“Every dreamer knows that it is entirely possible to be homesick for a place you’ve never been to, perhaps more homesick than the familiar ground.”
J.Thurman
Certainly, strolling on to Habbin North, having taken in the traditional delights of the club shop and CFU Cabin, seemed like a familiar experience, born of decades of disappointment and delight. We cannot tell how much longer the Abbey Stadium will be our Theatre of Dreams but wherever Cambridge United play will always be our happy place. Greeting stewards and friends alike is part of the joy of it. I’ve always thought that seeing a familiar face on grounds hundreds of miles away is as much a part of a lifetime’s pleasure as what happens in ninety or so minutes on the pitch. It was good to bump into Ian Darler who spent much of his birthday worrying about the grass being exposed to ferocious sunlight and drought conditions. If anyone can produce decent pitches this Summer, Ian can.
The occasion was marked by a very moving minute’s applause for Jamie Winter, a wonderful club servant taken far too young. In these profound moments rivalry is swept aside, and the football family recognises those who make the sport possible and such a pleasure for us all.
The match was slow to get going and we were reminded immediately of the way many teams played against us last season. Long balls, head tennis and a concerted effort to “win” free kicks. I sometimes wonder if players at some clubs are given acting lessons. Certainly, some of Barnet’s players were very accomplished at rolling about theatrically. Barnet reminded me of Crawley under Steve Evans, masters of the dark arts. Despite efforts to rough us up, I thought Appare and Bennett, not the most robust of players, stood up to it well. Bennett I felt was our best player on the day and is getting better and better. Heath and Perry caught the eye too, although perhaps Heath might have hugged the touchline more. He is very impressive in possession. McConnell took up great positions, but he and Knight shot a bit tamely at the Barnet keeper. It was great to see Efobi on the bench. We may be seeing more of him soon I suspect. It was a real shame that Ahadme wasn’t fit. It would be interesting to see him and Appare playing alongside each other, particularly against robust opponents. It crossed my mind a couple of times that maybe Ryan Loft might have enjoyed grappling with the Barnet centre halves but no doubt we are thinking that league games will be very different and decided more on skill.
Half Time was time to debate what we’d seen. Why didn’t we get the ball on the ground and run at Barnet? Why was the referee letting Barnet get away with so much whilst penalising us randomly? – things we always say when we aren’t winning. We moaned about Infantino, corrupt authorities, the World Cup and of course Hydration Breaks. Having said that, it was extremely hot and Referees are right to use their discretion in such taxing conditions.
Barnet scored a few minutes into the second half. The Linesman in front of the Main Stand missed an obvious offside but we really could have cleared the ball several times. We were sleeping-and then we weren’t. We scored two goals in three minutes and for a while played as we can- before reverting to long balls in the air again. Ben Knight was getting frustrated at not being put through as Barnet threw men forward. The officials seemed to get more and more muddled. The Linesman in front of the Habbin was excellent but the other one might just as well not have been there. As for the Referee, he seemed obsessively petty about somethings but less sure about other, more obvious, rules. When Kanu held Watts by the throat he should have had a red card instantly, as should Dean Brennan the Barnet manager who carried on yelling after he’d been cautioned.; I wonder what they tell Referees. Surely defenders aren’t allowed to actually hold forwards when corners and free kicks are taken? It’s an area of the game which needs to be sorted out, I think. After that the game drifted, and we started to talk about why the League Cup was now named after a health drink made in Thailand. Which players would come in next week when everyone needs to find a club? Luke Berry perhaps or a natural goalscorer? It’s hard to find suitable recruits at a time when fees are inflated by clubs paying money they haven’t got as a desperate gamble on promotion. I’m very glad that our club thinks about sustainability. How many former League Clubs are no longer League Clubs? Maybe when football is properly reformed, we will see genuine competition again. It’s in everybody’s interest. The future of the game depends on it. We’ve all seen the damage that the FIFA model can do.
I was still debating these things as we left, having won our first competitive game of the season. I was so engrossed that I left my Stephens on Tour flag behind. I wouldn’t want to lose it as it was made by a ship’s chandler and has visited many grounds. It was visible at Sydney Cricket Ground in 2011 when we thrashed the Aussies and won the Ashes. It is my second such flag. The first got left at Doncaster Rovers and was burned by some of their more rabid fans. Football is full of colourful stories. Someone should write a book about it.