It is not the first time this season that Cambridge United have failed to take full advantage of results elsewhere on their way as they were held to a 1-1 draw by fellow Sky Bet League One strugglers Morecambe at the Abbey Stadium this evening.
United entered the competition against a team with the lowest points return in the league on their travels up to this season. Morecambe won just once away from home all season and that was against bottom-of-the-table Forest Green Rovers in September, yet they struggled desperately for a point and stayed above the hosts in the fight for survival.
The home side started as a side with something to prove and they could have gone ahead within the opening two minutes. James Brophy sent a wide pass to the right for fellow centre-back Liam Bennett, who took one touch before pouncing on a cross for Sam Smith. The striker stood well at eight yards out, but could not direct his header on goal.
United continued to investigate and were rewarded with a goal to break the deadlock in the 14th minute. After pouncing on goal, the move seemed to stop with Paul Digby on the edge of the penalty area, only for the captain to deliver a perfectly weighted nursing to Jack Lancaster and show good composure to put the ball behind Conor Ripley.
Lancaster also scored in the reverse fixture and it was their third goal of the season, as well as being their first since a 3–2 win over Wycombe Wanderers in late October.
Cambridge defenders Lloyd Jones and Michael Morrison then tried their luck with shots from long range that were easily saved by Ripley before Morecambe fired a warning shot in the 28th minute when former Yeo midfielder Jensen Weir walked into the box unopposed and parried low from Dimitar Mitov.
The visitors then began to gain a foothold in the proceedings without posing too much of a threat, although United could have stopped their momentum in the 40th minute when Brophy sprinted wide for two challenges on the left and Liam Bennett’s low cross was deflected, but then he was fired. The 21-year-old opened his body, lifting the ball overhead.
However, just when it looked as if United would make the second half with a good goal, Morecambe responded. It was an indifferent game from United striker Smith as he handed possession to the opposition inside his own half. The ball was flicked wide to the left for Ash Hunter and while his cross could not find a teammate, Ryan Bennett’s header only found Weir on the edge of the area and his rebound was flicked over Mitov and into the net by a caution Carl Stockton. It was Morecambe’s first away goal in more than eight hours of football – a half that dates back to 17 December.
And it could have gotten worse for Cambridge seconds before the whistle blew when Weir ran deep into United territory, but he hesitated with the shot and by the time he pulled the trigger the ball had drifted away.
The first opportunity in the second half also went to Morecambe and Hunter in the 47th minute, but the angle was always narrowing and he shot directly at Mitov.
It was a far less assured start for United than in the first half, although they did go some way to put themselves back in contention with heading efforts in quick succession around the hour from Smith and Morrison. The former headed straight for Ripley while the latter backed his effort in from the right corner for Conor McGrandles.
United boss Bonner switched to the bench in the 65th minute for Liam O’Neill, Shilo Tracy and Steve Seddon in a three-way change. And it was Seddon, on loan from Oxford United, who came close to restoring the home team’s lead with a free kick from 30 yards that forced Ripley to sneak across his line and slam the ball in. The resulting corner was applauded by Lancaster, who saw his effort swerve just wide of the goal.
The substitutions injected some new life into United’s performance. They began to enjoy longer periods of possession inside Morecambe and forced a few corner kicks, however, the next big opening of the match was created by the away team in the 79th minute. 20 yards, shoot harmlessly.
United then tried to force it but despite some good moments – including a very attractive cross from Seddon that nobody bet on – the decisive winning goal was nowhere near in sight.
And while the gap to safety was reduced to four points after the news of Accrington Stanley’s defeat by Ipswich Town, the feeling at the full-time whistle was one of another missed opportunity.
Cambridge United: Mitoff, R Bennett, Morrison, Jones, L Bennett, Brophy (Seddon 65′), Digby, McGrandles (O’Neil 65′), Lankester (Yearn 82′), Smith, Ironside (Tracey 65′)
Morecambe: Ripley, Love, Rawson, Simeo, Melbourne (Mayor 30), Gibson, Shaw, Weir, Crawley (Watts 74), Hunter (Oosterfield 90), Stockton (Dofus 90)
to rule: Paul Howard
Presence: 5225 (away 122)
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