Cambridge United produced another convincing pre-season display with a 1-8 win over city rivals Cambridge City at the Glassworld Stadium.
Much like the opening game against St Neots Town, Head Coach Joe Dunne elected to give almost every member of his first team squad a run out in Histon with the U’s fielding two separate sides in each half.
A first half brace from Jabo Ibehre with goals either side of Ryan Sharman’s equaliser for Robbie Nightingale’s City outfit, gave United a 2-1 lead going into the break. Youngsters Matt Foy, Lee Watkins and Leon Davies were collectively all heavily involved in the build-up play for the goals, with the latter in particular producing a strong 45 minutes.
Following the full personnel switch at half time, it was another youngster Tom Knowles who restarted the goal scoring, when his electric pace saw him caught late by Cambridge City’s keeper to win a penalty, before dispatching it confidently to score from the spot.
Knowles became the creator for United’s fourth, when he cutback a cross from the left side of the Lilywhites box for captain Gary Deegan to leather in a spectacular effort from 20 yards out.
A clever ball through from Reggie Lambe saw Emmanuel Osadebe power through before finishing with the outside of his right boot, before Knowles secured his brace soon after when he harried the City defence to rob them of possession and side foot in United’s sixth.
Ade Azeez completed the goal scoring with a quick fire brace in the final few minutes, first calmly rounding the keeper to place into an empty net and then when the striker finished off a great move from the U’s that saw George Maris split the defence with a pass to Osadebe who squared the ball to Azeez in the final move of the game.
Next up for the U’s, another short away trip to Royston Town on Thursday evening (K.O. 7:45pm) at Garden Walk.
FIRST HALF XI: Mitov, Davies, Darling, Taft, Norville-Williams, O'Neil, Amoo, Dunk (Watkins), Squire, Foy, Ibehre
SECOND HALF XI: Iron, Halliday, Taylor, John, Carroll, Deegan, Osadebe, Maris, Knowles, Lambe, Azeez