Cambridge United’s latest Sky Bet League One match saw Bristol Rovers nullify and secure a 2-0 success at the Memorial Stadium…
For all of the U’s possession, it was the Gas who were most effective where it mattered, as a goal in each half from Promise Omochere was enough to race into a comfortable lead. Although the visitors upped their intensity late on - including rattling the woodwork twice - it was too little too late as they head into the international break winless.
Up and running after registering their first point of the season last time out, the next requirement was the first taste of three points to help back up what has otherwise been some encouraging performances – with the only thing letting them down was the inability to latch onto momentum and keep energy levels high throughout the full 90 minutes. With a total of 12 through the door during the summer, many options were now at their disposal.
Off the back of a thrilling draw at home to Blackpool a week earlier, Garry Monked opted with three changes to his XI. Reshuffling the defence, Michael Morrison returned to captain the side, whilst James Gibbons was drafted back to the flanks and Josh Stokes made his first start following a promising cameo.
A bright start to proceedings saw the U’s force the first scare when a clever flick on and first-time cross from Stokes out wide was met by the instinctive Shayne Lavery on the corner of the six-yard box, who escaped his man and got a boot to the ball but ultimately generated too much height.
On the 7th minute, a confident-looking United side were dispossessed after attempting to play out from the back, allowing Cyprus international Ruel Sotiriou to nick and scamper forwards, who played it back to a lurking Luke Thomas, whose venomous shot was importantly blocked by Morrison.
A few minutes later, the physical Sotiriou embarked on a mazy run down the right, before beating his man by cutting inside and pulling the trigger from range which slashed the post and bounced to safety.
Up the other end, Monk’s men came agonisingly close to the opener when Zeno Ibsen Rossi drove forwards and teed up Danny Andrew, whose pinpoint cross was just right for Lavery, who leaped high from 10 yards to direct a header destined for the bottom corner, only to be denied by excellent reactions from Josh Griffiths, who dived to his left to smother.
On the half an hour mark, deadlock was broken in unfortunate circumstances as Thomas played Omochere into acres of space, who caught out the visitors with his run before his strike against a recovering Connor O’Riordan took a wicked deflection which looped its way into the back of the net.
As had been the case in the opening four games, the men in green once again needed to come from behind. As the first half faded out, the U’s looked to play out from their defence and gradually progress but, whilst they enjoyed the possession, they were limited to freedom in the final third, with the hosts continuing to nullify.
A nightmare start to the second period saw the Pirates double their advantage with a well-worked move. An ambitious flick from centre-back Taylor Moore floated to Bryant Bilongo, who required just one touch to play in striker Omochere, with the former Fleetwood Town man impeccably holding it up with his back to goal before drilling home.
On the 52nd minute, the front-footed hosts almost made it three when Kamil Conteh progressed the ball to release Thomas down the right, who scampered and squared to Bilongo, but the winger couldn’t get his angles right as he skewed his effort wide of the mark from inside the area.
Just after Korey Smith hit a 20-yard shot over the crossbar, the U’s introduced Dan Barton and James Brophy to the field in what signalled a change in formation as they reverted to a 4-2-3-1 setup.
This certainly gave the U’s more impetus going forwards, with Stokes firing over the crossbar on 66 as they hurried for the consolation, but in spite of that Griffiths remained untested between the sticks.
The next throw of the dice saw Brandon Njoku and Emmanuel Longelo bolster the attacking options and add pace and power, but it was the substitutes for Matt Taylor’s side who conjured up the late chances.
With the minutes left on the clock, Thomas teed up Jake Garrett from just outside the area, whose shot was deflected for a corner, before Scott Sinclair bent a curler on target which needed Ibsen Rossi to head away.
The golden moment went begging during the five minutes of injury time after both Connor Taylor and Lavery scrambled to the whipped ball, which came back in off the underside of the crossbar.
Yet again, the woodwork was rattled during the late flurry when Brophy picked his spot and cracked the bar with a sublime attempt from 25 yards, but ultimately it was a mountain too high to climb for the U’s, who were unable to force anything from the encounter.
Up next, United begin their Bristol Street Motors Trophy campaign on Tuesday evening (3 September) as they go head-to-head with Bromley at Hayes Lane.
Bristol Rovers: Griffiths, Moore (Sousa, 80’), Wilson, Mola, Thomas, Conteh, Garrett, Ward (Sinclair, 80’), Bilongo (Taylor, 80’), Sotiriou (McCormick, 63’), Omochere (O’Donkor, 75’)
Subs Not Used: Hutchinson, Shaw
Goalscorers: Omochere (30’, 47’)
Bookings: Moore
Cambridge United: Reyes, O’Riordan, Morrison (Brophy, 57’), Ibsen Rossi, Gibbons (Njoku, 72’), Smith, Digby, Andrew (Longelo, 72’), Kaikai (Barton, 57’), Stokes, Lavery
Subs Not Used: Stevens, Bennett, Okedina
Goalscorers:
Bookings: Andrew
Referee: Craig Hicks
