Monday 3rd August 2009 - U's 1-2 Histon: Professional suicide
Martin Ling did not hide his lack of interest in playing the Cambs Professional Cup Final so close to the start of the league season, and the great U's public did not seem over-keen, either, as well under a thousand souls attended a three-sided Abbey on a Monday night which will now be remembered only for being the last game for United's shortest incumbent manager in the club's history. Recording the proceeds after the fact feels like writing about the traffic jam which subsequently led to a serious accident...
The condemned man named a youthful mix'n'match side which gave trialist keeper-cum-centre forward Laurie Walker his second start after he kept a clean sheet at Ely. Josh Coulson was the veteran of an otherwise teenage back four alongside Rory McAuley, Darryl Coakley and lanky blond-haired scholar Blaine Hudson, while a more experienced midfield was anchored by Paul Carden and Sam Ives with Andy Parkinson and Courtney Pitt wide; Adam Marriott accompanied Mark Beesley up front.
Histon named a strong line-up with a first-choice back five, including ex-U Adam Tann, facing United for the first time since he left the Abbey four years ago, in central defence alongside new skipper Matt Langston (he's a postman, you know). There were further returnees in the middle in the form of Josh Simpson and former trialist John Kennedy, while up front Danny Wright's injury meant starts for new boys Michael Frew and Craig Hammond.
On a reasonably balmy summer's evening Histon wore their new home kit, returning to their traditional red and black stripes, while the U's turned out in Cambridge blue, and a lively contest ensued after a warmly observed minute's applause for the late, great Sir Bobby Robson.
As older United fans who remember the early Nineties know, in tactical terms Histon's strength is also their weakness: there is no need to scout them because they always play exactly the same way, but predictable as they are, their style is highly effective and difficult to combat, requiring maximum commitment and concentration at all times. They would be a useful test indeed for the younger members of the U's squad.
United tried to play it out from the back, but the visitors' front six pressed energetically and were quick to dispossess any blue shirt who lingered too long over the ball. Beesley managed the first shot, though, on 3, his low shot decent but straight into Danny Naisbitt's arms.
Histon made good use of the flanks and also challenged United's centre-backs with some searching channel balls to the front two, but Coulson and Hudson coped admirably, although Frew gained the first corner of the evening when he latched onto a Nathaniel Knight-Percival flick and drew a good save from Walker.
The U's survived the ensuing corner, but did not do so well on 12 when another flag-kick was met by Kennedy eight yards out, his shot was kicked off the line by Coakley but not cleared and in the ensuing melee Hammond's hopeful stab looped crazily into the air off Hudson and sailed almost apologetically over the stranded Walker and into the net. 1-0.
Frew flashed a shot across goal and wide a few minutes later, but on 20 he and Coulson chased a bouncing ball and the United defender's boot caught him in the face as he lunged for possession. After some treatment he was forced to withdraw with a gashed eye, replaced by Lee Roache.
Histon remained the more dangerous side, their direct style getting balls into the box that United's more considered approach play could not manage. On 24 left-back Gareth Gwillim floated a cross to the far post where Jamie Barker rose above Coakley to power a header goalward, and Walker made another fine save to push round the post.
The hosts' front two remained starved of service as Parkinson again disappointed with his lack of involvement and Carden looked below par by his standards, although Ives was confirming his promise once more with industry and purpose. Indeed, Parkinson's most dangerous moment came on 36 when he tried to defend Gwillim's long throw into the box by back-heading it almost over Walker's head, the surprised keeper just clutching in time.
The visitors' tackling was unnecessarily agricultural at times and their most frequent flyer, Kennedy, was deservedly booked on 38 for a dreadful late lunge at Pitt.
There was no denying, though, that Histon had been the more effective team during the first half, and the best United could say was that youngsters like Hudson, McAuley and Ives had gained valuable experience and shown admirable strength and resolve.
Ling's answer was to make a triple substitution for part two, changing to a 4-3-3 in the process. Chris Holroyd replaced Parkinson and became third striker, Jai Reason came on for Carden as the central driving force, and another CRC newbie, Luke Berry (below), replaced Coakley as the third midfielder, Pitt moving to left-back.
The visitors, however, resumed as they had left off, and Beesley did well to clear a Histon corner over his own bar when facing goal in the six-yard box; as long as he doesn't do that up the other end, eh?
Reason looked fired up and was ably supported by Berry and Ives, two players of similar build and style whose coolness on the ball and accuracy of pass showed why CRC did so well last term. The combative Neil Andrews replaced Hammond on 56 to start a long-running battle with Reason, and Simpson surprisingly moved up front; he found the net three minutes later but the offside flag found him first.
On the hour Histon made four further changes, Lee Smith replacing sub Roache up front, Craig Pope and Adam Bygrave depping for Tann and Lanre Oyebanjo at the back, and they also swapped keepers, Joe Welch entering the fray. Ling countered by introducing Jordan Patrick for Beesley and reverting to 4-4-2.
As in several previous pre-season friendlies, the more CRC boys were on the pitch, the more United looked like a team with genuine understanding, and the contest became more equal than before. Reason was carded on 63 as part of his war with Andrews, and on 70 the hosts' resurgence culminated in a goal.
A surging run by McAuley was halted by a crude foul from Kennedy and, as on Saturday, Pitt stepped up to take the free-kick 25 yards out in the right channel. Welch stationed his wall to his left and took up position to his right, and Pitt took full advantage by curling an exquisite set-piece over the wall and into the unguarded half of the goal past Welch's despairing, futile dive. Nice: 1-1.
Danny Crow came on for Marriott five minutes later as United pressed for a winner - anything to avoid the dreaded penalties - inspired by the neat, tireless Ives (comfortable out on the left) and Berry, with Patrick also now making his mark down the right. Holroyd was unlucky to be flagged a marginal offside after Berry's excellent run and through ball, but Histon are nothing if not resilient and they took the lead again with a great deal of help and ten minutes remaining.
The excellent Hudson was harshly booked for a challenge on Simpson, Gwilliam arced the free-kick into the box, and an unchallenged Walker advanced to claim the ball; then he fumbled and dropped it, right at the feet of Simpson who rifled gratefully home from close range. Oh Lordy: 2-1.
United swept back and Patrick teased and tormented Gwillim on the right, his cross on 86 cannoning off Crow's chest but falling nicely for Welch to collect when any other sort of deflection would have resulted in a goal. For all the hosts' late pressure, though, they just could not find a breakthrough or seriously test Welch, and it was Histon who lifted the CPC.
All very nice for them, but these events quickly paled into insignificance when the news broke the next day. The Ling/Rolls row is still rumbling now as I write, so all one can really do is take the long term view: directors, managers and players all come and go, some faster than others, some welcome, some not, but at our club and at every club there is but one constant: the supporters.
We ARE the club. We ARE still here. And we will still be here long after every unedifying row, controversy and argument has passed into history. As I said after the playoff final: a football club is not just for Wembley, it is for life. We have come too far, given too much to abandon ship now. One supporter is worth a thousand officials. Never give up.
Statto Corner
United have competed 35 times for the Cambs Professional Cup in the 52 seasons since it was initiated in 1958, winning it on a total of eighteen occasions. It was originally a four-team tournament, and the U's beat Cambridge City in the semi-final and Wisbech Town in the final of both the first and second Cup competitions before finally succumbing 1-0 to City in both legs of the 1960-61 tourney. In the first season crowds of 6,025 and 8,214 attended the Abbey and Milton Road respectively for the semi-final and replay.
The Sixties was the golden age of intra-city rivalry, and during that decade United won the Cup six times to City's three, with the top attendance an impressive 7,677 at Milton Road in the semi-final of 1962-63. The most notorious final, however, took place on 15th May 1968, a second leg the day after a 1-1 draw in the first at the City Ground. City had just been relegated to leave United in a higher division than them for the first time in their history, so local pride was very much at stake.
The controversy started just after the hour when an Ian Hutchinson 'goal' was disallowed and the fiery Dai Ward was dismissed for his protests, only five minutes after coming on as substitute. Within eight minutes tempers had become so frayed that the players started fighting amongst themselves, then some spectators ran onto the field to join in. Needless to say, the match was abandoned and the Cup was not awarded that year.
The clubs continued to compete for the Cup into the 1970s, now the only two teams to contest it, but when the Final attendance fell below 1,000 for the first time in 1975-76, it was discontinued the next season, then with United now an established League side, Luton Town were invited to the Abbey instead of City in 1978 to take the Cup to Bedfordshire with a 5-04 penalties win.
Two more fallow seasons passed before it was revived again in 1980-81, Peterborough winning it 4-2 at the Abbey, then after another blank season, City were reinstated but hammered 4-0 by the U's. Seeking more glamorous opposition, Norwich City played United for the Cup for the next four seasons and took it back to Norfolk three times.
Interest waned again and after another blank year it was Northampton Town who captured the Cup 7-6 on penalties in August 1988 but it was not until March 1992 that it was competed for again when, bizarrely, the Canadian Olympic XI were thrashed 4-0 at the Abbey. A selection of weird and wonderful non-Cambridgeshire opposition followed the Canucks to the Abbey for the next few years, Chester winning it in 1992-93, then Nottingham Forest, Ipswich and Coventry were all defeated.
City, however, returned to the fray in 1996-97 and duly won it 2-1 at Milton Road, the first time the Cup had not been played for at the Abbey since October 1975, but the U's won it back the next season in front of a meagre crowd of 223.
Since then it has mostly been a competition for City and Histon to compete for, except for in 2006-07 when United won 4-3 on penalties at Bridge Road. At least the Cup stays in the county these days. I wonder if Chester fans still look at their list of honours and wonder how on Earth it was that they won the Cambs Professional Cup in 1992-93? And they were not even allowed the chance to defend it…
Player Ratings
Walker 6. Enjoyed a fine game... apart from one horrendous slip. Deserves another chance at least.
McAuley 7. His usual cool, strong self at right-back.
Coulson 7. Ready for his first full first-team season.
Hudson 8. Extraordinarily commanding and confident for a 17-year-old.
Coakley 7. Handles himself like a regular.
Parkinson 6. The odd decent cross, but still does not contribute as much as one might expect.
Carden 7. Some way from his best; presumably saving it for Saturday.
Ives 8. What a tremendous prospect this lad is.
Pitt 7. Superb free-kick; I just wish he would stop giving the ball away so much.
Beesley 6. Struggled to make an impact with little decent service.
Marriott 6. Some good moments, but not ready just yet against tough-tackling sides like this.
Berry 8. Another debutant who looked so impressive with his confidence, adventure and desire to just play.
Holroyd 7. Got more dangerous as the game went on.
Reason 7. No doubting his commitment as he got thoroughly stuck in to the point of getting booked.
Patrick 7. Reminiscent of Aaron Lennon when running at the opposition in full flight.
Crow 6. Worked hard but once again never looked like scoring.
Match Summary
On a low-key but competitive night at the Abbey, United handed the CPC to Histon with two of the softest goals imaginable, but evoked much optimism for the future with the impressive performances of several CRC graduates. The present, however, might have to wait a little longer.
Man of the Match
Sam Ives. United's dominant midfielder, combative but skilful, quick and clever, and never afraid to shoot. Frightening potential.
Ref Watch
Francis 6. Somewhat whistle-happy on occasion and a little card-happy too, as if frightened that the game was going to get out of control. Needs to learn the value of the 'quiet word.'
Soundtrack of the Day
Wilco 'You Never Know'
Andrew Bennett
Andrew's previous match reports
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