U’S FIGHTBACK TO CLINCH DRAW
Cambridge United produced an excellent second half fightback to draw 2-2 with York City in Sky Bet League Two at Bootham Crescent.
Second half goals from Mark Roberts and Barry Corr saw the U’s return from a two goal deficit to claim a point in North Yorkshire, having gone 2-0 down shortly after half time.
Manager Richard Money, who was celebrating three years at the helm for United, made five changes to the side that played Wycombe four days earlier with most notably striker Barry Corr making his return from injury.
Jeff Hughes and Ryan Donaldson also completed their recoveries from spells on the sidelines to start the match, whilst Sam Beasant and Greg Taylor took up places in the line-up.
The opening 15 minutes of the match saw both sides examining each other, with Harrison Dunk firing the U’s first effort on goal wide of the mark when Jeff Hughes found the midfielder lurking on the edge of the York 18 yard box.
That sparked a flurry of chances with York twice denied by U’s keeper Beasant when John McCombe headed from close range and Rhys Turner went through one on one, whilst Donaldson’s dipping effort didn’t quite drop enough to creep under Flinders’ cross bar at the opposite end of the field.
Dunk again came close with 30 minutes played when he drove into the York penalty at pace before seeing his deflected effort loop away for a corner, from which Mark Roberts headed narrowly wide moments later.
Beasant made another fine save when James Berrett hit a half volley from the left side of the U’s 18 yard box, and it remained goalless as the sides went into the break, Richard Money perhaps the happier of the two managers.
Rory Gaffney was given his second appearance for United by the U’s boss after the break, when the Irishman replaced Harrison Dunk.
Despite the change, it was the home side who registered the opening goal when Michael Coulson finished cleanly eight yards out to the left of Beasant from Marvin McCoy’s zipping cross into the box on 50 minutes.
John McCombe doubled the Minstermen’s lead minutes later when the former Huddersfield man drilled into the bottom right corner to give the U’s a mountain to climb in the game. Gaffney came close to grabbing one back, when he controlled a long ball brilliantly before lashing a low shot at Scott Flinders, but the York keeper saved well.
Twice the U’s threatened through Gaffney and then Legge, before the latter’s centre back partner Mark Roberts struck his first for the club from five yards out on 71 minutes to give United a foot hold in the game.
The goal turned the momentum of the match with the U’s utterly dominant in the pursuit of a goal that would level the score line. Gaffney, Hughes and Corr all came close to securing it in a quick succession of chances.
The pressure eventually paid dividends for the U’s, when Luke Berry’s effort from the edge of the area was deflected and then saved by Flinders, but Corr was on hand to finish calmly in front of the traveling Amber Army with nine minutes to play.
Despite late pressure from Richard Money’s men they were unable to craft the chance that could clinch all three points and settled for a valuable draw.
Cambridge United: Beasant, Taylor, Legge, Roberts, Taft, Demetriou, J.Hughes, Dunk (Gaffney,45 mins), L.Hughes, Donaldson (Berry, 57 mins), Corr
York City: Flinders, McCoy, Ilesanmi, Berrett, McCombe, Coulson (Godfrey, 67 mins), Penn, Straker (Carson, 79 mins), Lowe, Collins, Turner (Sinclair, 74 mins)
Attendance: 2,987 (474 U’s fans)