United Heroes Provide A Night To Savour

It was the sight of Jez George’s fists being pumped in the direction of his adoring fanbase that clinched it.

If the man who analyses every facet of every fixture in an eternal search for improvement is visibly pleased with his side’s work then you know that the Cambridge United performance has been a good one. He had good reason to be delighted.

United’s 1-0 midweek win away at title favourites Luton Town has become an instant classic among the 500-plus travelling support and the squad of players who provided them with the memories.

The Hatters looked menacing early on, former U Robbie Willmott being given the ball to run at his former side at every opportunity. One shot on target was all they had to show for their early dominance: Danny Naisbitt foiled it with a stunning plunging save. By the end of the night, that chance would represent half of the grand total of shots on target the hosts could produce.

As the game wore on United brought themselves in to the game. The typically tireless Tom Shaw was only denied his third goal in as many games by a storming stop by familiar foe Mark Tyler, who prevented a goal of the season contender from the midfielder’s rising thunderbolt. As soon as the sides emerged for the second half it was United who looked the more menacing, the more able to use the width of the pitch that had previously been used by the hosts to their advantage.

It was fitting that the two players, amidst a team of heroes, who will rightly be praised as the biggest influences on the match are to true Jez George players. Rory McAuley and Josh Coulson sum up the ethos of the football club’s future. Brought to the club at a young age they were nurtured, developed and matured under George’s tutelage. In return they showed the requisite mental characteristics to match their clear football abilities, moving on to become professional players and first team regulars.

It is no overstatement to describe their performances in the heart of United’s defence on Tuesday as magnificent. During a period without captain Michael Wylde due to injury, The U’s have now kept three clean sheets in succession with those youth products partnering one another as centre backs. Even if they hadn’t both been involved in the decisive goal, it was unequivocally clear that they were the two best players on the pitch.

McAuley nearly wrote his name into folklore last season when his only goal of that campaign put the club on the cusp of an FA Cup upset at Huddersfield. United were beaten that night, but there was no denying his place among the legendary Cambridge United moments on Tuesday.

He scored the winner from his defensive partner’s right wing cross, Coulson having already eased past a challenge in a manner as convincing as any of the wingers on the field. From the away fan’s vantage point behind the goal, the cross seemed destined for McAuley’s head as soon as he began to peel away from his man. As the head-bandaged defender rose to plant the delivery back across goal, the ball hung for an eternity before dropping into the far corner.

Pandemonium.

There are people who don’t understand football. More precisely, there are those who cannot understand why football fans spend hundreds of pounds and travel hundreds of miles to watch eleven players who always let you down in the end, who are bound to raise your expectations and heighten your dreams before dashing them at a crucial moment. The scenes on the pitch and in the stand as Rory McAuley was submerged under a shower of blue shirted teammates is the best way of explaining why people do it.

Two years of torture under Martin Ling seems a long time ago. Even if Cambridge United’s form subsides to the widely tipped mid-table finish come April, nobody can question that the players’ commitment to one another and to the badge that they wear on their shirts surpasses anything seen in some time.

The memories of Kenilworth Road on a Tuesday evening in September 2011 can be added to the list of games to proudly boast “I was there”, regardless of whether the fan proclaiming it has been watching the club play for months or for decades.

Jez George will strive to ensure that the players are reminded that this Saturday’s fixture begins at 0-0 and the same battling qualities will have to be on show if United are to extend their unbeaten run to nine at Southport. Despite being heavily beaten in their last home game they were 3-0 winners at Darlington on Tuesday, evidence that they will provide The U’s with yet another stern challenge.

If the level of desire and togetherness is close to what was seen on Tuesday then there will be few complaints at the weekend, regardless of the result.

Matt Ramsay

posted on 28 September 2011 22:37 byMatt Ramsay - Cambridge United supporter

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