Tuesday 9th October 2007 - U's 1-0 Rushden: Never mind the quality, feel the points

There are moments in life when time seems to slow to a crawl to the point of almost stopping altogether. An ice cream cone slips from your hand and falls inexorably to the floor, sticky side first. Your boss tells you that your flies were undone throughout that presentation that you thought went so well. The sickly voice of James Blunt slithers unbidden from a nearby radio. And it happened at the Abbey on Tuesday night when, after eighty minutes of grinding turgidity, Scott Rendell broke a seemingly inevitable deadlock with a header which floated as in slow motion over the head and through the flailing, fumbling fingers of Rushden keeper Paul Nicholls and plopped gently into the far corner of the net.

Until then proceedings had been fairly predictable, as one might expect against one of the division's draw specialists; Diamonds were unbeaten in nine, but of those had won only three. But United owed them one after two nightmarish contests last season: a dismal 1-0 home defeat that ruined many a U's fan's Boxing Day turkey sandwiches, and a ghastly 3-1 beating at Nene Park notable for Andy Duncan being played as a central midfielder and for the vociferousness and ferocity of the calls for JQ's head. Those were the bad old days.

Kickoff for United's second televised game of the season was slightly delayed, the players not even on the pitch as 7.45. Perhaps they were still in make-up, or Setanta's live coverage of Mongolian shove-ha'penny had gone to penalties. The team still had to burst through that preposterous papier mache hoop to get onto the turf, however.

The U's team showed three changes from that which drew with Halifax on Saturday, one in each department of the side. Mark Albrighton returned from suspension in place of Gavin Hoyte, Mark Convery was reinstated in favour of Stephen Reed, and Scott Rendell made way for Leo Fortune-West up front as JQ tried yet another forward combination by pairing him with Marvin Robinson. LFW and Albrighton were both facing one of their former clubs, as was Mark Peters.

The visitors had no ex-U's in their line-up, although veteran keeper Paul Bastock was on their bench, having already played against United four times for Boston and twice for St Albans. Remarkable to think that his team-mates on his U's debut in March 1988 included John Beck, Wolfie Smith, Ian Benjamin, Alan Kimble and Gary 'Hedgy' Clayton, not to mention non-legends like Jon Rigby and Les Lawrence (don't ask).

United got off to an encouraging they-don't-like-it-up'-em start, forging forward with Courtney Pitt in particular searching out the two big target men with some promising crosses. LFW nodded a Convery free-kick wide on 4 and Diamonds keeper Paul Nicholls was soon exposed as rather less than comfortable in coming from his line, on several occasions punching as unconvincingly as the Celtic supporter who so viciously assaulted Dida last week.

Another cross on 7, this time from Dan Gleeson, was headed wide by Robinson as United kept the pressure up, although the visitors managed their first shot two minutes later, a feeble bobbler by Michael 'Uptown Top' Rankine that dribbled into Danny Potter's arms like an incontinent puppy.

Convery's corner on the quarter hour presented Peters with an unchallenged header, but with an unguarded near post at his mercy, his over-deliberate nod arced wide. At this stage it just looked a matter of time until United made the breakthrough after a barrage of crosses, LFW in particular winning a good share but unable to find the target. One rebound attracted an air shot from Convery, who then inadvertently blocked Darren Quinton's follow-up blaster.

The big man was singled out by a brave Simon Rusk on 21, clattering him from behind, for which he received a deserved yellow card. The ensuing free-kick was cleared to Michael Morrison thirty yards out, but his wildly ambitious shot sailed into the car park. Nicholls eventually tired of the constant pressure and went down all too easily for the amber hordes' liking under a challenge from Peters, for which he received a minute or two's treatment and a nice rest.

The rain which had tipped down earlier in the day now began to return, and as the conditions began to get slipperier United's own storm seemed to blow itself out and Rushden began to finally get a grip on the game, clamping down on the wing-backs and smothering the midfield.

The end result was that the whole United middle five began to drop deeper and deeper and no-one had the initiative to get forward in support of the front two, who were left increasingly isolated. The wing-backs' failure to get upfield either meant that the strikers' service declined to a series of hopeful high balls which, on the rare occasion that they could reach them, they were only able to lay off to colleagues who were thirty yards too far away to reach them.

The poor standard of crossing was summed up by Convery, having if not a stinker then a bit of a whiffer, who carefully took aim at a crowded box from deep on the left then ballooned his free-kick hopelessly over everyone and out of play for a goal-kick. Rushden's role thus far was one of containment, and it was all too apparent where all those draws had come from. Perhaps they intend to bore their way into the playoff places.

United managed a few more crosses into the box as the interval neared, but a couple more uncertain punches were all Nicholls was extended to and the half ended on a muted and unsatisfactory note for the hosts, devoid of inspiration from a subdued midfield and an attack rendered impotent by lack of service. I wonder what on Earth Setanta showed as highlights? "Let's just look back at Medekhgui's amazing bent-finger technique one more time, Paul..." "Uh…?"

The rain only got heavier as part two commenced and there was early promise when Quinton sent Robinson into the box, only for the on-loan striker to tumble under the challenge of Nicholls. This one really did look like a good penalty shout, but the offside flag dispelled any further debate.

After that United were back to the mundane plodding of the first half, Gleeson and Pitt playing more like full-backs, Convery looking out of touch and Rob Wolleaston, so inspirational recently, a ghostly non-presence always floating twenty yards away from the ball. The two target men didn't really help themselves - they could perhaps have dropped deep for a change to add a bit of variety - but they had a right to expect someone to give them a hand up top.

Diamonds, encouraged and emboldened by United's lack of inspiration, began to get a grip on the game, especially nippy top scorer Simeon Jackson. He had a shot blocked by Peters on 49 and strike partner Rankine saw a similar effort deflected away by Albrighton a minute later as the U's defence began to earn its corn.

Their ascendancy almost bore dramatic fruit on 54 as the United midfield began to drop back habitually to the edge of its own box. Rusk fired for goal from 25 yards and as Potter began to move to his left, the shot cannoned off ex-Cambridge City man Jon Challinor and was headed for the opposite corner of the net. Potter adjusted in a trice and flung himself low to his right to make a superb finger-tip save at the expense of a corner. Match-winning stuff, and all the more creditable given his lack of involvement thus far.

The mercurial Jackson was the main threat, however, fizzing a shot wide on 55, having an effort blocked by Albrighton on 58 and missing the target on 62. In between a rare home threat saw Convery's free-kick headed wide by LFW. The visitors menaced again when Marcus Kelly nodded a Curtis Osano cross over the top, and by 67 JQ just had to make a change.

Stephen Reed (above) was introduced, unsurprisingly in place of Convery, and LFW was reluctantly removed five minutes later in favour of Scott Rendell. Quinton curled a decent effort wide of the far post on 75, and on 77 United completed their trio of substitutions by replacing Robinson with Lee Boylan. This drew the biggest cheer of the night, not hopefully because the crowd considered Marvellous Marvin to be any worse than the others replaced, but because it signalled a withdrawal from a two-target man system which had patently failed to work, the partnership never gelling between two players who were just too similar to work effectively together, notwithstanding the shoddy standard of their service.

Now, with Rendell and Boylan, United had subtlety, variety, intelligent movement, and the midfield responded at last. And on 80 the deadlock was broken. Boylan was the instigator, sprinting across the box onto Wolleaston's long flick on, and turning to set up Gleeson for an excellently measured cross to the far post where Rendell was waiting to nod over a static Nicholls, who flapped at it as it passed between his hands and over his head before finally dropping into net behind him after what seemed an eternity in the air. At last: 1-0!

Eight starts, five subs, eight goals. What a find this young man has been. His goal, however, was the signal for Rushden to throw caution to the wind, at least relatively, and push men forward in search of an equaliser. On 85 Jackson sprinted clear down the left channel with Albrighton a pace behind him, and the United defensive rock's presence was enough to force him into a hurried scuff of a shot which screwed well wide of the near post.

Diamonds manager Garry Hill, using his head as usual, brought on fresh legs in the shape of Lee Tomlin and Andy Burgess in place of Rankine and Kelly, but now United began to find space where there had been none before and might well have extended their lead on 85, Pitt's low cross finding Rendell at the near post, but the United marksman stabbed just wide.

Reed then tested Nicholls' handling with a long scudder as the rain continued unrelentingly, but he was equal to the task, and Diamonds' final throw of the dice saw Tom Shaw come on for the soggy Rusk. As three added minutes began, however, it was the hosts who spurned another excellent scoring chance. A delightful dummy by Boylan set Quinton free down the middle, but with only Nicholls to beat from ten yards out, he betrayed his lack of confidence in front of goal by sliding the ball sideways to Rendell, overhitting it hopelessly when a decent pass would have set up a tap-in.

Rendell retrieved, however, and slid it back into the now packed six-yard box; Nicholls and his defence blocked two goalbound efforts, the ball ran to Reed on the right and he flashed a left-footer over the far angle. There were no late collywobbles from the hosts, however, as they saw out time comfortably for a win they just about deserved in the end.

It's an old cliché, but no less true for all that: if you can win without playing very well, that's a good sign. The front two combination hadn't worked, although neither had the midfield, but with the squad almost back to full strength, the options are there to make amends at Stafford on Saturday.

And what a record on live telly: three Conference games in three seasons, three wins. Here's to many more slow motion replays to savour over the rest of the season.

Statto Corner
The U's first met Rushden & Diamonds in the 2002-03 season, but as Abbey United they competed in the same league as Diamonds' predecessors, Rushden Town, for four consecutive seasons from 1947-48 to 1950-51. In fact Town were United's first-ever opposition when they joined the United Counties League from the Cambs League in 1947, and the club took more gate money from that one game than from all their home games from the previous season put together. Rushden won 2-1 that day but United had the last laugh when they thrashed them 7-1 in their last ever meeting four seasons later, before the U's defected to the Eastern Counties League. United never played the club with which Town subsequently amalgamated, Irthlingborough Diamonds.

Player Ratings
Potter 7. Little to do but made one brilliant twisting save when called upon.
Albrighton 8. Welcome back.
Peters 7. Indomitable.
Morrison 7. Steady as he goes.
Gleeson 6. So deep he played as much as a right-back as a wing-back, but solid effort.
Wolleaston 5. One of his 'wandering lonely as a cloud' off-days.
Convery 5. Disappointingly off the pace.
Quinton 6. No lack of effort, but struggled to make any real impression.
Pitt 6. Got forward more than Gleeson, although quality of crosses was variable to say the least.
Fortune-West 6. Looked dangerous early on until his service began to dry up.
Robinson 7. All-action, and he had to be to salvage anything once the midfield stopped getting forward to support their strikers midway through the first half.

Reed 6. Not at his best, but an improvement on Convery.
Rendell 7. The boy has the knack, doesn't he?
Boylan 7. Added a new dimension to the U's attack with his darting runs and vision.

Match Summary
It was about as pretty as the John Prescott Y-Fronts Workout Video, but U's fans can take encouragement that this team can grind out a 1-0 win without playing especially well against obdurate opposition in the dourest of circumstances. I wouldn't advise playing with two similar target men again, though.

Man of the Match
Mark Albrighton. The sight of him lining up at the back is better than any comfort blanket.

Ref Watch
Fletcher 6. Bit of a fusspot with too many free-kicks, but we've seen much worse and he kept his cards in his pocket.

Non-League Player's Name of the Week
Redditch United's defensive colossus, Exodus Geoghagan.

Soundtrack of the Day
Biffy Clyro 'Machines'

Andrew Bennett

Now talk about it on the message board!

Andrew's previous match reports

The views expressed on this page are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cambridge United Football Club or the webmaster.