Normal service was resumed (after I had a short holiday and the club decided to play Grimsby while I was away!) and I joined Gina in the CFU Cabin on a warm summer-like day at the Abbey for what will hopefully be the last home match of the season. Shirt sleeved crowds meant the bars did good business.
Another sell out at the Abbey, the crowd given as 7512, with 265 Barrow fans having made the 5 hour journey. Part of Habbin South was given over to U’s fans, so this must have been the biggest home fans attendance of the season, and probably for many years!
Business at the Cabin was brisk, with many fans bookings the away travel coach to Crewe. £35 return seems good value, a train ticket is over £80!
Before the match various award were given: Player of the Season was James Gibbons, George Hoddle was Young Player of the Season, and Sullay Kaikai got the CFU Goal of the Season for his free kick at Fleetwood.
Starting line up: Eastwood in goal, Watts, Jobe, Gibbons at the back, Ball, Mpanzu, Knight, Bennett, Mayor in the middle, Kaikai behind Appere at the front.
A surprise to see Kachunga on the bench. I was wondering what the betting odds would be for him to come on late in the game and score a hat trick……in the millions perhaps?
As expected U’s were on the attack from the start, corners cleared, shots just over, keeper Stanway making a good save at the feet of Bennett.
Barrows best chance came from a 25 yard free kick that cleared the bar by a few feet.
Kaikai got injured and was replaced by Brophy on 20 minutes.
The deadlock was broken when Ball crossed to the back post for Bennett to head across goal for Knight to tap in at the back, defenders seemed to have gone AWOL. 1-0 after 33 minutes.
It should have been 2 a few minutes later when Appere cut the ball back to the unmarked Knight who from around 12 yards spooned a shot over. More half chances, a header just over, then Watts headed just wide.
Half time: 1-0. 50/50 ticket #13038 won £732, biggest prize of the season!
Barrow won a corner early in the second half which they almost bundled in but a free kick had been given, then it was U’s on the attack and Mpanzu had a shot well saved.
Knight had a good run forward, passed for Brophy to shot but the shot was blocked.
The pressure continued with U’s playing the ball around, Gibbons had a bit of space about 22 yards out and let fly with an unstoppable shot into the top corner. 2-0 on 57 minutes.
Watts got an injury so was replaced by Morrison and Nevitt replaced Appere on 68 minutes.
Another U’s corner and as usual there was a lot of holding going on, Mayor swung the ball in and keeper Stanway palmed the ball into his net. Stanway was upset as he thought he had been fouled, but the U’s players had moved away so the only players near him were defenders! His arguing got him a booking. 3-0 after73 minutes.
Purrington and Smith replaced Mayor and Knight on 83 minutes.
Barrow managed a few forays into our penalty area but nothing to trouble our defence, and U’s took their foot off the gas to play out the remaining minutes
Final score 3-0.
If the Goal of the Season award had been made after the match I suspect many would have voted for the “Gibbons Screamer”!
Barrow offered little in attack (they had 3 shots with none on target to our 15 with 5 on target) and it is not hard to see why they are at the bottom and likely to be relegated, but there is a slim chance they could stay up. Their fans probably deserve better.
Stanway seemed to have an issue with U’s fans in the NRE, they seemed to “get into his head” causing him to palm the ball into his net. Watching the highlights Stanway is concentrating on pushing a U’s player out of the way so is a couple of yards off his line when the ball comes in and he can’t clear it!
I presume the players have many boots to chose from, I hope Ben Knight can find the pair he wore when he scored 2 and hit the bar against Walsall earlier this season. He is our top league scorer with 11 (Kaikai next on 9, then Appere and Lavery on 7). With the chances he has spurned he could have scored around 20 this season! Knight also seemed to be the target for some “robust” tackles, but they couldn’t stop him!
I suspect a fully fit Lavery would have been around 20 goal too. Gibbons and Watts are on 6 each which is great for defenders.
U’s move back to 3rd, with Salford and Notts County close behind and in with a chance of taking the last promotion place (behind MK Dons and Bromley) Of course there are all sorts of permutations, but a win at Crewe would give U’s promotion. Crewe have nothing but pride to play for, but it will not be an easy game. With over 2,000 U’s fans going I hope the “the bigger the crowd, the bigger the disappointment” does not come true as it has at places like Barnet.
And please don’t let it be like the Rochdale-York match for promotion to the League, where Rochdale took the lead on 95 which looked to send them up so the crowd came onto the pitch, then when it did restart York equalised to send them up!
Come on you U’s!