U's:1 Fleet:0

I feel like I’ve already written this report several times this season: Dominated possession, blah blah, missed a lot of chances blah blah, unadventurous opposition never looked like scoring blah blah blah.

The slight difference between Saturday’s game and the succession of 1-0’s that came before it was that United looked like a more cohesive side. Usually the defence is the only part of the team which functions as a proper unit, but during the Ebbsfleet match the midfield and attack were also linking effectively, thanks largely to the presence of one S.Rendell up front.

We can only hope that the Brabinator can keep Scotty beyond January 1, as having a player like him makes a world of difference. He held onto the ball well, brought others into play effectively, and won numerous flick-ons. And of course he scores goals. It’s all very well Brabin saying that “things haven’t been falling for us in the box”, as he did after the game, but I think it’s more to do with the fact that none of our other strikers have been getting in the sort of positions Rendell takes up.

The goal was a prime example of this. A corner from the right skimmed off a few heads to Hatswell, who turned and fired a low shot across goal that was going wide until Scotty raced in at the far post to ram it home.



United were good value for their half time advantage, and Danny Crow, who enjoyed probably his best game in a Cambridge shirt, should have given us the lead when he headed the ball past a defender, sprinted clear on goal, but hit his shot straight at Lance Cronin, who to his credit made a good reaction save.

With the defence marshalling the now-slimmed down Michael Gash adroitly, Danny Potter enjoyed a quiet afternoon, and although Fleet forced quite a few corners, none of them came to anything of note.

Most of United’s efforts were off-target, with Carden and Willmott dragging shots wide. A nice one-two between Rendell and Crow almost fashioned a chance for the latter, but he was crowded out before he could get a shot away.

The second half commenced with a Gleeson header from a corner which Cronin turned onto the bar, while Crow almost notched a superb goal following an incisive breakaway by Jardim. The winger accelerated down the left, running about 40 yards before sending over a deep cross. Carden met the ball on the half volley, sending it back across goal where Crow slid in and was inches away from connecting.

Willmott had a frustrating afternoon generally, running down more blind alleys than a myopic mouse. In the 71st minute he was replaced by the returning legend that is Courtney Pitt, much to the delight of most of the crowd. The Pittster’s first contribution was to lift a free kick over the cross bar, and he could have crowned his comeback with a goal when he raced past James Smith, brilliantly controlled a long ball but blazed his shot over the bar. Oh well, you can’t expect everything to be perfect all at once.


There was also time for Rendell to be booked for a dive, after what looked like a fairly innocent collision between himself, the keeper, and a defender, but despite throwing a few extra players forward, Ebbsfleet were unable to fashion a chance in the closing stages, and United closed out the game fairly comfortably. Just call us the Arsenal of the Conference.

Man of the Match: Scott Rendell – It was like he’d never been away.

Comment of the Match: Liam Daish tells it like it is: “We had to be brave out there and prepared to make mistakes in the final third. If myself, Alan Kimble, Paul Wilson the physio and Ian Docker had been out there in place of Cambridge's back line we would have been in control because we were too static.”