Wednesday 23 January 2008

Blue Square South

Not for the first time a game between County and Cambridge City produced excellent entertainment.  We’ve had the famous 6-5 County victory at Milton Road in 2000, but in recent years it has been the Lilywhites who have been in the ascendancy with three successive wins at Spytty, including last season’s finale when they shattered County’s hopes of a play-off place with a well-deserved 2-1 victory.

If the winning margin was a little harsh on Cambridge, there could be no doubt that this was vintage County, with exhilarating attacking football with which few clubs at this level would have coped.  Craig Hughes produced an outstanding display alongside Charlie Griffin, and though he still awaits his first County hat-trick, he had no fewer than eight attempts at goal and did not give the City defenders a moment’s peace.  Richard Evans on the left teased and tormented Joe Bruce in a storming first half display and though Cambridge boss Gary Roberts brought back right winger Ben Bowditch to provide extra cover after the break, it was at the expense of his own side’s attacking needs.

Cambridge contributed some good attacking play of their own, especially in the first half when they had the advantage of the Spytty Park sirocco, and the home side needed Glyn Thompson to be on guard to prevent a goal.  Thompson’s excellence in goal is in danger of being taken for granted however, and he has consistently shown he is a keeper who deserves the chance to show his talent at a higher standard. 

Upon winning the toss, Cambridge naturally chose wind advantage which meant that County, unusually, were attacking the cricket ground end first and they took time to settle.  Thompson denied Ashley Fuller in the 14th minute, but after firing just wide in the 21st minute, HUGHES connected perfectly with a first time effort from an early cross from Evans on the left to give County a 25th minute lead.

Hughes could have added to the advantage two minutes later when he was wide when well placed and he forced a desperate save with his feet from Ashley Timms on 32 minutes as he threatened a single-handed destruction of the East Anglians.  The dangerous Bowditch hit a worthy attempt from 30 yards which just cleared the bar while Thompson needed to make more good stops to deny Josh Simpson and Luke Medley in a first half of all out attacking play from two sides playing high quality football.  The moment of the half came just before the break when Simpson connected perfectly only to see his effort from distance superbly turned over the bar by Thompson.

City, whose threadbare squad was a substitute short of the full quota, replaced Medley with Lee Roache at half-time, though it was Fuller who provided the first threat of the second half when he forced another save from Thompson.  The fans thought they could relax on 53 minutes though when HUGHES scored his second after a neat interchange with Jason Bowen who had been surprisingly subdued up to this point.  The hugely popular forward is now just one short of his half century of County goals since arriving with his career at a crossroads in the autumn of 2005.

Cambridge had other ideas however and though ROACHE may have been a little fortunate not to be flagged offside, he showed a cool finish to reduce the arrears in the 67th  minute.  He was certainly onside though seconds later when he created an even better chance for himself only to be denied by a combination of Thompson and skipper Steve Jenkins. 

However City resistance was effectively ended on 72 minutes with a moment of sublime skill from FOWLER who curled a shot into the top corner of the net to give Timms no chance.  Peter Beadle described the midfielder’s performance as “up and down” but there is no doubt he is capable of a higher degree of skill than most at this level.  If Fowler’s goal was special, it wasn’t the last piece of exceptional finishing of the evening, as GRIFFIN rounded off the entertainment with a spectacular solo goal 10 minutes from time.  The County top scorer bagged his 15th goal of the campaign after running at the City defence and firing a left footed shot into the corner of the net from outside the penalty area.

It doesn’t get much better than this in non-league football and all credit to Cambridge and to Gary Roberts who continues to produce good footballing sides from limited resources.  Cambridge City are a special club in non-league football and fans of County and the Lilywhites have developed good relationships with each other over the years.  Both clubs have struggled to keep the flag flying at various times and County supporters are pleased that City appear to have turned the corner after their recent difficulties which threatened their survival.

The only disappointment of the evening was that in a city of couch potatoes, a terrific spectacle was watched by the lowest league attendance of the season at Newport Stadium.  A crowd of 726 was more than 260 up on what second placed Eastbourne managed the previous evening, but taking out the small group who had travelled with City and those from outside Newport, less than one in 200 locals were present.

County are playing their best football in years, they have a talented young manager and a board of directors who are prepared to invest in his judgement.  The regulars are every bit as noisy and fanatical as fans anywhere in the country and they travel away in their hundreds.  Surely it is not too much to ask that home crowds should be more than doubled given the value for money a visit to Spytty offers. 

Man of the Match:

County: Craig Hughes (his best display of the season).

Cambridge: Josh Simpson (he must be cursing Glyn Thompson).

Special mentio                    Special Mention: Richard Martin, the match referee who kept control without being demonstrative.  His display was a lesson to those officials who want to take centre stage, but he did not compromise and showed excellent man management.

© Colin Jeremiah