The first of back-to-back away treks in Sky Bet League One sees Cambridge United make the journey to Bloomfield Road on Saturday to do battle with Blackpool…
How to Watch
This weekend’s meeting by the seaside in the North West kicks off at 3pm, with a healthy contingent of the amber nation making the trip.
Supporters who still wish to join them can purchase their tickets at the Cledara Abbey Stadium Club Shop during the usual opening hours or alternatively on the day from the white booth located next to the away turnstiles - cash or card is accepted.
Unable to attend? Be sure to back the boys from home via your CUFC TV account. Overseas supporters can stream the game live, whilst UK U’s can tune into audio commentary.
Opposition Focus
Established in 1887, the Tangerines were founding members of the Lancashire League before being invited to partake in the Football League nine years later. Their finest hour came in 1953 when they won the FA Cup, the start of a historic decade where they cemented themselves as one of the finest football clubs in the country thanks to the brilliance of Sir Stanley Matthews. Most recently, they enjoyed a stint in the Premier League in 2010 under the charismatic Ian Holloway, but a tough few seasons followed on and off the pitch, resulting in the Seasiders dropping as far as League Two. Nonetheless, they worked their way up under Neil Critchley, who couldn’t build on last season’s ranking of 8th and was replaced by Steve Bruce in September – with the vastly experienced gaffer undertaking what should be a transitional second half of the campaign.
A testing start saw Blackpool suffer back-to-back defeats to newcomers Crawley Town and Stockport County, but the thrilling reverse at the Abbey was the start of a seven-match unbeaten streak which propelled momentum. Their streaky nature has since continued, going winless in eight games throughout October and November, but bounced back with three away wins on the bounce at Bristol Rovers, Shrewsbury Town and Reading. The victory against the Royals in mid-December was their last, with the side drawing four of their last five to situate them in 15th, comfortably clear of the bottom four but their aspirations will almost certainly be to kick on and exploit the top half of the table.
Likely to set his side up in a classic 4-4-2 system, Bruce has enough pedigree in the squad to be a match for anyone – their form of one loss in eight proves that. Loan goalkeeper Harry Tyrer should keep his spot between the sticks after keeping six clean sheets from 16, he was joined by Odel Offiah, Matt Pennington, Oliver Casey and James Husband last time out. In the heart of midfield, Albie Morgan and Lee Evans are very confident controlling the play and have exciting wide talents in Sonny Carey and Rob Apter – who enjoyed an excellent loan spell at Tranmere Rovers in 2023/24 – alongside them. Up top, Ashley Fletcher will look to keep his place alongside key figure Kyle Joseph, who is on eight goals for the season. Waiting in the wings to impact the game are CJ Hamilton, former U Hayden Coulson and vastly experienced talisman Jordan Rhodes.
Form Guide
- 21/12/2024 – Blackpool 0-0 Stevenage – Sky Bet League One
- 26/12/2024 – Wrexham 2-1 Blackpool – Sky Bet League One
- 29/12/2024 – Birmingham City 0-0 Blackpool – Sky Bet League One
- 01/01/2025 – Blackpool 1-1 Shrewsbury Town – Sky Bet League One
- 04/01/2025 – Wycombe Wanderers 1-1 Blackpool – Sky Bet League One
The Amber Angle
The U’s gap from safety was stretched to eight points last time out as they suffered a narrow 0-1 defeat to fellow survival hopefuls Bristol Rovers, who gained their first win in the third tier since November.
A close-range header from Luke Thomas mid-way through the first half was enough to separate the sides on an afternoon of small margins for Cambridge, who applied the pressure, had their moments but ultimately couldn’t capitalise as they ended with 10 men after a late dismissal.
After witnessing his side succumb to a fifth successive defeat, Garry Monk said: “I’ve got no complaints with the players, in terms of application, determination, effort and endeavour, but we’ve come up short in the critical areas of the game… In these last two games we had really good periods of pressure and momentum, and just that final bit of quality and composure has let us down.”
Plans were immediately in place for Blackpool, with the U’s retaining belief that they as a collective can rally together and chalk up much-needed points. That was echoed in their Board update on Tuesday, who know the importance of bridging the gap and securing a second away win of the campaign.
“We know we are in a real fight to preserve our League One status. There is still half the season remaining and a lot of football to be played. We have been here before and know from experience that a lot can change quickly.”
Form Guide
- 20/12/2024 – Cambridge United 0-4 Huddersfield Town – Sky Bet League One
- 26/12/2024 – Charlton Athletic 2-1 Cambridge United – Sky Bet League One
- 29/12/2024 – Leyton Orient 2-0 Cambridge United – Sky Bet League One
- 01/01/2025 – Cambridge United 1-3 Reading – Sky Bet League One
- 04/01/2025 – Cambridge United 0-1 Bristol Rovers – Sky Bet League One
Team News
It was revealed in Thursday’s pre-match press conference that Dan Nlundulu is out for at least eight weeks owing to a hamstring injury, whereas the suspended Michael Morrison and Jubril Okedina will also miss out. Vicente Reyes and Connor O’Riordan have been recalled by Norwich City and Blackburn Rovers respectively. Elsewhere, Paul Digby and James Gibbons are edging closer to a comeback and may start accumulating some minutes by the end of the month.
Head-to-Head
- Blackpool Wins: 5
- Cambridge United Wins: 4
- Draws: 5
Last Time We Met
Saturday 24 August 2024 – Cambridge United 4-4 Blackpool – Sky Bet League One
It was a barnstorming matchup at CB5 back in August as the U’s got up and running for the season by rescuing a share of the spoils with a mighty comeback in a 4-4 thriller. Tested from the get-go, James Husband drew first blood early on in the encounter but was cancelled out by Shayne Lavery on the half an hour mark, who opened his account. The visiting defender soon grabbed his brace with a carbon copy corner, before the Tangerines steamed ahead thanks to Kyle Joseph and Dom Ballard. Just when the points looked sealed, United became unplayable and roared towards a point through Danny Andrew’s free-kick, Brandon Njoku’s first professional strike and Lavery again to haunt his former club. The line-up on that rain-soaked afternoon: Reyes, O’Riordan, Ibsen Rossi, Andrew, Bennett, Smith, Digby, Brophy, Kaikai, Barton, Lavery.
Officials
- Referee: Scott Tallis
- Assistant Referee: Samuel Clayton
- Assistant Referee: Kevin Mulraine
- Fourth Official: Aaron Jackson