Cambridge United: Feb / Mar 2013

Hello friends and I’m delighted to be able to bring to you my latest update from my Cambridge United story. After telling you all about my lack of free time nobody needed me for anything the last four days so suddenly I had lots of spare time!

February 2013

The first game of the month saw us take on Charlton at The Abbey Stadium with second half goals by Scott Wootten and Davide Petrucci to give us a comfortable 2-0 victory and break the recent run of draws we had been having. Poor Alan Curbishley was immediately sacked after this game. Next up was a trip to Rotherham who were floundering in 19th place.

This game also marked the return of Conor Newton and Will Keane from injury and it was Keane who got us off the mark after 20 minutes with a typical poacher’s goal from a through ball by Petrucci. Within two minutes Keane scored another in similar style being too quick for the Rotherham back four. We held this lead into the second held until the home side pulled one back though Keane’s brace was enough to ensure all three points.

Next up we faced Bristol Rovers at The Memorial Stadium whom we had thumped 7-0 earlier in the season. As Bristol were propping up the league I gave young Italian GK Antonio Rigoni his first start and he performed very well indeed having been recently courted by Italian clubs. At the other end Will Keane acted as the loan striker in an experimental 4-3-2-1 formation which after a difficult first half paid off handsomely in the end.

He following game saw us back at The Abbey Stadium to take on Hartlepool where a real poacher’s effort by Keane gave us a first half lead with the insurance goal coming late in the game by Rhys Bennett who flicked the ball into the net from a Scott Wootten header to give us out fourth straight win!

It was a full house as we stayed at home for the visit of Watford who were probably our most difficult opposition over the last few weeks and they confirmed that by taking the lead inside 5 minutes. Nuno Santos though fired home the equalizer on the volley from a Berchiche free kick 7 minutes later and the young Spaniard would go on to play an outstanding game setting up Shane Williams for the winning goal early in the second half.

The win over Watford made 5 straight victories in a row and propelled us into second place going into March.

March 2013

Spring started nicely at least for me as I picked up the Manager of the Month Award for February.

A quick look at the finances reveals we dipped a bit but nothing too dramatic so I would say that things are quite stable.

The first game of the month saw us travel south to Brighton with high hopes of extending the lead over Colchester. Sadly though our 5 game winning streak came to an abrupt halt as we were soundly beaten by and enthusiastic Brighton side.

We were now about to enter a difficult period of three games in 7 days the first of which was at home to Southend though prior to that we made a new signing, another young Spaniard, Imanol Eslava who will be joining us in the summer from Ossasuna. I like the look of his mental and physical abilities as well as being a good passer. We picked him up on a free.

We had an excellent turnout for the game against Southend, almost a full capacity which saw Rasmus Falk give us the lead with a low drive into the corner of the net after 15 minutes. Although we totally dominated the game it wasn’t until two minutes from time that we added a second to ensure the victory.

It was time for our second game in this three match series and a derby too against fellow East Anglian’s Norwich City at Carrow Road. Tension was high throughout the game with both teams creating chances but on the hour Nuno Santos was the first to react to a deflected Will Keane shot and he buried the ball into the net. Our joy however was short lived as Norwich came up with a quick equalizer and although we finished the stronger the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

The final match of our three in seven days saw Swindon Town visit The Abbey Stadium and we got off to a terrific start with Davide Petrucci scoring after just seven minutes from a clever flick on by Will Keane that Petruccie hammered into the net. Nuno Santos produced a spectacular header from a Berchichi floating free kick soon afterwards and by 15 minutes we were three up as Petrucci added his second goal of the game with a powerful effort into the top right hand corner. Swindon reorganized, tightened their defence and somehow prevented what could have been a humiliation. I was happy though just to get all three points.

The final game of the month was away to Gillingham and after falling behind early on we fought back bravely and a brace from Will Keane either side of half time was enough to ensure the victory.

With some nagging injuries in the midfield area I took advantage on the loan signing deadline and brought in Florent Cuveller from Stoke City for the remainder of the season.

Results Summary

League Table

This great run of form has put us in the driving seat for an automatic promotion spot though as you will see from the upcoming fixtures it may be difficult to hold onto.

Fixtures

Our run in towards the end of the season will see three games against teams in the top four with two of those matches away from home and after that is over we still have to face teams who are pushing for a play-off spot. This is probably the most difficult season finale I’ve ever faced!

I look forward to playing and bringing you the conclusion of what looks to be an exciting and dramatic end to the season. In the meantime thanks very much for reading and stay safe.