It was tempting ahead of this one to be thinking in terms of ‘holiday season game against a team around the bottom, just get the win and move on’, with Wycombe up next. Nobody was questioning the need for a win above all else, but it was surely a more important game than that, even passing over the implied element of complacency which has so often cost us dear this season. After the thumping of Northampton and the excellent display, for me the question was are we a good team (ie one capable of a promotion challenge) still developing and perhaps on an improving trend as players return from injury, or are we a middling team which had a good day against poor opposition? With the January transfer window coming up, we need to know.
The outcome was overall, for me, slightly disappointing. We did get the points, so no quibbles on that front. Can’t argue with a win. What we didn’t get was the level of performance. As against Northampton we found ourselves two goals up inside 20 minutes, but what followed was Cambridge having the lion’s share of possession, with arguably greater cohesion than us going forward, at least until they got to the danger zone. They put the outcome back in doubt with a goal early in the second half and hit the post with a curler. We had chances too, with Berry denied by an excellent save, but if Cambridge had nicked a late equaliser, as they did last season, we really couldn’t have complained. They were stiffer opposition (underlined by Northampton shipping another four goals yesterday) and, although we were ahead through the game, failed to dominate them or put the game to bed.
According to Jones, we went from “magnificent from first to last” on Saturday to doing “really well for the majority of the game”. In reality we did OK, not more. The defence deserves credit for the resolution shown, although the copybook was blotted by their goal, which was poor from our perspective, and the way they worked the chance for the one off the post. Docherty and Berry had decent games, both could have scored, but didn’t stand out in the same way as Saturday; and up front we laboured rather after the early goals. Oh hell, we won, give Cambridge some credit (and a complements of the season to Euell, Morrison and Cousins), move on.
To nobody’s surprise, the team – indeed the whole squad – was unchanged from Northampton. You don’t tinker with a team which should have been buoyed by a 0-5 victory unless you have to. My only quibble as before was again going with three forwards on the bench rather than going for a second defensive option (Tedun, Potts or Asiimwe), or adding Taylor assuming he was well again, while presumably Kanu if fit might have made the squad.
On Saturday we took almost 10 minutes to take the lead. Yesterday it took 36 seconds. An interception and a hook of the ball over his head and down the line by Leaburn for Campbell to chase. He got there first and managed to maintain the advantage over the chasing defender. But he was still facing a tight angle on the right side with no prospect of being able to square it to anyone. He rolled the dice and put in a decent enough strike, but their keeper allowed it to go through his legs and into the net. Any goalkeeper beaten at their near post in such a fashion is going to come in for flak.
After that Cambridge had the bulk of possession but gave an insight into their problems by almost coughing up a second – as Campbell’s ball across from the right was only just diverted from danger – and then actually conceding again on 20 minutes. An Edwards long throw from the left into the box was flicked on and up by Gillesphey. Leaburn, Berry and Campbell, plus a defender, were involved as the ball dropped, but their keeper was clear favourite to either collect or punch away. Instead, by accident or design, Campbell made contact with him and that proved enough to prevent him dealing with the danger. Oblivious Leaburn kept his eye on the ball and headed into an empty net. Nine times out of 10 it would have been given as a foul on the keeper – they usually get the benefit of the doubt. That their keeper was not as strong and decisive as he should have been is not in question, nor is it really in question that VAR would have rightly concluded it was a foul. The ref made some odd decisions through the game and this was the first.
At that point I suspect we all thought that Cambridge’s defensive frailties would lead sooner or later to a third for us and game over. Didn’t turn out that way. For the remainder of the first half they had most of the play and we weren’t able to have enough of the ball to threaten again. They weren’t exactly threatening either, one shot over the bar from a decent position being the best they could muster.
Monk’s dissatisfaction with their first-half display was apparent with a double substitution at the break, and before the hour was up they were back in the game. There seemed little or no danger as their playmaker, Stokes, collected the ball in a central position, but he rode two ineffectual challenges to advance and slide the ball into the channel for another to run onto. His first touch was good, his second saw him square the ball for a tap-in. A poor goal from our perspective, but from theirs reward for perseverance and good execution when the chance arose.
With over 30 minutes left the odds were heavily on there being at least one more goal in the game, which by implication meant we probably needed to score again if we were to win. Wrong again it proved, but so nearly the case. Only minutes after their goal Cambridge came within a whisker of equalising. The worked the ball down their left and it was played square to Stokes on the edge of the area. He seemed to shape to shoot, only to decide that either the angle wasn’t right or he would be closed down. Instead he played it back to the guy on the left edge of the box. With the balance having shifted, he was able to cut inside on his right foot and suddenly the goal just opened up before him. There was nothing Maynard-Brewer could do about the curler, just hope (as we all did) it wouldn’t curl enough. It hit the post and came out.
Cambridge never came as close again (they did have a hooked shot which went wide and one from close in blocked). Perhaps surprisingly they took off Stokes with over 20 minutes left and rather tailed off. Perhaps we just kept the lid on things well, although with only one goal in it nerves were showing as the clock ticked down. We might have got the goal to make it safe, with a scramble in their box on the hour ending with a strike from Berry. It looked a goal, but their keeper earnt a little redemption with an excellent instinctive save to turn it wide. Also, Edwards got the better of a defender trying to shepherd the ball out for a goal kick and kept it in play, only for the ref to absurdly deem it as a foul.
Jones waited until normal time was up before making any changes, which was surprising as fresh legs up front might have helped sooner. Ahadme and Anderson came on for Leaburn and Campbell, and right at the end Edmonds-Green replaced Berry. When it came the final whistle was a blessed relief, not that we were really under the cosh but rather any slip in the final minutes could have meant two points given away.
For sure Wycombe on Sunday is going to be an altogether different challenge. They haven’t lost for jonks and average over two goals a game. Against that, our record against the teams at the top has been good, primarily due to the outstanding win against Birmingham and draw against Wrexham. Jones will have to think about whether to change the formation, back to the compact and defensive 4-4-2 we have employed when the priority has been not to concede. The mantra might be ‘don’t change a winning team’ but we’ve used that formation to good effect to frustrate the opposition. Would it work against Wycombe? No idea, that’s for Jones and his team to decide.
For me, I’ll struggle to be able to watch the game as we are decamping to Aix-en-Provence for a few days to see in the new year and are likely to be in transit for much of it. So on that note I’ll take the opportunity to wish all Addicks a fabulous 2025 (and we all know what that means)!
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