Andrew Bennett continues his comprehensive review of last season, moving into the month of November 2007.

Saturday 3rd November: Torquay United 1-2 U's [att: 3,368, away 146]

The Gulls has been flying high at the top of the league until Aldershot had won the previous evening, and were unbeaten at home; yet another daunting challenge for a United team that seemed to thrive against its promotion rivals. The U's contained the hosts well and snatched the lead five minutes before the break, Pitt crossing for Boylan to guide a clever looping header over keeper Rayner. Torquay, however, went straight back up the other end and equalised, Elliot Benyon toepoking home following a good save by McShane. Knights should have continued the scoring a minute later but shot straight at Rayner from five yards.

The second half was a tight, hard-fought battle that looked to be heading for a draw until four minutes from the end. Sub Hyem sent Wolleaston galloping down the left channel, he reached the edge of the box, feinted twice then placed a quite delightful shot into the bottom corner to win it for the U's.

Another storming awayday was topped off by a blast of The Teardrop Explodes' classic "Reward," exactly what United's battling spirit had merited. Man of the Match: Mark Peters

After one defeat in twenty games, the management duo of Quinn and Lewer were rewarded with new contracts until 2010, and no-one could deny they had thoroughly earned it.

Saturday 10th November: U's 2-1 Aldershot Town (FA Cup) [att: 3,547, away 647]

United were boosted for their First Round Cup tie against the BSP leaders by the unexpectedly early return from injury of Danny Potter, although Luke McShane had given a good account of himself in DP's absence.

His opposing number one, Nikki Bull, was in his usual world-beating form against the U's and produced several fine early saves, and there was a blow for the hosts on 18 when Peters and Albrighton collided and the latter was forced to withdraw with a badly gashed knee which required nine stitches. Knights hit the underside of the bar, Morrison had a 35-yard megablast tipped over, but it was the Shots who took the lead against the run of play just after the half hour, via a Jonny Dixon breakaway down the middle. They had hitherto won every game in which they had taken the lead this season.

Undaunted, United equalised on 62, a Knights run and cross finished off by the predatory Boylan, sneaking in for a header between two defenders.

The U's went all out for the win but were thwarted time and time again by that man Bull, until five minutes from time they won it through an uncharacteristic error from the Shots glovesman. Reed floated a free-kick into the box, Bull rushed out into a melee of bodies and missed, and as he crashed to the ground the ball fell to LFW to tap the slowest of trundlers into the empty net.

There was still time for more drama, Joel Grant missing the easiest of sitters for the visitors and Scott Davies red-carded in added time for throwing the ball at Pitt after conceding a free-kick, but the stats did not lie: United 10 shots on target plus 9 off, Aldershot 2 and 5. Good, entertaining football, great team spirit ("best I've known" said Boylan), goals on Match of the Day and a rousing chant of "We're going to Wembley with Jimmy and Fester"; supporting United did not get better than this. Man of the Match: Lee Boylan

United got another home draw, to Weymouth, in Round Two, and Dan Gleeson was called up to the England C squad, while the Promotion Fund hit £13,000 and all United's adult tickets for the New Year's Day game at Histon were sold out. In Finland on the Wednesday, Morrison scored his first goal for England from a corner in a 2-0 victory, Salisbury's Tubbs notching the other, while Gleeson came on as sub, replacing Histon's Erkan Okay.

Saturday 17th November: U's 2-1 Northwich Victoria (att: 4,046, away 35]

Back to the bread and butter, Hoyte replaced the injured Albrighton and Convery deputised for a suspended Gleeson as United went 3-4-3. On a grey, chilly day, the match was as anticlimactic as the weather; Stephen Reed had been switched to wide right in Gleeson's absence but steadfastly refused to use his right foot, cutting inside onto his left every time he gained possession despite not doing so in training. It was frustrating fare against a Vics side just starting a dramatic revival under Dino Maamria, but United at last managed to take the lead on 41, Wolleaston setting up Rendell to ram an acutely angled shot home from close range. In added time United's top scorer treated us to the miss of the season, somehow managing to sky over from almost underneath the bar.

Wouldn't you know it, Northwich equalised within thirty seconds of the restart, Lee Steele racing clear as the United rearguard slumbered, and Morrison succumbed to most painful injury of the year when he blocked a Luke Horrocks shot with, well, his horrocks. United eventually rallied, however, and retook the lead on 79, a super run and cross from Wolleaston providing Rendell with a thunderous close-range header. Vics bit back doggedly while United kept catching them on the break, Wolleaston lashing over when clear on goal and Boylan dashing clear but seeing his shot saved with LFW waiting unmarked in the middle for a tap-in; cue rollicking of the century from football's Mr Grumpy.

A gritty win kept United on the pace and Rendell became the quickest U's man to double figures since Dave Kitson four seasons previously. Spirited Northwich had now lost their first ten away league games. Man of the Match: Scott Rendell

Darryl Knights' loan was extended for a further month, the United faithful enjoying his dazzling repertoire of close skills, while there was another enhancement to the Board with the appointment of George Rolls as Business Development Director, another U's supporter, who agreed to underwrite certain financial targets within the club's Business Plan. On the Thursday United's youngsters saw another splendid FA Youth Cup campaign come to an end with an unlucky 2-1 home defeat by Crewe Alexandra.

The next day saw a new loan signing, midfielder Paul Carden arriving on loan from Accrington Stanley until 1st January, and he went straight into the team for that evening's game at one of his previous clubs.

Friday 23rd November: Burton Albion 1-2 U's [att: 2,263, away 374]

Carden replaced an unwell Knights and United were strengthened by the return of Albrighton for Hoyte and Gleeson for Pitt, Reed switching to the left flank. It was 3rd versus 4th on a freezing cold Friday night, and on something of a bogey ground for the U's, they surrendered the lead on 17 to the hosts' first shot on target, Keith Gilroy outpacing a clearly not fully fit Albrighton to cross for Shaun Harrad to slide home. United looked surprisingly subdued, lacking in invention; JQ unpacked the hairdryer at half-time and they equalised rather fortuitously five minutes after the interval, Convery touching a free-kick to Reed whose blaster took a wicked deflection off Webster's head to wrongfoot 44-year-old keeper Kevin Poole. It was Reed's first goal in United colours.

The turning point in an absorbing encounter came on 65 when Daryl Clare was dismissed for an elbow on Mark Peters. Two minutes later United were in front, Pitt sprinting down the left to deliver a cross for Rendell to arrive at the far post and fire home back across Poole. Burton applied pressure but with Potter inspirational in goal and Carden protecting a rock-solid back line, there was no way through and another bogey had been broken. United had now beaten all the top teams bar Exeter and had won four consecutive games by the same score for the first time ever. And what tremendous, vociferous, numerous, bouncemungous away support they were enjoying! Man of the Match: Scott Rendell

To no-one's surprise, JQ was announced as BSP Manager of the Month. Two fringe players were loaned out for a month, Smith to Heybridge Swifts and Collins to Billericay Town, while Chilli was back in training but said to be some weeks from a return, and Danny Brown was judged to be a week away from a return to training himself.

End of month position: 3rd

Andrew Bennett

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