Sunday 1st February 2009 - Rushden & Diamonds 1-2 U's: Bolly on Ice
The Globe. The Old Vic. The National Theatre. The iPod & Lettuce, Stoke Newington. All great centres of drama in this country, apart from the iPod & Lettuce of course... although you should see what happens on the pavement outside on a Saturday night. And as far as Cambridge United fans are concerned, you can add Nene Park, Irthlingborough if the last few years are anything to go by.
Who, for instance, could forget 30th April 2005, when a United side doomed to relegation to the Conference, and without an away win all season, travelled there for their last trip in the Football League and, roared on by over a thousand defiant supporters in the setting sun, fought tooth and nail for one final victory, securing a 1-0 win with a Tes Bramble penalty.
Fast forward to 23rd January 2007, and an entirely different type of drama. United lay 22nd, new boss Jimmy Quinn was scouting desperately around for a team to save the club from the oblivion of relegation to regionalised football, and he resorted to playing Andy Duncan in midfield. The U's were abject, going down 3-1 as the stadium echoed to prolonged, vehement chants of "Quinn Out!" It was one of the lowest points of a depressing season.
On again, to 8th April 2008, and in an astonishing turnaround, United are now third and in a serious promotion battle which also involves their hosts. The away end is once again packed with a noisy visiting contingent that all but outnumbers the home crowd, and in a superb, battling performance, two classic goals from Mark Beesley send them into raptures and secure a 2-1 win that provides the springboard for a run all the way to Wembley.
For a rivalry, then, that only began in 2002, this one already has one hell of a history, and the fact that the clubs are less than an hour apart lends an extra frisson, even if has never been regarded as a fully fledged local derby.
Today the amber army once again did its club proud, supplying 1,020 of the 2,058 attendance as they followed their club on another promotion trail. No such excitement, alas, for the hosts, for whom this season has been one long anti-climax after a splurge of signings during the summer. Several of those signings have since departed and manager Garry Hill has put a growing trust in youth, doubtless at least partly because of financial reasons in these troubled times, although we were not to be further enlightened due to the complete lack of any words from the team boss in the matchday programme.
Our former chum Lee Power seems by all accounts about to bail out of Nene Park for the sunnier climes of Weymouth, reason enough perhaps for the Fans' Forum lined up for the nineteenth of this month. Another familiar face, however, remained in the Diamonds line-up in the wraith-like shape of Rob Wolleaston, while Wayne Hatswell and Jon Challinor lined up for the U's against their former employers.
Our Gary the Tinkerman was forced into more changes due to the unavailability through injury of Scott Rendell, Anthony Tonkin and Daryl McMahon, so he reverted to the wing-back system that was so successful against Woking: Dan Gleeson and Courtney Pitt were the wide men this time, Paul Carden and Jon Challinor the engine room, and Mark Beesley was stationed just behind Danny Crow and Chris Holroyd, with Robbie Willmott dropped to the bench.
United dominated proceedings from the start against a nondescript home side, with good shape and energetic running from the front three, but the first shot in anger came from a marauding Josh Coulson on 9, which he dragged wide from twenty yards. Rushden responded with a free-kick from tricky winger Marcus Kelly on 12 which found Lee Tomlin and had to be cleared behind by Challinor.
Back came the visitors, however, as Beesley sent the scurrying Holroyd away and his snap shot was pushed behind by keeper Dale Roberts. Crow worked a short corner to Carden, who drifted to the corner of the area then arrowed a wicked shot for the near post that almost caught Roberts out, another flag-kick ensuing, but Diamonds held firm.
The U's remained in the ascendant, giving their chilly fans plenty to warm their hands about, but neither keeper was tested again until the 21st minute. Carden crossed into the box, Crow was shoved unceremoniously to the ground by Chris Hope, and once ref Brown had allowed Pitt to have a shot blocked from a tight angle, he awarded the penalty. Oddly enough, Scott Rendell got plenty of similar treatment on Thursday, but the ref that night didn't want to know.
Holroyd stepped up to the plate, and eschewing subtlety, he smashed the ball straight down the middle past Roberts' grasping hands. 1-0.
A couple of minutes later Crow and Holroyd burst onto a through ball against one defender, the hulking Curtis Osano, but as Crow drew his man, he chose to avoid the obvious square pass to the unmarked Holroyd in the middle but tried to beat Osano first. His selfishness was punished when he was unceremoniously dispossessed, to his colleague's undoubted disgust.
A light but steady kerfuffle of snow began to tumble from the leaden skies around the half hour mark, as if the ground were in a giant snow globe which some gigantic child had started to gently shake. A splendid run down the left from Pitt culminated in a powerful low cross which flashed across the six-yard box but somehow managed to avoid everyone, then Rushden responded with a swift break that culminated in a shot from Tomlin which was clutched carefully by Danny Potter.
Pitt lifted a free-kick into the box on 34 which Bolland came agonisingly close to forcing in, Diamonds scrambling it clear, Carden blasted wide from distance two minutes later, while Hatswell sent a header into Roberts' gloves on 39. The snow began to abate as the huge child got bored.
A satisfactory first half for United, however, was despoiled on 42 via a quick break from Rushden. Kelly arced a simple ball down the middle, big target man Sam Smith controlled while being marshalled by Bolland, but just as we assumed that the U's number five had everything under control, Smith fired past him and the astonished arms of Potter and low into the net. 1-1.
There was still time for Challinor to fire over from a free-kick, then it was interval time, and the amber army could reflect ruefully on a half their side had dominated in all but scoreline.
Neither manager was idle during the break. Garry Hill must have given his charges a severe dressing down, as they resumed part two at roughly twice the pace of part one, while Our Gary had tweaked the system a little (he can't resist) and pushed Pitt forward into a more advanced role, leaving Hatswell effectively as a left-back in a 4-3-3.
Wolleaston had thus far emulated many of his performances for United with a display of such anonymity that it was difficult to remember him having touched the ball at all, his all-white strip lending him an aura of true ghostliness, but he popped up with a shot on 48 which bounced just wide of the far post.
Suddenly the snow returned with a vengeance, blowing and swirling white flakes like a particularly violent Pete Doherty sneeze, and it became increasingly difficult to make out the white match ball in the blizzard, not to mention the opposition themselves.
Not that that could be considered an excuse for United's rather passive start to the second half as Diamonds enjoyed a decent spell of pressure for the first time in the match. Tomlin forced a save from Potter on 50 with a good strike, Kelly crossed to Neil Cousins at the far post but he prodded wide, there were unconvincing calls for a penalty when Tomlin fell over in the box, and Smith blazed over. But United weathered the storm; in fact they weathered both storms, and by the hour mark the snow had stopped and patches of blue had even started to appear in the sky above. Must be the giant kid's teatime.
United's first chance of the 45 came on 62 when Crow collided with Osano, and Challinor slipped it to Beesley to present him with a clear shot on goal from fifteen yards out. But Bees' attempted drive for the far post lacked power, and with insufficient accuracy of placement Roberts collected comfortably.
Kelly shot over a minute later, then Michael Corcoran crossed for Smith to head wide, and on 65 Beesley was withdrawn after a rather disappointing display in favour of Willmott. Formation change number three: he went wide right as United went to 4-4-2.
Two minutes later the U's signalled the end of the hosts' dominance when Hope fouled Crow and Carden's free-kick into the box fell to Challinor, whose first-time half-volley bounced across the area and cannoned off the foot of the far post with Roberts nowhere.
Holroyd scampered onto a ball over the top on 70 but Roberts was alert to get out and intercept, and on 74 Jake Beecroft felled Pitt in the left channel to present Willmott with a free-kick opportunity. His delivery was underwhelming, driven low into the wall, and when Rushden broke swiftly down the other end, Crow brought Kelly down and was booked for his pains, even though his foul had been no worse than that of Beecroft seconds before. Mr Brown had, however, been avoiding his cards quite pleasingly until now.
Kelly drove his free-kick over the wall, but Potter dived low to his right to save and the U's broke back, Willmott climbing above Osano to send a header on for Holroyd to scurry down the left channel, but just as he was shaping to either cross or cut inside, he was cynically chopped down by Kurt Robinson. First yellow for the hosts.
United remained marginally on top, and on 80 Willmott's corner fell to Coulson, who spooned a difficult volley over the top from ten yards. Play continued to ebb and flow back and forth, Potter clutching a Beecroft header, the visitors countering with a Willmott corner which did not get past the first man, and first change for Diamonds came on 83 when Jamie McGuinness replaced Cousins.
Pitt broke promisingly down the left channel on 85 but, with Holroyd and Crow sprinting into the middle, his cross was horribly miscued over the bar, the diminutive wing wizard blaming the slippery surface.
Three minutes later, however, all was forgiven. He arrowed a cross into a crowded box and it fell perfectly for Phil Bolland to stoop and guide a pinpoint header from twelve yards low into the corner. It was his first goal in black'n'amber, and his celebrations were appropriately joyful as he shared the moment with team-mates and supporters alike: 2-1!
United coolly saw out the remaining time, Corcoran picking up a card for dissent and Daniel Broadbent replacing Kelly at the death, and the amber army rose to acclaim their side's first away win in the league since defeating Eastbourne 3-0 on 23rd August; you know, when it was warm and sunny. The U's rose to third in the table, albeit they have played more games than everyone except Stevenage.
This was a vital morale-boosting away win to set United up for that crucial promotion run-in. Questions remain, though, about the identity of Our Gary's best side, and even with what formation it should start; 4-4-2, 4-3-3 or wing-backs? After all, they played all three tactics today, and several first-teamers were missing. The boss would most likely to say 'It's nice to have a choice.' And so it is, as long as you make the right one...
Statto Corner
Phil Bolland became the second United player in four days to break his scoring duck for the club. The last goal he scored was for Chester City, their first in a 2-0 home win over Barnet on 24th March 2007, heading home a flick-on from a corner. Bolly skippered a side that also included Chris Holroyd, who partnered Simon Yeo up front, although their second goal was scored by former U's trialist Jamie Hand. In total he has scored eight times for Chester, nine times for Southport and once for Oxford, only failing to score for Wrexham and Peterborough. Well done, that man.
Of the current United squad, the only players who have so far failed to find the net are Anthony Tonkin, Josh Coulson, Rory McAuley, Daryl McMahon, Andy Parkinson and Sam Ives. And Danny Potter, of course.
United are in the middle of a spell of 27 days without playing a game on a Saturday, thanks to the vagaries of Setanta and the FA Cup. The last time they went so long without a Saturday match was at the end of 1991. After a trip to Bristol Rovers on 7th December, the U's played Blackburn at home the following Tuesday in a game which was abandoned at half-time due to a frozen pitch, and the next weekend's Abbey contest with Middlesbrough was duly postponed. The following weekend's game at Southend was moved to the Sunday due to it being United's first-ever match to be televised live (on ITV), then the Christmas period saw United play Plymouth on Boxing Day and at Watford on Sunday 29th. After a New Year's Day scrap at Blackburn, the U's finally returned to Saturday business on 4th February 1992, drawing 1-1 at Coventry in the Third Round of the FA Cup. A last-minute Dion Dublin goal won United the replay before they succumbed to Glenn Hoddle's Swindon in Round Four.
Player Ratings
Potter 7. Rushden's forward line was not of the highest quality, but United's No.1 handled all they threw at him with confidence. Not a lot he could do about the goal.
Gleeson 7. Solid defensively and lent a reasonable amount of support on the overlap.
Coulson 7. A more authoritative display than on Thursday and looked very comfortable in a back three.
Bolland 7. Must hold his hand up for the Diamonds' goal, but otherwise good and came up trumps with that late winner.
Hatswell 7. Quite a quiet game by Hats' own standards, but played his full part.
Pitt 6. An improvement on his last dire performance, but his crossing still needs some work.
Carden 7. Reliable engine room of the team.
Challinor 8. Impressive return to the starting line-up.
Beesley 6. Did not exert as much influence as he might have liked, and fluffed his one chance to score before being withdrawn.
Crow 6. No denying his work ethic, but produced precious little threat to the Rushden goal.
Holroyd 8. Grabbed his chance with both hands.
Willmott 7. Lively and dangerous sub, although like Pitt, some set-piece practice looks to be much needed.
Match Summary
They made hard work of it, but United eventually secured that long-awaited away win with a deserved last-minute triumph that should have been settled much earlier. Not sure we're still any nearer knowing what our best starting line-up is, though.
Man of the Match
Chris Holroyd. A constant menace to the home defence with speed, skill and intelligence, and a welcome goal to boot.
Ref Watch
Brown 9. Barely noticeable for most of the match, got the penalty right, and only booked players near the end when necessary after exerting cool control for the whole afternoon. Would that all refs were like this.
Becky's World of Wit and Wisdom
"Half the lies you hear aren't true anyway." [Swindon, 25/1/92]
Hello... Goodbye
Happy birthday today to Jon Sheffield (1969). A gifted reflex goalkeeper whose only fault was a tendency to being naturally quiet, he signed from Norwich in 1991 but took four years to become first choice, making 28 appearances during the 1994-95 season. Peterborough, duly impressed, paid £150,000 for him, then later sold him to Plymouth for two-thirds of that fee. He stayed out west and wound down his career at Yeovil and Saltash.
Steve McAnespie was born on this day in 1972. Signed from Fulham in 2000, he along with John Dreyer was supposed to be one of the experienced defenders that Roy McFarland's United needed to push on (Bolton had once paid £900k for him). Sadly, after half a season his form dipped, as did that of the team, and he eventually departed for Partick Thistle before emigrating to the USA and turning out for the New Orleans Shell Shockers and the Indiana Invaders.
Alvin 'Junior' Hunter was born on this day in 1975. One of Gary Johnson's youthful London intake, he could play right-back or midfield, but erratic form saw him released in 1995 after 26 starts and 14 as sub. He followed Johnson to Kettering but soon began a nomadic non-League career whose highlight was as a free-scoring striker at Woking.
This date also saw the last match in U's colours for two footnotes in United's League history, John Philliben and Colin Walker. Philliben, a Scottish centre-back on loan from Doncaster, played six games, finishing in a 2-1 defeat at Aldershot on 1st February 1986, before returning to his parent club and, in time, back to Scotland with Motherwell and Stirling Albion.
Walker played only three times for United as a striker, scoring once, and his last appearance was in the same last game as that of Philliben. He had also signed from Doncaster. A nomadic playing career saw him mostly shuttle between Yorkshire and New Zealand, and he was most recently seen at the Abbey last November as manager of York City.
Soundtrack of the Day
Royksopp 'Happy Up Here'
Parky's Pick of the Pops
Andy Parkinson lends an ear to the Nene Park sounds. "All right, lads and lasses? Me Uncle Luggy had an ear shot off in the war, but that didn't stop him loving his music, and he was Liverpool's biggest Elvis fan. He never got to see The King live, like, on account of Elvis not coming to England, that and Luggy not being able to leave the house on account of his nerves.
"He was never the same after Elvis died - in fact he painted his whole house black and dressed only in white diamante-encrusted trouser suits - and he passed away in 1985, some say of a broken heart. I'll never forget me Auntie Doreen's rendition of 'Old Shep' at his funeral. Anyroad, he never got to hear JXL's remix of 'A Little Less Conversation,' but I was thinking of him when they played it at Nene Park today, turning in his grave!
"It was all oldies at Rushden - Dire Straits, Elton John, 'Hi Ho Silver Lining,' 'Eye Of The Tiger' - a good laff if you're in the mood, like, but not really to my taste. But like Auntie Doreen said at that funeral, 'It takes all sorts, and I'm not talking about Bertie Bassett, all right? And look at you, yer gorrup like a pox doctor's clerk!' She always had a way with words, did our Doreen. PPP verdict: 5/10. Never walk alone!"
Andrew Bennett
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