U's:0 Bluebirds:2

A lot may have happened over the summer, but if our first match is anything to go by, on the pitch it's very much as you were.

Gary Brabin's players, coached by Gary Brabin's former assistant, put in the kind of performance Gary Brabin's Cambridge United gave us all too often last year, especially pre-Christmas. Passing in abundance, pretty football in abundance, cutting edge in, er, the opposite of abundance. All that was missing to complete the feeling of de ja vous was a big bald scouser prowling the technical area like a caged rhino.

We even had Carden wheeling out the Brabinator's old catchphrases. We "footballed them to death" apparently, and while that may well be true, it's no good if you don't score. For me the game is a good example of why we shouldn't reappoint Brabin as, without a Rendell-esque poacher, his tactics are seriously flawed. Playing with two attacking wingers means neither of the central midfielders are able to commit too far forward, and if you have strikers who either want to drop deep (Crow, Beesley, Phillips), or run the channels (Holroyd), there's never anyone in the box when we've got the ball in wide areas.

There wasn't much to report in the way of chances in a first half dominated by United. Willmott looked about our most dangerous player, linking well with the lively front pair of Beesley and Holroyd. The winger curled a shot just over the angle of post and bar, then set up Holroyd for an effort which drew a smart save from Stuart Tomlinson. We were also denied a fairly obvious looking penalty when Parky exchanged passes with Beesley and was pulled back in the box by a defender.

Referee Martin had earlier marked himself out as a pedantic knob by harshly booking Barrow's Jason Walker in the first couple of minutes for the cardinal crime of failing to retreating at a free kick. He further incensed the visitors when he sent off left back Sean Newton, who picked up a second yellow for rash challenge on Holroyd in the 52nd minute. It was a lunging tackle, but perhaps a talking to only would have been sufficient?

I only say that because United are shocking against ten men, and fell behind when Carlos Logan pinged in an excellent free kick from just outside the area. No chance Danny Potter, 1-0 to the dark side.

Reason and Gleeson shot over from distance, before Glees went one better, picking up a pass from Beesley and hitting a peach of a half volley which Tomlinson acrobatically pawed away. But all United's efforts were coming from outside the box, and you never got the feeling an equaliser was imminent.

With minutes remaining, Barrow wrapped up the match, when the busy Walker latched on to a long clearance, and tried to flick it over Josh Coulson. The ball struck the unfortunate defender on the his outstretched arm for a clear penalty, which Walker himself converted, rolling the ball past the diving Potter. 0-2.

A lot of people moaned about the referee after the game, and while he gave us virtually nothing in the second half, United were the architects of their own downfall. The sad thing is you could have probably predicted the way the game was going to go before kick off, and while we didn't play that badly, a new manager and fresh ideas are needed asap.

Man of the Match: Dan Gleeson - Built on his excellent pre-season form with a faultless display.