U's humbled at home by Hyde
Ryan Crowther's goal seven minutes from time condemned Cambridge United to defeat against bottom club Hyde.Crowther's deflected shot found the corner of the net to give the visitors all three points, and leave United to reflect on another poor performance in front of their home fans.
Earlier Tom Elliott had a header cleared off the line, and shots from Robbie Willmott and Michael Gash were blocked, but in truth the U's did little to deserve the victory and it was left to Crowther's to beat Jonathan Hedge from 20 yards to send the 40 visiting fans wild.
Boss Richard Money made four changes to the starting line-up, with Michael Wylde, Liam Hughes, Tom Shaw and Robbie Willmott coming into the starting line-up at the expense of Jonathon Thorpe, James Jennings, Ricky Wellard and Andy Pugh. Pugh and Jennings were named among the substitutes.
Both teams tried to play football in difficult conditions in the first half, with United playing towards the Newmarket Road End with a strong wind at their backs. Tom Elliott saw a shot from a narrow angle blocked by visiting keeper Dave Carnell before United's top scorer headed over the bar from a Rossi Jarvis cross.
Jonathan Hedge had little to do between the posts for United, but should have been beaten when Scott Spencer got free in the box to meet a cross from Crowther, but could only plant his header wide from six yards.
Perhaps buoyed by this chance, the visitors came out fighting in the second half, and though Adam Griffin had to clear a header from Elliott off the line, they looked the more threatening of the two teams. However there was little in the way of goal mouth action to entertain the crowd of 1,779, even when Money introduced Pugh and Harrison Dunk to add to United's attacking options. Phil Jevons went closest for Hyde with a low shot that beat Hedge but bobbled wide of the post.
But with the game heading towards a goalles draw, Crowther pounced with a low drive from 20 yards to give his side all three points.
Man of the Match: Tom Shaw - Tried to get United going in midfield.
Cambridge United: Hedge, Jarvis (Dunk 58), McAuley (Jennings 82), Coulson, Wylde, Hughes, Willmott, Shaw, Berry, Gash, Elliott (Pugh 58). Subs not used: Garner, Ross.
Hyde: Carnell, Lomax, Ashworth, Dennis, Brown (Poole 82), Tomsett, Cassidy, Crowther, Spencer, Jevons (Moses 90), Griffin. Subs not used: Byrnne, Brizell, Cox.
Attendance: 1,779 (away 40)
FULL TIME: Cambridge United 0-1 Hyde
16.51: There goes the final whistle, boos around the R Costings Abbey Stadium as United go down to spirited but limited oppositon. Much work for Richard Money to do on the training ground.
16.49: Into three minutes of stoppage time, Moses is about to replace Jevons for the visitors, who are seconds away from a welcome victory.
16.45: YELLOW CARD. Shaw in the book for clattering Jevons, United showing no signs of levelling things here.
16.41: GOAL CAMBRIDGE UNITED 0-1 HYDE. Disaster for the U's as the visitors are in front. A corner is flicked away back to the taker, Poole. His deep cross reaches RYAN CROWTHER, whose low shot takes a deflection and sneaks into the corner. United have seven minutes left ot save themselves.
16.39: Changes for both sides, Rory McAuley coming off to be replaced by James Jennings. Meanwhile David Poole has replaced Alex Brown for the visitors.
16.36: YELLOW CARD. Good patient football from United finds Dunk wide on the left. His low cross is collected by Shaw, but his attempt to turn and shoot is blocked. Pugh slides in to try and get to the loose ball but mistimes his tackle completely, that'll be a booking for the striker.
16.25: Ball spins around the United box, Wylde makes a good lunging interception but a Hyde shot takes a deflection and goes behind. In comes the corner, but Hedge gets a good punch to the ball and it's hacked clear.
16.19: YELLOW CARD. Dunk's introduction sees him on the end of a terrible sliding tackle from Lomax, who goes into the book. Free kick in from Willmott, but there's some pushing and Hyde get the free kick.
16.16: First substitution of the afternoon sees Andy Pugh introduced in place of Tom Elliott. And the second follows shortly afterwards, Harrison Dunk on in place of Rossi Jarvis. Positive changes from Richard Money.
16.11: Today's attendance, 1,779 (away 40)
16.09: Brown sweeps the ball across to Jevons, who arrows and angled shot just wide of Hedge's far post, quite an open start to the second half.
16.07: Corner United, in it comes from Jarvis, Elliott climbs and gets a flick header on target which beats Carnell but is headed off the line by Griffin, good play from the defender preventing a certain goal.
16.05: Early pressure from Hyde ends in the lively Tomsett having a shot deflected wide by Elliott. Hedge gets nowhere near the resulting corner but Ashworth can only nod over from close range.
16.03: Back underway at the R Costings Abbey Stadium, no changes that I can see.
HALF-TIME: Cambridge United 0-0 Hyde
15.46: High hanging cross from Jarvis, Willmott brings it down but sees his shot deflect wide. Corner United, as we're into the one minute of stoppage time. In it comes, it's headed away, United send back in but Hyde can see that back to Carnell, and that'll be half-time. United have shaded things but Hyde should have hit the front through Spencer. Not a classic, but finely poised.
15.40: Second corner from Jarvis, but Gash heads over the bar.
15.39: Carnell flaps unconvincingly at a Willmott cross, Gash picks up the ball but can't find a team-mate. United do have a corner though as it's hammered behind. Jarvis with the delivery, and the ball comes off the head of Ashworth and just wide of the post, nearly an own goal there.
15.34: United corner causes mild panic in the Hyde area, Gash has a shot blocked then Willmott attempts to jink through a couple of challenges but loses the ball.
15.32: Crikey, decent ball in from Crowther but Spencer plants a free header wide from six yards, should've scored, Wylde totally mistimed his attempted interception leaving the striker in acres of space.
15.29: YELLOW CARD. The referee has run out of patience with Matt Cassidy, who goes in the book for his third or fourth foul of the match, crumpling Tom Shaw. Free kick wide on the left, it's in low from Jarvis but Berry can't connect and Hyde clear.
15.27: Willmott and McAuley combine well, Rory's backheel getting Willmott, but he has to settle for a corner. In it comes from Jarvis, the keeper punches clear, then makes a good claim of the second ball under pressure from Elliott.
15.25: Two vital blocks from Luke Berry to stop shots from Jevons, the second at the expense of a corner. The flag kick fizzes across the box, spins off Coulson's boot and away to relative safety.
15.20: Willmott looks as though he'll get some joy if he keeps running at his defender. This time his cross finds Elliott, but he can only head over the bar, again jump mistimed somewhat by the United striker.
15.15: Low ball in from the right from Brown, but Tomsett gets his feet muddled up and shins a shot behind
15.11: In comes the corner but Gash gets under the ball and heads over. Perhaps should have done better with that, he looks cross.
15.10: Good work from Willmott, holding off two defenders and lifting in a cross which is whacked clear by Brown. Ball comes back in to Jarvis, who moves it on to Elliott, who draws a good save from Carnell from the narrow angle.
15.04: Free kick to Hyde as Crowther is pulled back by Berry. Tomsett to deliver, but it fizzes through everyone to Hedge, who just about holds on.
15.01: Liam Hughes at right-back for United, interesting move, must be one of the few positions he's never played before.
15.00: The teams are out and changing ends, United will attacking the Newmarket Road End in the first half, and away we go.
14.41: TEAM NEWS. Four changes for United, with Michael Wylde, Tom Shaw, Liam Hughes and Robbie Willmott coming in for Jonathon Thorpe, James Jennings, Ricky Wellard and Andy Pugh. Looks like 4-4-2 with Jarvis and McAuley filling in at full backs.
Not too many familiar names on the Hyde team sheet, though striker Phil Jevons, who captains the side, has scored plenty of goals against United in the past. Scott Spencer, top scorer in their Blue Square Bet North title winning season last year, is also a tricky customer.
14.30: Good afternoon from a windswept and, frankly, freezing R Costings Abbey Stadium where, in 30 minutes or so, Cambridge United will take on Hyde in the Blue Square Bet Premier. The visitors sit bottom of the pile, so Richard Money's men will fancy their chances of claiming a first win in four games.