U's 2-1 Eastbourne: Pen still mightier
Saturday 11th April 2009 - U's 2-1 Eastbourne: Pen still mightier
It is a bit like the moment when that girl/bloke/whatever-takes-your-fancy you've had your eye on agrees to go out with you on that first date. Nothing else brings such a traumatic mixture of triumph, hope and nervousness as the awarding of a penalty. Yes! It's in the bag. Wow! Surely it's just a formality. Oh God! What if it all goes horribly wrong??
We all know they should be a formality. But there is still a sense of relief when the ball hits the back of the net, hopes are not dashed and the score we all expected, with fingers crossed behind our backs, is safely in the bag. And the same applies to penalty kicks.
Boom, boom.
At this stage it does not matter how games are won, or even to an extent how a team plays, as long as the result is right. Alex Ferguson has contributed an immeasurable amount to football over the last thirty years, but his most lasting legacy seems to be the immortal phrase 'squeaky bum time'. And we all know exactly what he means, with Cambridge bums having squeaked as much as anyone's in the last few seasons.
Four games to go, and after two deeply underwhelming defeats, another banana skin appeared to have been placed on the verdant lawns of the Abbey in the shape of Eastbourne Borough. When United won 3-0 there on the 23rd August, it seemed that this little club, which was only formed in 1964 and has risen so rapidly in recent years to its highest ever level this season, was in for a quick return to Conference South.
They have confounded everyone, however, by picking up enough results to lie comfortably in mid-table without ever flirting with relegation, under a manager (Garry Wilson) who has now been in place for over ten years and with a core of players who have been together almost as long. Pride of place must go to centre-back Darren Baker, who has been at the club since 1992, when they were a Sussex County League side called Langney Sports, and is still first choice now. This is the sort of unsung hero who should be winning player of the year awards.
Most familiar name on the visitors' team sheet was Danny Brown, not the best captain United have ever had, but definitely the best newspaper columnist. West Ham loanee Jack Jeffery, who enjoyed a decent spell at the Abbey this time last season, was on the bench.
For United, Our Gary rang the changes after the disappointment of Stevenage. Front men Chris Holroyd and Scott Rendell were replaced by a new pairing of Lee Phillips and Danny Crow, while Jai Reason and Robbie Willmott were dropped/rested in favour of Andy Parkinson and Jon Challinor. The U's lined up in a 4-3-1-2 formation, Parky in a floating role behind the strikers and ahead of a narrow middle three of Challinor, Paul Carden and Daryl McMahon, with the full-backs expected to provide width down the flanks.
In contrast to last weekend, the weather was as grey and damp as a newly beached dolphin, and early exchanges were equally uninspiring as the rejigged United side began to get to grips with itself, and slowly but surely Parkinson's tireless running across the line began to pay dividends.
Phillips was the epitome of 'bustling', charging around like an enraged rhino and he caused keeper Lee Hook some concern when he came close to chasing down a clearance on 5, while first corner of the day a minute later went to the visitors, Matt Crabb's flag-kick cleared by the tireless U's striker. Ben Austin then fired wide from distance for Boro, while on 9 Challinor forced the first save from Hook with a volley from just inside the box.
United continued to probe patiently against the energetic harrying of Eastbourne, and whenever they managed to find Parkinson there seemed the possibility that the will-o'-the-wisp Scouser might carve out an opening. On 18 he set up McMahon for a shot which he hit into the ground and bounced comfortably through to Hook, while two minutes later another Parky through ball sent Crow away, but he also failed to beat the Boro keeper with his shot.
Best chance so far came on 25. McMahon saw the chance to take a quick free-kick and sent Parkinson haring down the right channel to the byline; his low cross bisected the six-yard box and somehow failed to be turned in by the lunging Crow under pressure. Next minute Parky found McMahon, but his drive sizzled across the goal and wide.
First card of a hard-fought but never niggly encounter came for Wayne Hatswell on 28 for a shove on Allan Tait. The ensuing free-kick by Matt Smart beat the wall but was well gathered by Danny Potter.
A characteristic forward foray by Anthony Tonkin on 32 took him clear to the byline, he pulled it back for Parkinson to have a shot blocked, Tonkin crossed again but failed to pick out any of the United bodies in the box and the visitors muddled it clear. Parky had the ball in the net a minute later when McMahon set him up for a neat curler, but he had strayed marginally offside.
There was no doubt that the U's were in the ascendant, but they were still searching for that telling final ball. Carden took the hosts' first corner on 35, but Challinor could not get his header on target, and on 41 a handball by Matt Crabb presented McMahon with a free-kick that ricocheted around the area before being bundled away.
Baker robbed Phillips just as he was about to pull the trigger on 43, then McMahon found Challinor at the near post but his flick across goal just evaded Coulson sliding in at the back stick. Crow was second into the book a minute later for a foul on Crabb, and there were, disappointingly, a few sporadic boos amid the applause at half-time after a combative 45 in which United had enjoyed much the upper hand without finding that crucial breakthrough.
Both sides emerged unchanged for part two, United now attacking the South Stand, but the hosts seemed to have left their inspiration in the dressing room as they flailed impotently and unimaginatively, passes going astray and too many lazy, hopeful long balls aimed inaccurately in the general direction of the front three.
It was ten minutes before there was any significant goalmouth action, and that came from the increasingly emboldened visitors, Tait poking Austin's cross wide from close range. Worse was to come on 58 when Hatswell, having something of an off day by his high standards, failed to deal with a high ball towards Tait, then clumsily brought him down inside the box. Penalty.
Paul Armstrong stepped up and fired low to Potter's right; the United custodian, on his one hundredth first team appearance, got a touch and was unlucky to see it careen on into the net. 1-0.
Two minutes later United's day of misery seemed complete as Crow clashed with Danny Brown, fell awkwardly and was knocked unconscious. A Boro player commendably put Crow into the recovery position, and several worrying minutes of treatment ensued before he was carried off to sympathetic applause. Ironically enough, it was to prove a turning point in the match.
United had already been warming up two subs, and now Chris Holroyd came on for Crow while Courtney Pitt replaced Challinor, the formation changing to a basic 4-4-2. The effect was all but instantaneous.
Holroyd fed Phillips, he forced a corner, and with his first touch, Pitt whipped a corner to the far post where Phillips rampaged in unmarked to ram a header triumphantly home. 1-1!
A coruscating run and cross by Pitt then forced another corner, Carden tapped it to the little wing wizard and his ball into the middle was heroically headed away by a full-length Brown as Phillips lurked for his second. It was all United, and on 70 their pressure told again. Tonkin and Pitt combined down the left, the former's cross was half-cleared from near the line, and as Holroyd followed up he was unceremoniously shoved to the ground from behind. Penalty.
Holroyd himself stepped up in the absence of the usual taker, Rendell, and he made no mistake, hammering it down the middle as Hook dived to his left. 2-1!
United did not let up, Pitt tormenting the visitors down the left as further crosses almost set up McMahon and Phillips, and on 74 Eastbourne made their first change, Jay Lovett replacing Smart. Hook then stopped a header from Phillips, then Holroyd pounced on a sloppy pass from Brown but had his shot blocked by Marc Pullen, Parkinson putting the rebound over.
In the last ten minutes, however, a few nerves seemed to start creeping in as a vital win began to hove into view, and the visitors spiritedly fought back. Lovett made a run on 83 which culminated in an angled cross which somehow missed everyone and fizzed just wide of the far post. Two minutes later Crabb's corner found Pullen, and his towering header was powerful and accurate but straight into the waiting Potter's gathering gloves.
Jeffery entered the fray on 87 in place of Matt Crabb's brother Nathan, then disaster beckoned as McMahon was caught dwelling on the ball in the centre circle; Brown robbed him and forged forward, but mercifully tried an ambitious shot from thirty yards which sailed over the NRE towards Newmarket Road. Good old Brownie.
Ref Coote indicated five added minutes, which seemed quite low after taking Crow's injury into account, and Rendell replaced Phillips, but Eastbourne were unable to create anything more of note and the three points were secured, United moving back to second place after Torquay's shock 2-0 home defeat by Crawley and Burton all but clinched the championship after demolishing Histon 3-1.
Easter means another game on Monday, and a visit to Kettering that does not look quite as daunting as it might have done earlier in the season, but will still provide another stern test. Today was a triumph of hard work for the whole squad, and one suspects more tweaking may be made by Our Gary on Easter Monday. Just another squeaky bum day...
Statto Corner - Danny Potter Special!
Today marked the 100th appearance in United colours for our beloved goalkeeper, Danny Potter. That consists of 87 League games, 3 playoff matches, 5 in the FA Cup, 4 in the FA Trophy and 1 in the Setanta Shield. Of those, United have won 52, drawn 25 and lost 23.
Danny has kept 34 clean sheets (17 in each season) in the league but just one in cup competitions, in the 5-0 win over King's Lynn in last term's FA Trophy.
He has only conceded more than two goals in a game on four occasions, and only once at home, in the 5-0 FA Trophy defeat by Crawley. The other three were all 3-1 defeats, at Forest Green, Oxford and Burton. United have only lost three further games by more than one goal with Danny in situ, in the 2-0 FA Trophy defeat at Histon, and league defeats this season by the same score at home to Kettering and away at Wrexham.
He has been sent off once, on 24th March 2008 in United's televised 2-1 defeat at Ebbsfleet, after John Akinde dived under his challenge. Mark Peters stepped into the breach.
Danny has missed five matches in his time at the Abbey. Loanee Alex McCarthy stood in for one match after his dismissal, and United lost 3-0 at home to Kidderminster. He has been rested just once, for the Setanta Shield match at AFC Telford; deputy Steven Drench had a nightmare in United's 4-3 defeat.
Danny has been absent through injury for one spell of three matches, with damage to a finger. Luke McShane stepped in for two FA Cup ties, a 1-1 draw at Stafford followed by a 5-1 replay win, plus one league match, a 2-1 win at Torquay. No deputy for Danny, therefore, has ever kept a clean sheet.
The only players to have scored hat-tricks against Danny have been Stuart Fleetwood of Forest Green and Jon-Paul Pittman of Crawley (in the FA Trophy). Only Michael Standing of Grays and Jefferson Louis for Weymouth have scored doubles in one match. Louis has also scored once for Wrexham against United's No.1. The only other player to score an aggregate of three against Danny is Histon's Jack Midson, who has notched in 2 different league games and once in the FA Trophy.
He has played against United twice, both times for Canvey Island in the 2005-06 season. The U's drew 1-1 in Essex, and won the return 3-1 against Canvey teams which included two other future United players in Lee Boylan and Ben Sedgemore.
Player Ratings
Potter 7. Could not mark his centenary with a clean sheet, but Eastbourne's penalty was the only thing to trouble him all day.
Gleeson 7. Much improved from Tuesday and got forward to good effect.
Tonkin 6. Still somewhat below par, but will no doubt play his way through it.
Coulson 7. Kept everything simple and did not put a foot wrong.
Hatswell 6. One of his most mediocre displays of the season, as exemplified by the penalty he carelessly conceded. Our most consistent player is entitled to the odd blip, though.
Challinor 6. Competent if fairly anonymous.
Carden 7. Not at his best, but getting there after the nightmare of Stevenage.
McMahon 7. Busy and efficient and hopefully more to come.
Parkinson 8. Tremendous first half, when he was at the tireless heart of everything good for United. A bit quieter in part two.
Crow 7. Industrious and with a good touch, it was a shame he was forced from the field, but by then he had proved he has the talent and the attitude to do well for the U's.
Phillips 7. Not entirely convincing as a target man - he won little in the air and was not the best at holding it up - he nonetheless bustled energetically and was on the spot to score that vital equaliser.
Holroyd 7. His usual sprightly self, and took the penalty well.
Pitt 8. At his best he can be the best winger in this division. Must do it more often, though.
Rendell 6. On for the briefest of cameos at the end.
Match Summary
Gutsy United recovered from a goal down and a nasty injury to Danny Crow to secure a battling victory over a decent Eastbourne side and get the promotion charge back on track after a rocky couple of weeks. Now is the time when the strength in depth of a squad can tell.
Man of the Match
Courtney Pitt. Sometimes a substitute can quite literally turn the game for his side, and Courtney did just that today; he entered the fray with United one down, and ten minutes later they were one up thanks in no small part to his magnificent running and crossing from the left. More of the same, please.
Ref Watch
Coote 7. Erred on the fussy side at times, but for the most part kept the game flowing fairly unobtrusively.
Becky's World of Wit and Wisdom
"We must concentrate on getting our own house in order and not worry about anybody else." [Portsmouth, 17/4/92]
Hello... Goodbye
Rodney Slack, United's best and most popular goalkeeper of their first non-League era, was born on this day in 1940. He was on the short side for a keeper, just under 5'10', but his athleticism, bravery and unusually long arms and huge hands more than compensated, and he was voted Supporters' Player of the Year four times in the 1960s. His speciality was saving penalties, one season stopping seven out of nine faced. When United gained admittance to the Football League in 1970, however, unsentimental manager Bill Leivers released him as he considered he would not quite be up to standard. Rodney went on to become president of the Cambs F.A.
Paddy Rayment was born on this day in 1962. A gawky defender, he started fifty times for United, scoring twice, in the bad old days of the mid-1980s after signing from his home town club, Peterborough, before drifting into local non-League.
Out third birthday boy today is Marvin Robinson (1980). His brief but chequered loan spell from Oxford last season took in a goal (against Halifax), a red card (against Aldershot) and ultimately a nasty car crash. He is now rebuilding his career at Redditch.
Martin Goldsmith made his United debut on this day in 1981, in a 2-1 defeat at Newcastle. The big Welsh striker was first choice striker in partnership with Robbie Cooke at the start of the 1983-84 season, but not for long and he left for Cardiff City after scoring a total of six goals in 37 games. He notched twice for the Bluebirds in nine games but then returned to his home town club, Carmarthen Town, never to play in the League again.
Geordie Steve Pyle, another striker, made his debut at the same time as Goldsmith. Another youngster who struggled to score goals in a struggling team, he found the net eight times in 75 matches over five seasons before moving to Torquay for a season, then returned to the North East where he became a prolific goalscorer in non-League.
Skilful midfielder John Moncur made his United debut on loan from Spurs on this day in 1987, in a 1-0 home win over Swansea. Farmed out to gain experience, he turned out four times for the U's before returning to White Hart Lane, but later found fame with Swindon Town and a £900,000 move to West Ham United, where he stayed for almost ten years until his retirement in 2003.
Soundtrack of the Day
Don Thomas 'Come On Train'
Andrew Bennett
Andrew's previous match reports
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