with the second being a speculative half-volley that required Belshaw to tip over.
Purring, it wasn’t long before Cambridge came close to stretching the lead as Kaikai’s low cross from the right had plenty of power, but potentially too much for Appéré from yards out who couldn’t steer it on target.
The visitors very much needed to bide their time in this encounter, with very little possession in their attacking half resulting in a quiet afternoon for the back four so far. The only dampener was the forced substitution on the 37th minute when Michael Morrison collided with Jake Eastwood in the box - fortunately the captain was able to walk off as Mamadou Jobe came into play.
Five minutes from the break, the lively Appéré was presented with the chance to potentially kill off the one-way tie as his shot from an angle in the box found its way back to him, where he opted to cut back to Kaikai from yards out who couldn’t generate the accuracy as he slipped.
All in all, it had been a dominant first-half display – could the U’s come out of the blocks firing and put themselves in the driving seat by grabbing a second?
Early signs initially indicated so, with the hosts pressing high up, but they received a sucker punch on 51 when Duke-McKenna got on the end of Lewis Cass’ delivery by executing an emphatic volley past Eastwood to level matters.
As a result, Simon Weaver’s side had their tails up and were enjoying a strong spell. There was an awkward moment on 60 when Shawn McCoulsky attempted a lobbed effort, but it was cleared by Liam Bennett and cleared to the other end, where space opened up for James Brophy from long range, but he couldn’t keep the ball down.
Ten minutes later, Ellis Taylor’s free-kick floated towards a racing Tom Bradbury, who clattered a header against the crossbar, but play was soon terminated due to offside.
Changes were on the horizon, with the U’s needing to recapture their intensity from the first half. Elias Kachunga had previously entered play, with James Gibbons and Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu also on for the final 15.
Although Harrogate’s opportunities were few and far between, they did force a scare on 80 as Conor McAleny scampered into the area from the left and unleashed a drilled attempt, but Eastwood got down low to claim.
During the six additional minutes, it was United who were forced to dig in at the end to preserve a point on a day where they’ll feel aggrieved not to have taken more.
Up next, it’s a quick turnaround as United make the short trip to Colchester United on Tuesday night (19th August) to battle it out in front of almost 1,500 travelling fans.
Cambridge United: Eastwood, Bennett (Gibbons, 72’), Morrison (Jobe, 38’), Watts, Purrington, Ball, McLoughlin (Mpanzu, 73’), Brophy, Knight, Kaikai (Kachunga, 65’), Appéré
Subs Not Used: Hughes, McConnell, Hoddle
Goalscorers: Appéré (17’)
Bookings: Knight
Harrogate Town: Belshaw, Cass, O’Connor, Bradbury, Burrell, Morris, Evans (Fox, 85’), Taylor (McAleny, 77’), Smith, Duke-McKenna (Muldoon, 77’), McCoulsky
Subs Not Used: Oxley, Hill, Faulkner, Gibson
Goalscorers: Duke-McKenna (51’)
Bookings: Evans
Referee: Kirsty Dowle
Attendance: 5737 (172 away fans)
