Blues Football: Warwick 1-4 Cambridge

After a weather-affected start to the Lent term schedule, the Blues travelled to Warwick on Wednesday eager to prove that neither the fitness nor tactical improvements gained on the winter tour to Spain had been lost. Despite going behind early on, Cambridge ran out comfortable winners in the end, and maintained their 100% record in BUCS Midlands 1A.

The goals were shared around, with four different players on the scoresheet. The win leaves Cambridge with 4 wins from 4 League games, and only 1 point behind the leaders with games in hand.

The setting was a far cry from the pristine pitches in La Manga, with a very wet surface giving way under foot regularly, and a bitter gale blowing down the length of the pitch.

Warwick, playing with the wind in the first half, adapted to the testing conditions faster than the Blues, and took the lead inside 10 minutes. A cross from the left could only be turned away to the edge of the area, and as it was swung back in a Warwick striker ghosted behind the Cambridge defence to poke home from 6 yards.

Both teams struggled to play any good football following the restart, which meant set-pieces were always going to be important. And so it proved, as the Blues equalised and then went in front with goals in quick succession from a free-kick and a throw-in.

First, a Ross Broadway delivery held up invitingly in the wind and was met by the head of Rick Totten, who had out-jumped the Warwick ‘keeper, to level for the Blues. Then, Totten was again involved as a short throw-in was headed back to him, creating space for a cross. The whipped ball was met sweetly on the swivel by Ant Childs, who swept the ball into the far corner giving the Warwick goalie no chance.

The only other moment of interest in the first half was when a slip by a Cambridge defender led to a 2-on-1 counter-attack by Warwick. As the striker entered the box it seemed a goal was inevitable, but an impeccably-timed challenge by centre-back Rod Blevins ensure the Blues went in 2-1 up at the break. It was a scoreline that the performance hardly merited, though Cambridge knew that they would get more opportunities to play their passing football with the wind behind them in the second half.

Immediately following the restart it was evident that Warwick were going to struggle to get out of their own territory. The Blues capitalised by pressing high and waiting for mistakes to grant them possession, then probing for gaps in the Warwick backline. This strategy paid off when a clever through ball by Childs was latched onto by Ben Tsuda, who clinically drilled the ball into the net to make the game safe.

The wet and windy conditions played a major part in Cambridge’s 4th goal, as the ball slipped from the Warwick ‘keeper’s grip mid-throw and fell to the feet of Haitham Sherif 12 yards out. He was left with the simplest of tasks to round off the scoring for the Blues.

There is still a long way to go in the race for the title, with 6 fixtures left to be played this term. The Blues are next in action on Wednesday when they travel to Worcester, a team they’ve already beaten twice this season at fortress Fenners.