FUTSAL MATCH REPORT
CUFC 10
UNIVERSITY OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE 6
With an impressive display, Cambridge United Futsal added a fourth win to their winning streak, maintaining their 100% record and condemning University of Gloucestershire, who up until Sunday also had a unblemished record, to their first defeat.
The game proved to be, as expected, the toughest yet for the U’s, both in the quality of the opponents and the fact that the hosts had played their last game at the end of October. However, coach Luis Mendonça did a great job at making sure his men would kept concentration during this long break and the results on the pitch were superb.
Luke Chadwick was back on the pitch, having missed the previous game in Kettering due to an ankle injury, but Cambridge will now have to do without the services of Gamez who has returned back to Spain.
Pereira took the U’s ahead just after three minutes into the first half and Boutell made it two before the clock reached double figures. Uni of Gloucestershire didn’t lose their composure though and stayed in the second 10 minutes of the half which transformed the match into a very interesting futsal display with three goals for each side, which allowed the hosts to reach the break with a two goal advantage (5-3).
The game changed at the beginning of the second half, when Morcillo and Martinez took Cambridge’s lead to four goals, thus virtually sealing the final score.
But in a repeat of the first half, the U’s simply made sure they kept the distance from a fierce opponent and achieved the task without too many troubles, if not for conceding possibly too many fouls and reaching the bonus.
United moved to 12 points in the National Futsal League - Division 2 Midlands table, but this didn’t allow them to climb to the top, where Uni of Gloucestershire and Kettering FC are still seated at 15 points. However, both have respectively played two and three more games than the U’s.
Cambridge won’t be back on the pitch until Sunday 3rd January, when they will travel to Cheltenham, for the immediate return fixture against the Uni of Gloucestershire.
It’s therefore not going to be a Christmas at the top of the league for coach Mendonça’s players, but when back on the pitch next year, they will have the opportunity to confirm their quality and to put a firm hang on their chances to qualify to the promotion play-offs to the National Futsal Super-League.
CUFC goals: A. Martinez (4), A. Morcillo (2), M. Boutell, L. Chadwick, P. Pereira, J. Cruz