Tuesday 29th September 2009 - Grays 2-0 U's: United fade to Grays
What does football smell like?
The New Recreation Ground, Grays, smells of frying onions. I would imagine that Old Trafford whiffs of prawn vol-au-vents and used banknotes, the City of Manchester Stadium of freshly struck oil, Stamford Bridge of pasta with just a little too much dressing, Meadow Lane of expensive and slightly dubious foreign aftershave, while London Road reeks of desperation. I had a sniff of the Glassworld the other day, but something unpleasant seemed to have drifted upwind from Milton so it was hard to tell. But after last night in Essex, something really stinks around the Abbey Stadium. It is the smell of complacency and of players who are cosily ensconced in their own comfort zones, who seem to have forgotten that it takes a lot of hard work to make a successful football team. And it is a smell that needs to be banished with a deep cleaning as soon as possible.
Those who remember United's first season in the Conference will shudder when they recall a nightmarish 5-3 defeat at Grays almost exactly four years ago, especially when they remember the outraged chants of "Newman out!"when the U's went 5-1 down in the 48th minute. Two players from each side remained tonight, Dan Gleeson and Courtney Pitt for United and Cameron Mawer and Glenn Poole for the hosts; otherwise both clubs have been through many upheavals in the intervening time, United flirting with promotion and Grays struggling to stay afloat and getting through about half a dozen managers per season. At least.
Their ground remains unique, with its block of flats and mostly empty balconies on one side, the steep, uncovered away terrace, and the rest of it always looks eerily empty. So poor are their attendances that they do not even publish them in their programme, with all below 800 this season except for the 1,762 which was boosted by the visit of AFC Wimbledon.
The club's lack of funds was exemplified by the programme, a slim pamphlet designed to cover both tonight's match and Saturday's against Gateshead, which will surely struggle to attract 500 spectators. The sole coverage of the U's was a couple of pages of player profiles, although there was plenty of room for their uniquely bizarre range of adverts, from boxing kit to scrap merchants to some very, er, Essex nightclubs ('Converse & plimsoles now OK, photographic ID will be required'), not to mention the plant company who promise 'Much away' among other services, plus the intriguingly named 'Trim and Bleed'. No, it's not a blind hairdresser's...
Grays had won just once all season, a 1-0 defeat of Eastbourne, and their on and off-field upheavals were summed up by a wildly inconsistent record of good draws at Stevenage, Crawley and Histon and multi-goal pastings against Altrincham, Wimbledon, Kidderminster and Rushden. Julian Dicks, who had expressed interest in the Abbey job last time it came up, was on his fourth game in charge and still looking for his first win after a disappointing loss at Forest Green at the weekend.
There was one familiar face in their starting line-up, with ex-U Gavin Hoyte alongside skipper Anwar Uddin at the back, and there were three more former United men on the bench in Lee McEvilly, Sam Cutler and Jack Jeffery.
Martin Ling made only one amendment to the side which doffed its cap to the Hatters on Saturday, giving Lee Phillips his first start of the season instead of Mark Beesley, but the squad of sixteen remained the same again. And therein would turn out to be the problem...
It was another unseasonably balmy Indian summer's night. What little atmosphere there was at the New Rec was generated by a noisy contingent of the amber army, the attendance looking considerably less to the naked eye than the official figure of 976.
The hosts started as you would expect a side motivated by Dicks, hurling themselves at pace all over the park and snapping into the tackle, but also trying to play a passing game like the 'appy 'ammers. Kenny Davis set up Poole for the first shot of the game on 5, but it was a fairly untidy contest with precious little quality football from either side as United struggled to get their passing game together and get the wide men involved.
The visitors did force the first corner of the evening on 12, and following touches from Dan Gleeson and Pitt it fell to Wayne Hatswell, but his shot was comfortably gathered by keeper Preston Edwards. As a spectacle the game was rather less than riveting, Grays willing and eager but lacking in quality while United seemed hustled out of their stride and failed to impose themselves or their own tempo on the match, unable to string any sort of pattern together. Pitt and Robbie Willmott made precious few forays down the flanks, the forwards were reduced to feeding off the most meagre of scraps and while Paul Carden as usual tried to lead by example, his midfield partner Jai Reason looked anything but inspired.
As the half progressed (if that is the word) however, United gradually began to enjoy more possession and, like a team of particularly tentative snails, inched slowly ahead in the territorial stakes. Chris Holroyd looked as lively as ever and on 22 produced an impressively direct run down the middle with support conspicuous by its absence, but his shot lacked the power to beat Edwards.
Mawer was first into the book a couple of minutes later for a lunge at Hatswell, thankfully sparing United the discomfort of playing against ten men by receiving only yellow. Uddin got in the way of a Reason shot on 27, then when the U's midfielder was fouled by Davis, Pitt stepped up to curl a splendid free-kick over the wall and off the outside of the post with the keeper flat-footed.
It took Grays 33 minutes to win a corner of their own, and Danny Potter clutched Uddin's header with comfort, then Willmott finally managed a decent run up the other end and fed Holroyd who prodded wide. Best chance so far came next when Pitt crossed a cleared Willmott corner and found the unmarked head of Brian Saah, but with all the goal to aim at, he nodded it straight into Edwards' arms. If United had scored during this spell, one suspects the outcome might have been very different.
Reason picked up United's first card on 40 for bringing down Craig Braham-Barrett, but the remaining scoring attempt of the half came from the hard-working Phillips just before the whistle when he received an Edwards clearance in the centre circle and tried an ambitious long-range lob, which bounced past the left-hand post.
That summed up the first 45 really, wide of the mark and off target, and the only comfort United fans could take was that their side had finished the half on top, had had a couple of half-decent chances and would surely move up a gear or two on their willing but limited opponents and pull away in part two.
Unfortunately that prediction turned out about as well as Sol Campbell's last five-year contract. The players were slow to re-emerge, due it seems to the ref having been replaced by an anonymous official due to injury, and it seemed as if an already under-par United side had also been replaced by anonymous doppelgangers as they made no impression at all on the huffing and puffing hosts, who, no doubt encouraged, began to pass the ball around themselves with growing confidence.
Edwards remained untroubled by United's laboured build-up and first shot of note from Pitt on 56 sailed hopelessly over the noisy away end after he had smashed such chances effortlessly into the net during the warm-up. And two minutes later the previously unthinkable happened: following a corner, Poole drove the ball into the box and Daniel Charge turned it past Potter as United played statues. 1-0.
United tried to respond and might well have scrambled an equaliser in the next few minutes in a mini-spell of pressure. Reason's shot from a free-kick was deflected to Gleeson and his shot was parried then cleared from the six-yard box, then a Holroyd run set up a chance for Phillips but again Edwards was equal to his close-range shot.
Ling decided that a change was needed and on 68 replaced Phillips with Danny Crow, but that did not stop United from pumping lazy high balls up the middle for Hoyte and Uddin to repel with ease. They continued to look uninspired, Willmott little more than a passenger on the right and seeming incapable of getting past his marker or producing a decent cross, while Pitt at least had a few moments of promise, albeit not nearly enough. But with Reason looking laboured, Carden could not carry the midfield on his own and the supply line to the front men remained sporadic at best.
Poole was next into the book for taking his time over a free-kick on 70, and four minutes later Pitt had a decent shot deflected for a corner by Uddin, and in the afterplay to the corner Hatswell had an excellent header well plucked out of the air by Edwards as it arrowed for the top corner.
Charge was replaced by Charlie Taylor on 76 in a straight swap, then Reason was unsurprisingly subbed in favour of Sam Ives, but United remained ragged and unable to make an impression on the hard-working hosts, given fresh impetus by their goal and now scenting their first victory since 18th August.
Gleeson and Braham-Barrett were carded on 82 for an untidy tangle as tempers began to fray, then Willmott was at last withdrawn but replaced on the wing not by Andy Parkinson but by Mark Beesley, a square peg in a round hole if ever there was one. Oh for the mercurial pace and positivity of a Jordan Patrick.
Beesley made no impact and in fact Grays enjoyed a good spell of pressure for a few minutes, stretching a back four which looked almost as out of sorts as the rest of the team. Ives got through some good defensive work, blocking shots from Poole and Daryl Robson, and United were reduced to attacking on the break, Holroyd using his pace to break down the right channel then shoot low across Edwards, but he was beaten by the angle and the ball ran wide of the far post.
Grays responded with a Poole blaster which Potter fisted clear and as added time approached Holroyd sent Beesley away but his shot flew just the wrong side of the post. But all hope was lost as in the four added minutes.
United were caught out at the back again and Anthony Tonkin flattened Richard Graham as he lunged for the ball for what looked like a certain penalty, given by the linesman who had the better view of the officials. Matters then took a surreal twist as the substitute ref made it clear he wanted to book Hatswell for the foul and the hapless Hats pleaded long and hard with the men in black as to the mistaken identity, to no avail.
Then up stepped Poole to take the spot-kick, Potter dived the right way but could not get a strong enough hand on it and it squirmed in. 2-0.
The U's had nothing left to give and were left in no doubt as to their supporters' opinion of a shoddy performance at the final whistle. Their opponents had been nowhere near as gifted, but had simply worked harder and wanted it more. The unchanging nature of United's squad seems to have created a comfort zone in certain players' minds who think they will be picked every week no matter how little work they put in.
They need to be left in no doubt that no-one in this squad is indispensable or immune to being dropped. Many of the back-up players may be young and inexperienced, but they are talented and they are winners as CRC go from strength to strength and perhaps an injection of youth is what the team needs. Ben Farrell and Jon Challinor also continue to be paid by the club and after the last few games they must be wondering what they have to do to even make the final sixteen.
Martin Ling inherited this squad, but he must now demonstrate his management skills by lifting his charges out of their current rut and get them playing with energy, attitude and the gang mentality which saw Grays through last night. Some will need a quiet word, some a comforting arm, a few a swift kick up the backside. Nothing less than 100% commitment will be tolerated on Sunday against opposition which has stuttered this season but has of late done efficient jobs on teams they were expected to beat, a job which United conspicuously failed to complete.
We know these players can produce good, winning football, but they are not doing it with any sort of consistency. One win in five is not good enough. Now they must work together to bring the sweet smell of success back to the Abbey.
Statto Corner
United's current league position of twelfth is the lowest they have been placed since the last day of the 2006-07 season, when they finished 17th.
The U's have won only once in five seasons at Grays since their relegation, that victory coming last term when they won both home and away 1-0. By contrast they have won their last three meetings at home without conceding a goal, after drawing 1-1 in their first encounter in 2005-06.
Tonight's attendance of 976 was the tenth occasion on which United have attracted a three-figure crowd at an away game in the Conference. The three lowest remain 634 (Droylsden, April 2008), 741 (Stafford, October 2007) and 754 (Grays, February 2009).
Julian Dicks faced the U's just once as a player, in an unforgettable match on the last day of the 1992-93 season at Upton Park. West Ham won 2-0 to simultaneously clinch promotion to the Premier League on goal difference ahead of Portsmouth and behind champions Newcastle, and consign United to relegation. The U's would have needed to win to stay up. The attendance of 27,399 has only been bettered for a United match since then by the last two years' playoff finals.
Cameron Mawer was playing against the U's for the sixth time, after three outings in his first spell at Grays and two for Weymouth. He was sent off for the latter in the clubs' 2-2 draw in Dorset last season.
Anwar Uddin has faced United three times for Dagenham & Redbridge, while Paolo Vernazza has done so for Dagenham, Weymouth and Woking. He was a team-mate of Uddin's when the champions elect Daggers were pounded 4-2 at the Abbey towards the end of the 2006-07 season.
The three ex-U's on Grays' bench had all played against United previously. Jack Jeffery turned out for West Ham in a 2008 pre-season friendly, and for Eastbourne last term. Sam Cutler took part in both of Weymouth's games last season, and Lee McEvilly (who made his United debut against Grays) scored twice in three games for Rochdale between September 2002 and August 2003.
United last went three league games without a win almost a year ago, drawing 2-2 at Forest Green, 0-0 at home to Rushden and 2-2 at Crawley in October/November 2008.
Player Ratings
Potter 6. One of the few players who did not underperform, he had no chance with the first goal and had a good go at saving the penalty. Otherwise he did not actually have a great deal to do.
Gleeson 5. Too many wayward passes and too often caught out of position.
Tonkin 6. Quiet game except for conceding a silly penalty near the end.
Saah 6. Fair-to-middling game.
Hatswell 6. Always gives his all, albeit he did not have as much as usual to give tonight.
Willmott 4. Latest in a string of anonymous, mediocre efforts which simply do not justify him a place in the team, or even the squad.
Carden 6. Skipper did his best but there is little the captain of a sinking ship can do on his own.
Reason 4. Has loafed in the comfort zone for far too long. Ives, Farrell and Challinor all deserve their chance in his place.
Pitt 5. At least showed a few flashes of something, but he should be terrorising teams like Grays, not making them flinch once every fifteen minutes.
Phillips 6. Could not fault his effort despite a poor supply line and he was unlucky to be hauled off.
Holroyd 7. Head and shoulders above the rest.
Ives 6. Got stuck in as willingly as usual but you can't expect an 18-year-old rookie to lift an entire team.
Crow 5. Difficult to see what he was supposed to achieve that Phillips had not.
Beesley 4. Even harder to understand why Ling thought he was a winger, because the player himself didn't seem to believe it.
Match Summary
Dismal United slumped to their first away defeat of the season with their worst performance of the year, a sloppy effort from a team containing too many complacent players who seem to think they only have to turn up to get picked for the first team and can defeat 'inferior' teams without working for it. They need to learn the errors of their ways fast, because the CRC team would have given a far better account of themselves than certain senior so-called pros who swanned around the pitch in a deluded, self-important fog last night.
Man of the Match
Chris Holroyd. The only player who came close to matching the spirit and commitment of the supporters.
Ref Watch
Farries and replacement 6. Mainly fairly unobtrusive, but deducted one point for being unable to tell the difference between Tonkin and Hatswell.
Out of the Mouths of Babes
"I was sitting next to Mal who wanted to buy a programme. A man walked by with a load of them. Mal called to him, but he walked away. I think he was a bit deaf." (Sian Newman)
Soundtrack of the Day
Band of Skulls 'Death By Diamonds And Pearls'
Parky's Pick of the Pops
Andy Parkinson lends an ear to the New Rec sounds. "All right, lads and lasses? A lorra people have a clichéd picture of us Scousers, known what I mean, like? It doesn't bother me, 'cause I've got a great sense of humour and I certainly don't go in for self-pity.
"But Essex has got a bit of a stereotyped image too, hasn't it, all jazz-funk and white stilettos and tattooed blokes who fanatically support England. So it was really no surprise when I heard Incognito's 'Always There,' Jacko's 'Rock With You' plus those old faves 'Three Lions' and what must be the Essex national anthem, 'Vindaloo'!
"There were a couple of more adventurous choices, too, Beats International and very surprisingly, Fleetwood Mac's 'Albatross,' but the runout music was well predictable... 'Let Me Entertain You,'™ blimey, that's been around since I had curly hair and a 'tache! A right old mix-up, then. Now where's me Ford Capri?? PPP verdict: 6/10."
Andrew Bennett
Andrew's previous match reports
More Match Photos
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.
