Saturday 29th November 2008 - U's 1-0 Ebbsfleet: Great Scott
In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan. A bit like the average matchday in the Habbin, in fact. We may be some way from the middle of that chilly season, but winter certainly arrived in Cambridge on Saturday, with that characteristic frosty stillness in the air and spidery tendrils of freezing fog creeping past the stands, tiptoeing in on the cold, cold wind. It set minds thinking back to the last time a game at the Abbey was abandoned, way back in December 1991 against Blackburn when after a preposterous first half played on a slippery, rock-hard frozen pitch with players stumbling and tumbling all over the place, the ref finally took pity on the players and shivering spectators and calling the whole thing off during the interval.
There was no danger of an abandonment today, with the wreathing mist never quite following through on its threat to envelop proceedings in a soft-focus gauze of greyish-white, but the weather (plus, no doubt, an element of early Festive shopping) kept the attendance down to below 3,000 against an Ebbsfleet side which always provides stout opposition under its managerial duo of former U's legends Liam Daish and Alan Kimble.
Our Gary decided on a welcome return to 4-4-2 after last week's disappointment at Altrincham. Danny Crow started up front alongside Scott Rendell and wingers Felino Jardim and Robbie Willmott were recalled, with Mark Beesley and Jon Challinor relegated to the bench and Lee McEvilly on his way to Rochdale (good luck, big fella, and thanks for everything, especially that playoff semi-final at Burton).
Former U Michael Gash started for the visitors, enjoying an excellent goalscoring season thus far, partnered up top by a new name in the intriguingly-monikered Matthew Delicate, who sounds like the sort of cartoon character who would be bullied by Biffa Bacon in the pages of Viz.
Kick-off was preceded by a well-observed minute's silence for former director Jack Cook, a board member during the original glory years of the late Seventies and early Eighties. The match got off to a competitive start, and United settled well into their two-winger formation with good use of the full width of the pitch, tireless central work from Paul Carden and Mark Convery, and two willing runners to aim at in Rendell and Crow, although they will need some time to get to know each other's game.
First action for visiting keeper Lance Cronin came on 9, Dan Gleeson crossing for Rendell to float a header into his arms, and a minute later Carden marauded forward to slip a shot narrowly wide from 25 yards out, still searching for his first United goal.
The hosts, now getting on top against a team that seemed to lack the usual aggressive get-up-and-go of a Daish side, should have taken the lead on the quarter hour. The Ebbsfleet defence did not look terribly convincing, and never more so than when Darius Charles made a mess of an attempted clearance to leave Crow clear on goal less than ten yards out. With the whole goal at his mercy and almost too much time to think about it, he opted for power rather than placement, and Cronin responded with a superb reflex save to tip onto the bar and off for a corner.
United continued to take the game to the visitors, recreating a similar pattern to so many home games this season, with plenty of neat build-up play but no finish in the final third. Willmott slashed a shot wide on 21, Danny Potter stopped an underpowered Gash effort a minute later, then Stacy Long tested the U's number one three minutes later, but neither side looked like making a breakthrough. The hosts remained on top, but Fleet managed to sail away on the break every now and then, although they kept their powder dry.
One such break on 35 saw Phil Bolland block a Delicate shot, and Neil Barrett fired his follow-up wide, then the U's responded with a Willmott break that led to a Carden shot cannoning off Charles for a corner. First yellow card of a competitive but never dirty clash came on 41, former Abbey youth teamer James Smith booked for a crude challenge on Rendell, who had been winning plenty of flick-ons and had kept the visitors fully occupied with his energetic movement and commitment.
The wingers had so far promised more than they had delivered, Willmott in particular making some splendid runs but failing to get that final ball into the box when it was required, and getting dispossessed all too regularly by some uncompromising Ebbsfleet tackling.
In the last minute of the half, however, the deadlock was finally broken. Crow was brought down by Mark Ricketts with all the grace of a John Sargent pasa doble, Willmott arrowed in a free-kick which was cleared for a corner, Convery's flag-kick was cleared only as far as Wayne Hatswell in the left-hand corner of the box, and his low angled drive into the heart of a crowded area was poked home by, who else, the returning hero, Rendell. The knack's back: 1-0!
So far, so satisfactory, and the goal was a nice winter warmer as the fog crept inexorably across the pitch during the interval. Such had been Ebbsfleet's lack of threat that the prospect of a sixth consecutive home clean sheet and therefore a win for United seemed something of a formality. Nice, isn't it, that some things in football are so predictable?
United made a lively start to part two, Rendell's shot forcing an early corner from which Gleeson drew a splendid save from Cronin. The visitors responded with a Craig Stone effort which was well blocked by the omnipresent Carden, and on 57 Daish decided that a change was needed and replaced the ineffective Delicate with George Purcell.
United remained in the ascendant, however. A Carden through ball almost sent Crow through, Cronin sprinting from his line to hack away, then a magnificent run from Jardim, hurdling two hefty challenges, saw him find Carden whose cross was inches too high for Crow.
Potter did well to deal with an inswinging Ricketts cross-shot on 65, then came change number two for the visitors as Karl Murray replaced Stone, but once again the pattern of the match remained unchanged. Willmott was harshly booked on 71 for a supposed foul on Sasha Opinel, which did not please Our Gary, as the ref suddenly began to clamp down on challenges that he would have let pass in the first half.
Willmott was swiftly replaced by Courtney Pitt, making a welcome return to first-team action since his injury in the pre-season friendly with West Ham, and with Jardim he formed surely the shortest wing pairing in football; his shorts certainly looked too big for him, which with his long socks rendered his legs entirely invisible, but hey, it was a look. Diff'rent Strokes, eh?
The little wing wizard was presented with his chance to make a triumphant comeback within a couple of minutes when Crow was felled by Charles a few yards outside the box. He stepped up to take the free-kick and drifted it over the wall, but with insufficient power to beat the grasping gloves of Cronin, the barbarian.
Murray was next in the book on 80 for a foul on Crow, who was certainly drawing the free-kicks, and in a final throw of the dice, the visitors' third change saw Ricky Shakes replace Long. Then Rendell saw yellow as he chased a Convery free-kick into the box and tumbled under Cronin's challenge, rather harshly adjudged to have taken a dive.
Pitt's second chance for comeback glory came on 88. Hatswell skied a huge clearance down the middle, and the wee man was faster than anyone in seeing the opportunity, sprinting past several white shirts in pursuit and controlling the dropping ball with a quite exquisite first touch. Darting clear on goal, he opted for an early shot from 25 yards but got rather over-excited and blasted several yards over a relieved Cronin's bar. Shame, but it bodes well for the future.
Beesley replaced Crow after an industrious afternoon, and United held on comfortably against a mediocre Ebbsfleet side to secure another clean sheet and another three deserved points. The performance was more convincing that the result, and if Our Gary can only get this side firing on all cylinders, particularly with the introduction of Pitt, they can match any side in this division. And they will need to, with away trips to Torquay, Burton and Histon up next. Think positive: it will take more than a bit of fog to stop this lot. The future's bright, the future's amber!
Statto Corner
The last goal Scott Rendell scored for the U's was on 9th February this year, the winner in a 2-1 home win over Stevenage; Courtney Pitt notched the opener. His first-ever United goal was a last-minute equaliser at the Abbey against today's opposition, Ebbsfleet, on 27th August 2007. Only Messrs Potter, Gleeson, Hoyte and Pitt from the U's team that day remain at the club, while the same applies to three of the Ebbsfleet team: Long, Moore and Purcell.
This was United's first win over Ebbsfleet since they changed their name at the start of last season, having previously drawn twice and lost once. It was only their second win over the club formerly known as Gravesend & Northfleet since they were relegated to the Conference, the only other one being a 3-0 victory at the Abbey 11th November 2006. Scorers were Pitt, David Bridges and Michael Gash, now of course plying his trade at Stonebridge Road.
Player Ratings
Potter 8. Commanded the area with his usual dominance.
Gleeson 8. Tower of strength.
Tonkin 7. Solid as they come.
Bolland 7. Never lets you down.
Hatswell 8. Didn't give Ebbsfleet a sniff.
Jardim 7. Not at his best, but posed problems at times.
Convery 8. Another splendidly industrious performance.
Carden 9. Ran the show tirelessly.
Willmott 7. Some good runs, just needs to improve his end product.
Rendell 9. Back to his best.
Crow 8. Hard-working and intelligent, now if he can only start scoring goals…
Pitt 7. Hugely promising return.
Beesley 6. Barely on long enough to touch the ball.
Match Summary
United ground out another 1-0 which was more comfortable than the scoreline suggests. If Rendell and Crow can build a genuine understanding up front, a serious promotion push must be on.
Man of the Match
Scott Rendell. Just like he has never been away, his movement, workrate and goal-poaching instincts look as good as ever.
Ref Watch
Fletcher 6. A game of two halves from the man in black: tolerant and unobtrusive in the first, but turned into a right old fusspot in the second.
Becky's World of Wit and Wisdom
"Work is life and good work is good life." [Tranmere, 31/1/92]
Hello... Goodbye
29th November marks a very special anniversary: it was twenty years ago today that Dion Dublin made his first team debut for the U's. The occasion was a Sherpa Van Trophy match at home to Peterborough, and the big man came on as sub for Laurie Ryan to partner John Taylor up front. Needless to say he scored, and the resultant 2-2 draw (John Beck scored the other) helped United to qualify from the group Preliminary Round and progress to the First Round proper, where they went down 4-2 at Chesterfield.
Dion went on to score 72 goals in 176 appearances (plus 26 as sub) in all competitions over four seasons before moving on to his rightful place in the Premier League, where he became one of a select elite to score over 100 goals at the top level, plus gaining four caps for England. His father didn't drum for Showaddywaddy, though; Romeo Challenger's son Ben is an international high jumper.
Another debut boy on this day was Brian Dutton, in a nightmarish 4-1 home defeat by Leyton Orient in 2003. He only made three appearances, all off the bench, before starting a nomadic non-League career along the South coast at Weymouth, Dorchester, Eastleigh and Salisbury.
That Orient game also saw the last game in black'n'amber for the legendary Terry Fleming. The only United player to be sent off in a pre-season friendly, at Soham in July 2003, his gold tooth had more sparkle than his fairly basic playing style, but we loved him all the same.
Soundtrack of the Day
Florence & The Machine 'Dog Days'
Andrew Bennett
Andrew's previous match reports
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