Wes rolls back years

1

Cambridge United

Forest Green Rovers 0

WES HOOLAHAN’S genius ended up being the deciding factor in this gripping match.

The former-republic of Ireland playmaker, now 38, hit a sublime winner on 38 minutes to keep Cambridge second – and Forest Green third.

Yet it was an incredible team effort from Mark Bonner’s troops on the pitch, and the Cambridge manager won the battle of wits in the technical areas.

The U’s bossed the first half with some champagne football. Yet Mark Cooper’s Rovers side roared back after the break, and even seized control of the game for a 20-minute period after a flurry of substitutes re-energised the visitors.

Yet Bonner responded with some smart moves of his own, abandoning his midfield diamond and sacrificing wily centre-forward Joe

Ironside, who had put in a magnificent shift up front, for the lightning-quick legs of Spurs-loanee Shilow Tracey.

And boss Bonner said: “Sorry to be boring but it’s just three points, so it’s no bigger than any other win. I suppose it gives you some confidence ahead of the other games we have to play against other top teams.

“It shows we can compete with them. That’s the level we want to hit, as parts of our game in the first half were absolutely outstanding.”

Most of the drama was in a pulsating first half.

Rovers keeper Lewis Thomas’ kept out Paul Mullin’s spot-kick after the U’s top scorer was bundled over in the area on 17 minutes. But Hoolahan then spared

Cambridge United’s Wes Hoolahan after scoring

Mullins’ blushes with a wonderful strike past Thomas after jinking past a static Rovers defence.

Cooper admitted: “Cambridge were miles better than us in the first half. We wasted 45 minutes, really.

“Hoolahan went past about four players! He’s 38 but we couldn’t match his energy. You can’t stand off players with that quality.”

CAMBRIDGE UTD: Burton 6; Knoyle 7, Okedina 7, Taylor 7, Iredale 8; O’neil 7 (Hannant 69, 7), Digby 8, Boateng 7 (May 76), Hoolahan 8; Ironside 7 (Tracey 76), Mullin 7

FOREST GREEN: Thomas 7; Godwin-malife 6 (Allen 88), Stokes 7, Cargill 5; Wilson 6 (Bailey 45, 7), Wagstaff 6 (Hutchinson 66, 7), Collins 5, Bernard 6, Cadden 5 (Young 66, 6); Davison 6 (Richardson 45, 6), Matt 6.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Wes Hoolahan. Little wizard produced a moment of magic to decide a brilliant game.

REFEREE: Marc Edwards 8.