Competition: Blue Square Premier
Weather at kick-off: Overcast
Goals:
Stafford: Grayson 28'
United: Pitt 14' (Boylan missed pen. 63')

United dominated throughout but gifted Stafford an equaliser, missed a penalty and failed to make their dominance count on a disappointing afternoon.

Jimmy Quinn made two changes to the side that won on Tuesday at home to Rushden & Diamonds, calling up strikers Scott Rendell and Lee Boylan in place of Leo Fortune-West and Marvin Robinson. United wore the new yellow and blue third kit to for the second recent away game, avoiding a potential clash with Stafford's black and white strip.

Stafford boss Phil Robinson made two changes to the side beaten by York, calling up defenders Wayne Daniel and Djoumin Sangere in place of former U's man Tom Youngs and Sebastian Arnolin. Like United, Rangers lined up in a 3-5-2 formation including another former U, Fred Murray, at left wingback.

The home side stood off United in midfield during the opening exchanges and Courtney Pitt in particular enjoyed space to raid down the right, getting stuck into his personal battle with Rangers right wingback Richard Sutton and having a shot charged down by Sutton in the sixth minute.

Rob Wolleaston was also charged up for the midfield battle but conceded a couple of early free kicks, and after one of those Michael Morrison's pass across the defence was intercepted by former U's loanee Chris Flynn, setting up Neil Grayson to break away but the 42-year-old was flagged offside, his shot hitting the post anyway.

United chased and harried the home side and a good 11th minute move created space for a shot by Rob Wolleaston, his 20-yarder rolling wide, but the U's took the lead in the 14th minute.

It was a superb goal by Courtney Pitt, the winger allowed to run unchallenged and cut into the area from the left, and although he slipped slightly he regained his feet and thundered a shot into the bottom corner from 18 yards.

Three minutes later Murray took a Stafford throw-in and Wolleaston chopped down Draper as the midfielder threatened to get away from him, collecting the first booking of the game as a result. United continued to harry the home side and moments later Lee Boylan and Mark Convery linked well as they advanced on goal, but Convery's return pass was just overhit for Boylan.

Convery was forced off in the 23rd minute after going down holding the back of his leg, and he limped off to be replaced by Stephen Smith, but the youngster launched himself into the action with great enthusiasm and the flow of the game was barely interrupted as United continued to dominate.

It was almost 2-0 in the 25th minute when Dan Gleeson picked out Wolleaston, whose angled shot was possibly goalbound anyway before Rendell nipped in to head it home from two yards, but the chance was ruled out by the offside flag.

But after all that United pressure, Stafford were gifted an equaliser on 28 when Gleeson headed Draper's cross back across his own goal and the ball was intercepted by 42-year-old Neil Grayson who pounced to stab the ball home.

On the half hour the lively Smith went close after a good one-two with Rendell on the edge of the area, but Watford loanee Loach stood up well and cleared Smith's shot with his feet, and a minute later Smith's great cross was met but Boylan but the little striker was stretching to make an acrobatic backwards header and the ball cleared the bar.

Boylan was fouled by Avinel on 33 and Smith's low 30-yard free kick was clawed away by the diving keeper, and at the other end soon afterwards Adaggio's shot was deflected behind and Stafford's well-worked corner routine led to a Daniel header being cleared off the line by Wolleaston.

Following another Smith free kick Pitt had a long-range effort collected by Loach on 36 and a 20-yarder blocked two minutes later, while Wolleaston showed his confidence with a curling dipping shot from 35 yards that the back-pedalling Loach did well to stretch and palm behind at full-stretch.

The two veterans Grayson and Peters had clashed earlier in the half and on 44 Peters was booked for aerial clash with Grayson, and Oldfield's free kick Morrison caused a scare with his header across his own area by again Grayson was ruled offside as he tried to make United pay.

United finished strongly and in stoppage time Smith had a shot blocked behind for a corner and a Pitt cross was cleared, while for Stafford Murray's shot came off Gleeson for a corner that Peters headed away. Half-time 1-1.

Half-time summary by match commentator Mark Johnson:
"United were in control after Pitt's well-taken goal until they hit the self-destruct button and have it all to do again."

Second half:
Both sides were quickly into the second half and Stafford striker Adaggio was caught offside in the opening moments, but United soon took the game by the scruff of the net and a Boylan cross was hacked away by Flynn while a Wolleaston cross-shot was clutched by Loach.

Smith continued his impressive performance with two dangerous consecutive corners and he also combined well with former youth team-mate Darren Quinton to play the ball out of midfield but the final ball just failed to pick out Boylan's run.

On 51 another good Smith corner was punched away by Loach and fell to Mark Peters, but the big defender was off balance and hooked the ball over the bar, and as United's pressure continued Boylan's cross was headed away by Sangere but fell for Scott Rendell whose first time shot from the right of the area was snatched gratefully by Loach.

The next booking arrived on 59 when Rendell was badly clattered by Draper, and two minutes later United had a great chance to restore the lead when Pitt crossed into the area and Boylan was pushed over as he jumped to meet the ball.

Referee Paul Tierney had no hesitation in awarding a penalty and Boylan stepped up confidently, but Loach dived the right way and parried the ball, and although it fell for Pitt his shot was blocked and the ball was hacked away.

Mere moments later Boylan broke into the area and was pushed over, but this time there was no penalty and the home side broke away, Flynn's shot hitting the post and Mark Albrighton clearing the loose ball off the line.

There was a scare on 68 when Grayson burst through and was challenged by Potter just outside the area, but Grayson went down very easily and despite the home crowd's calls for a dismissal the referee simply awarded a free kick, which was cleared behind by Pitt and defender Cedric Avinel headed the resulting corner wide.

Lee Boylan, making his first start since his injury at the end of August, made way in the 69th minute for Marvin Robinson, and five minutes later Leo Fortune-West replaced Rendell.

More United pressure saw Pitt's cross cleared only as far as Albrighton, who fired wide from 20 yards, and in the 77th minute Avinel fouled Robinson and Smith pulled the free kick back for Pitt but he curled a 35-yard effort over the bar.

With ten minutes left Phil Robinson sent on midfielder Nathan Smith for tiring assistant manager David Oldfield, more United pressure on 84 saw Pitt's free kick cleared to Smith who lifted the ball over from 30 yards, and as United kept the home side pinned back Robinson and then Pitt went down in the area under challenges but nothing was given and Robinson's scrambled shot went wide of the post.

On 85 Marvin Robinson did well to hold the ball up in a crowded area and Pitt arrived through a bunch of players but couldn't scramble the ball home from six yards, much to his manager's obvious frustration on the touchline.

Stafford had a chance to nick the points when Nathan Smith found himself unmarked in the area but put a chance wide, and as play entered stoppage time Fred Murray stayed down for attention after a heavy collision with Fortune-West.

Play resumed with United's men pushed forward in search of the goal their dominance should have yielded and a telling indication of the balance of play came when goalkeeper Scott Loach was named the home side's Man of the Match.

When Sangere fouled Fortune-West and Murray was booked for kicking the ball away to waste time Smith had at least five men to aim his free kick at, but the final chance of the game was scrambled away and United were left to count the cost of failing to make their dominance count.

Cambridge United:
Danny Potter, Mark Albrighton (c), Mark Peters, Michael Morrison; Dan Gleeson, Darren Quinton, Rob Wolleaston, Mark Convery (Stephen Smith 23'), Courtney Pitt; Scott Rendell (Leo Fortune-West 74'), Lee Boylan (Marvin Robinson 69').
Subs not used: Gavin Hoyte, Michael Hyem.

Booked: Wolleaston foul 16', Peters foul 44'

Stafford Rangers:
Scott Loach, Wayne Daniel (c), Cedric Avinel, Djoumin Sangere; Richard Sutton, Chris Flynn, David Oldfield, Ross Draper, Fred Murray; Neil Grayson (Nathan Smith 80'); Marco Adaggio.
Subs not used: Danny Alcock, Jeremiah Richards, Seb Hamilton, Tom Youngs.

Booked: Draper foul 59', Murray unsporting behaviour 90'

Mark Johnson's Match Summary:
"Two points dropped by the U's who got the perfect platform but failed to kill off distinctly average opposition. Courtney Pitt fired United ahead after 15 minutes but despite dominating possession United were denied a decisive second by good goalkeeping and less than clinical finishing. Stafford were allowed back in when Grayson levelled after Gleeson hit the self-destruct button with a suicidal header. The equaliser should have been a blip but Lee Boylan 's 63rd minute penalty was saved, after which it was never going to be United's day. A measure of how much progress the U's have made though is the fact that they come back from an away draw with disappointment."

Mark's Man of the Match:
"Stephen Smith - an enforced substitution but a pivotal one as Smith came on to great effect and controlled midfield for long sections of the game. Honourable mention for Mark Peters who won almost everything in the air, Mark Albrighton was a colossus again and Michael Morrison strode forward to good purpose at times, while Courtney Pitt gave Stafford a torrid time."

Ref: Mr Paul Tierney - "Gave United one penalty and could have given more, but generally tried to let the game flow. 7/10"

Att: 741 (away 225)

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