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Cambridge Preview

By: Richard Hubbert
Date: 02/01/2005

WITH the New Year's Day clash with Rochdale abandoned, The Mariners will be looking to get a much needed home win against the Football League’s bottom club, Cambridge United.

Home > 2004-2005 Season > Previews > Cambridge (a)


The Opposition

Overview
The U’s have had a difficult start to the season, having slipped from just below mid-table, to the very bottom of the pile in recent weeks. This prompted the dismissal of Frenchman Herve Renard, who won just four games in 25 matches. Last week, former Lincoln and Sheffield United manager Steve Thompson (left) was appointed as manager and although he has lost his first two games - a 5-3 defeat to Yeovil and a 1-0 loss to Boston, there has been an improvement in United’s performances. Although Town will hope that they will not turn the corner just yet...

Their Squad
The U’s longest serving player is Andy Duncan, a £20,000 buy from Manchester United in the late 1990s. Duncan has started 20 games at the heart of the Cambridge defence, and will be vital in their fight against relegation. Back in favour after a spell out on loan at Accrington Stanley is former Lincoln and Macclesfield left back Stuart Bimson. Another former Lincoln player is Justin Walker (left), who also had spell with Scunthorpe United. He was suspended for a spell last season along with current Mariner Terry Fleming for a "breach of club discipline", but is now firmly back in the picture, making 20 appearances this term. Amadou Konte had a trial with the Mariners in the summer, but joined up with Cambridge in October. The 6 foot 3 striker, from Mali, has struck three goals in six starts since making his debut away at Cheltenham.

Key Player
Jermaine Easter (left). The Cambridge number 8 joined the U’s last year after spells at Hartlepool and Wolves. An exciting player with plenty of pace, Easter has scored seven goals in 13 starts and is a real threat for any defence in the division, despite some indifferent performances this season.

Recent Form

 

TownCambridge
DLincoln(a)0-0
DMacclesfield(h)0-0
DOxford(h)1-1
LYeovil(a)1-2
WNotts Co(h)3-2
Currently 16th in League Two.
LBoston(h)0-1
LYeovil(h)3-5
DBury(h)1-1
LOxford(a)1-2
LScunthorpe(h)1-2
Currently 24th in League Two.

Top Scorers

 

TownCambridge
Pinault5
Parkinson4
Crowe3
Easter7
Turner4

Team News

 

TownCambridge
  • Town will hope that Terrell Forbes shall recover from his illness that kept him out the Lincoln and the Rochdale games. If he fails to return in time, then Russell Slade is likely to stick with the side that played just 45 minutes at Rochdale on Saturday.
  • Steve Thompson will be hoping that influential midfielder Luke Gutteridge will return after a back problem.

  • John Ruddy will keep his place in the side after Lewis Price was recalled by Ipswich a few days ago. Adam Tann and Shane Tudor will continue in defence, while on-loan Manchester United striker Colin Heath could replace Amadou Konte in attack.
  • Probable Teams

     

    TownCambridge
    1Anthony Williams
    2John McDermott
    16Ronnie Bull
    4Simon Ramsden
    6Rob Jones
    7Ashley Sestanovich
    8Jason Crowe
    15Terry Fleming
    10Andy Parkinson
    9Michael Reddy
    26Martin Gritton
    33John Ruddy
    20Dan Gleeson
    5Adam Tann
    4Andy Duncan
    7Shane Tudor
    22Stuart Bimson
    11Justin Walker
    3Abdelhalim El Khoti
    13Matthew Somner
    8Jermaine Easter
    27Amadou Konte

    Subs

     

    TownCambridge
    19Darren Mansaram
    11Stacy Coldicott
    28Terrell Forbes
    17Thomas Pinault
    13Paul Fraser
    23Colin Heath
    16Darren Quinton
    1Shaun Marshall
    28Richard Hodgson
    15John Turner

    Head to Head

    The Mariners just shade the previous meetings, having won 11 games alongside Cambridge's 9. Both sides have scored exactly 33 goals in their previous meetings.

    P 25 W 11 D 5 L 9 F 33 A 33

    Cambridge Head-to-Head (32nd on The Opposition Ladder)

    Connections

  • Defender Graham Rathbone made 232 appearances for Town between 1966 and 1972, when Cambridge then paid £4,000 for his services. A tough defender, Rathbone was part of Lawrie McMenemy’s Fourth Division Championship winning side. However, he had a less successful time with the U’s, making only 13 appearances before being released.

  • Former Town loanee Ian Hamilton (left) made his professional debut for Cambridge in 1988 when he made 23 appearances, before a move to rivals Scunthorpe United in the December of that very same year. Hamilton made six appearances in two loan spells in the 19990/2000 season.

  • Neil Horwood made single appearance for Town in the 1980s - later going on to play 14 times for Cambridge under Chris Turner when the U’s were in the old Fourth Division.

  • Terry Fleming of course, had a three year spell with Cambridge between 2001 and 2003, when he made 114 appearances for the U’s.

  • Last Meeting

    Town got their first away victory of the season when they beat Cambridge 2-0 at the Abbey Stadium at the end of September. Goals from Andy Parkinson and a first for several years by John McDermott secured all three points for Town in a fairly dull affair down south.

    Grimsby Team: Williams, Whittle, Forbes, Gordon, McDermott, Reddy (Chris Williams, 78), Fleming, Coldicott, Crowe, Sestanovich (Robinson, 84), Parkinson
    Subs: (not used) Young,Pinault,Hockless

    Cambridge Team: Jowsey, Gleeson, Tann, Angus, El Kholti, Nicholls (Quinton, 70), Walker, Mbome, Easter, Chillingworth (Turner, 45), Oli
    Subs: (not used) Marshall,Beech,Robinson

    Attendance: 3,824    Report

    Prediction

    A narrow 2-1 victory for Town.

    2-1

    Recent Predictions

    GamePredictionScorePoints
    Lincoln1-11-13
    Macclesfield1-10-01
    Oxford2-01-10
    Yeovil2-11-20
    Notts Co1-03-21
    Exeter1-10-20
    Scunthorpe2-10-20
    Swansea2-01-10
    Chester0-01-20
    Northampton2-11-01
    Reader's POMs

    Directions

    Click on the link for directions to Blundell Park (left).

    Admission Prices

    Click on the link for ticket prices to Blundell Park.




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