U's 0-0 Burton: Brewers won't droop
Wednesday 26th December 2007 - U's 0-0 Burton: Brewers won't droop
Another year is drawing to a close. And that means it is time for our annual address from your website alternative clergyperson, Community Support Vicar-in-residence, the Reverend Charvis Loames.
"Hello everybody, and compliments of this most wonderful season to you all. I hope you all had a splendid Christmas, without overindulging of course! This is a busy time for football fans and members of the clergy, but I must confess that on Boxing Day Mrs Loames and I managed to imbibe several pints of our home-made toadstool wine (once tasted, never forgotten) and my good lady wife insisted on performing a lapdance for me. Suffice to say I soon sobered up once she had disrobed and I was confronted with what I can only describe as a wobbling whirlwind of furry blancmange which threatened to block out the sun!
"Like the Good Samaritan, Mrs Loames meant well, and the sight of her heaving buttocks inspired me to compose a sermon on the subject of abstinence and sacrifice. This time last year I think it would be fair to say that many Cambridge United supporters had begun abstaining from attending their team's matches, so depressing was the dismal fayre on show!
"But I stated in my 2006 address that we all have our faith tested from time to time, whether that faith be in one's God or one's football team. And, as you are now beginning to find out, how much more satisfying the reward when one stays true to one's path and holds temptation at bay! Furthermore, one should always count one's blessings, as there are any number of people in this world that are more disadvantaged than yourself.
"Only last week I undertook some charitable missionary work in one of the poorest, most wretchedly deprived townships in the world. The local people were malnourished, uneducated and completely without guidance morally; I never knew such deprivation existed in Peterborough. The tribespeople - or 'Chavs' as they are known - knew nothing of the meaning of Christmas, and kept demanding drugs whose names were unfamiliar to me, such as "PSP", "Choo's" and "Whee". Please remember these unfortunate wretches in your prayers.
"My message this year is, therefore, to implore you to reflect on those people who, like you a year ago, are in the depths of despair and in need of hope and guidance. Think of people I have met like Darren, who is liable to fits of depression because he does not believe he can ever match the career success of his father, or Stephen, such a worrier that he has lost all traces of a sense of humour, or John, whose past half-truths mean that nobody trusts him any more.
"Think kindly of them all, for there but for the grace of God go yourselves. And enjoy your own happiness and that of your football team, for success and failure are both as fleeting as an X Factor winner's pop career. If 2008 brings half of the joy that 2007 has brought, then 2007 will have been twice as enjoyable as 2008. Happy New Year!"
United saw out a momentous 2007 in the same way they saw out a disastrous 2006, with a home fixture against Burton Albion, or Nigel Clough's Burton Albion to give them their full name. As if by magic, three thousand of the people who attended the Boxing Day contest with those nice people from Histon had disappeared back to wherever they usually go on Saturday afternoons (shopping? fishing? lion taming? fighting the War on Terror in amphibious landing craft?) so a clear, sunny but cold and breezy afternoon welcomed the usual hardcore of U's faithful plus a decent turnout of 260-odd from brewing land.
Clough Jr was out before his players with a sedate solo jog around the Abbey pitch for a few laps, but although still registered as a player, he was not on the bench in any capacity other than managerial. His side lay three points behind United and were defending the only unbeaten away record remaining in the Conference... against United's record as the only undefeated home team. Something had to give. Or it might just be a 0-0 stalemate.
JQ deemed no changes necessary to the team that squeaked past Histon, save for Gavin Hoyte replacing Mikey Hyem on the bench, while Cloughie named a cautious-looking line-up with only one out-and-out striker, Shaun Harrad, with his erstwhile strike partner Darryl Clare still restricted to sub's duties after his recent operation. The oldest player in the league, 44-year-old keeper Kevin Poole, was absent (gout? liver spots?) and replaced by Saul Deeney.
First blood went to the Brewers, winning the toss and forcing United to attack the NRE in the first half, and they started the better on the field, playing their usual pleasing pass-and-move style which Clough has instilled in his nine years at the Pirelli Stadium (and its predecessor). They wasted no time in passing their way through the U's team and when one early move found Andy Corbett in the right channel on 3, his shot from just inside the area fizzed across Danny Potter and off the far post: a quite literal shot across the bows.
Burton continued to knock it around, to good vocal support from their followers in the South Habbin, while United struggled to find the form which has to a significant extent deserted them since that unlucky defeat at Kidderminster. There were rather too many hopeful long balls aimed at the front two, but their first decent move on 10 saw Dan Gleeson loft a cross into the box which Lee Boylan headed down for Scott Rendell, but his first-time shot was snatched and off-balance and sailed harmlessly into the car park.
The two teams continued to feel each other out but defences ruled. For United's first corner on 19 they packed the six-yard box like Histon had a few days previously, but Stephen Reed misjudged the substantial wind and his inswinger sailed straight out of play. Five minutes later Potter finally had a proper save to make from ex-Posh man Dave Farrell, diving low to make a stop, then John McGrath was sent clear down the right but opted to shoot into Potter's arms from an angle instead of crossing to better-placed colleagues.
United finally began to get into their stride around the half-hour mark as they found their passing boots. The linesman (both of whom showed a pleasing tendency to give decisions on incidents that the ref couldn't see) indicated a corner when man in black Linnington was about to give a goal-kick, and this time Reed judged it just right, his inswinger half-cleared to Mark Albrighton who had a shot blocked to Boylan six yards out, and his snap shot on the turn was cleared from near the line by Darren Stride with what looked distinctly like his right hand. No pen.
Burton remained dangerous on the break and when Albrighton slid to intercept a Harrad cross on 32, Potter was forced to make a smart diving save to stop a potential own goal. A minute later good work by Courtney Pitt forced another corner for the hosts, and Reed's follow-up flag-kick fell to Albrighton in almost exactly the spot from which he scored that stonker on Boxing Day; but this time he spurned the shot and laid it back for Rob Wolleaston, who lashed disappointingly over.
On 38 a superb challenge and interception by Danny Brown on halfway set him up for a pass to send Boylan away down the middle, but the U's striker started his run just too soon and he was halted by the offside flag. United kept the pressure up and Rendell forced a free-kick from Albion right-back John Brayford, sporting a preposterous bleach-blond feather cut which was last fashionable in about 1975. He looked like the ghost of Alan Biley.
Burton's defence dealt with all the set pieces that United could throw at them and last hurrah of the half was a Gleeson blaster on 45 that was blocked by Stride. Half-time, and it was difficult to see where the breakthrough was going to come from between two evenly-matched sides who were all but cancelling each other out. Come on, 'Bridge On The River Kwai' will be on telly soon. Again.
The United defence needed Alec Guinness' stiff-upper-lip stoicism in the early stages of the second half as Burton tore into them worse than the icy wind that was bringing the temperature down by the minute. Burton are hard enough to play against at normal speed, but when they play that pass-and-move stuff at high tempo, they are difficult opponents indeed.
Harrad flashed a shot past Potter's near post inside the first minute of the second half and his side probed and prodded menacingly, but a United defence led superbly by Mark Peters held firm, repelling cross after cross. United finally got out of their own half on 52, Wolleaston sending Boylan away to fire just wide.
Burton responded with another well-flighted corner, Potter and Peters dealing calmly, and first booking came on 54 for Pitt for bringing down Stride. Four minutes later the visitors evened up the card count when left-back Aaron Webster was cautioned for knocking the ball away after his side conceded a free-kick, although he deserved the booking just for his horrible bright yellow boots. Reed was sporting a similar pair, unfortunately.
It was time for a change and Leo Fortune-West was introduced on 62 in place of Boylan, whose usual intelligent positional play had not been rewarded with a commensurate standard of service. Pitt set LFW up for a header at goal within a minute, but his nod was straight at Deeney.
Morrison was next into the book on 64 for a clumsy clattering of Farrell, the ref having waved play on initially to give Burton the advantage, about the only time he did so in the whole match.
As well as putting in some solid defensive work, Pitt was in fine attacking fettle, and none more so than on 65 when the ball came to him deep in his own half on the left; with one flick he had beaten his marker and sprinted thirty yards, with his second touch he evaded another tackle and barrelled another thirty yards, and with his third he arrowed over a marvellous cross to LFW that he twisted to head underwhelmingly wide from eight yards. What a picture goal that would have been.
Tails up after surviving the initial Burton barrage, now United were in the ascendant. One suspects that the team of a year ago would have conceded during that spell and subsided to another defeat. Reed cracked one over not long after, then when Mark Greaves felled Pitt, Reed's free-kick found LFW's head again, but his nod was just wide. Another corner soon followed, but after some bagatelling in the box Burton scrambled it clear.
United could not underestimate their opponents' ability to break quickly, though, and they did just that on 75, an misunderstanding between Albrighton and Morrison permitting Harrad to nip in, but Potter parried his shot around the post. The ensuing corner by Michael Simpson found Brayford's bleached barnet rising unchallenged after a late run into the box, but he could only head a few feet over the bar.
Mark Convery replaced Brown two minutes later, and on 79 Keith Gilroy came on for Farrell for the visitors, but both like-for-like changes had no effect on the pattern of the game. Deeney stopped a Reed scudder on 81, then Gilroy cut in from the left but blazed over the top.
It was clear by now that the two teams had well and truly fought each other to a standstill, and both their respective unbeaten records looked set to continue with honour satisfied. It could have been so different, though, with the last kick of the game, and United's best move three minutes into added time.
Pitt crossed, Rendell rose to flick on, and there was Wolleaston galloping into the box with a free shot at goal no more than eight yards out. As he let fly, however, Stride appeared from nowhere to throw himself heroically into the way and deflect the ball away for a corner. Final whistle. So near; so far.
In truth a draw was a fair result between two of the better teams in this division. And it was a good point for United against what had been a bogey team in this league until their win at the Pirelli in November. The U's can play, and have played, much better this season however, and they will doubtless have to if they are to maintain their pursuit of Aldershot and Torquay. 2008 is going to be even more exciting than 2007. Happy New Year.
Statto Corner
The same fixture against Burton on almost the same date last year (30th December 2006) attracted a crowd of 3,375... only seven less than this year's 3,382. Perhaps it was all the same people who turned up?
By way of demonstrating how United's fortunes have changed in the past year, that game was the second of six consecutive defeats (2-1, including a second dismissal in three games for Paul Crichton) that saw the U's plummet to 22nd in the league table. That run was sandwiched by home and away victories over Woking, the only team that United doubled last term, and the second win took the U's on a run of only four defeats in their last seventeen games. The rest is, well, history...
Player Ratings
Potter 8. Commanding as ever.
Albrighton 8. Rock of Gibraltar.
Peters 8. Rock of Ages.
Morrison 7. Rock of Blackpool.
Gleeson 7. Still short of his early season form, some decent defensive work but very little going forward.
Brown 7. Getting closer to his best form with every game, although still some way to go.
Wolleaston 8. Attaining levels of consistency never seen from him before this season.
Reed 7. Better than on Boxing Day and some quality set-piece work.
Pitt 8. Sparkling stuff.
Boylan 7. Quality work which did not receive the service it deserved.
Rendell 7. Off the boil in the last few matches, but not through lack of effort.
Fortune-West 7. Another team-boosting appearance from the bench.
Convery 6. Not on for long but did not let anyone down.
Match Summary
The unstoppable force met the immoveable object and the ensuing deadlock was as predictable as Tuesday's set of hankies from Auntie Doris. It was a darned sight more entertaining, though, and demonstrated the great strides this club has made in the last rollercoaster twelve months.
Man of the Match
Courtney Pitt. Is there any sight on a football pitch more exciting than a twinkle-toed winger haring past opponents down the flank before swinging a tantalising cross into the middle? Apart from an attractive streaker, obviously. Courtney at his best is as good as anyone in this division or the two above. And he's not bad at defending, either, on his day.
Ref Watch
Linnington 5. As fussy as they come, he gave far too many unnecessary free-kicks and ignored several possible advantages along the way. Let the game flow, man.
Non-League Player's Name of the Week
Metropolitan Police's Glenn Boosey. Your good health!
Soundtrack of the Day
Young Knives 'Terra Firma'
Andrew Bennett
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Andrew's previous match reports
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