Good Friday feeling for United
CAMBRIDGE PUT TWO PAST BARNSLEY
CAMBRIDGE United registered a 2-0 victory at promotion-chasing Barnsley on Good Friday to give their League One survival hopes a much-needed boost.
An own goal from Mael de Gevigney and a header from Gassan Ahadme earned the U’s a first win in eight matches, and gave Garry Monk his first victory since taking charge.
The win moves United onto 42 points from 39 matches played, and up to 19th in the League One table. However, the gap to the relegation zone remains at just three points with seven games of the season remaining.
The U’s also bounced back from consecutive heavy defeats at Lincoln City and Reading in impressive fashion, as they won away at a side currently occupying a play-off spot.
Monk made three changes from the 4-0 defeat to the Royals. Mamadou Jobe came straight into the starting lineup following his recall from Gateshead, while Will Mannion and Sullay Kaikai were also brought into the side.
Michael Morrison and Jack Stevens missed out through injury, with Elias Kachunga dropping to the bench. Fejiri Okenabirhie was included in a matchday squad for the first time since sustaining his injury in December.
After a quiet opening to the contest, Barnsley spurned a good chance with 11 minutes played. Jordan Williams was played to the byline on the right-hand side and the wing-back’s cross fell to Nicky Cadden, who fired wide from a good position. The hosts then gifted United the lead two minutes later with a comical own goal. De Gevigney won possession from Mannion’s goal kick and opted to play back to Liam Roberts from outside the box, but put too much on his pass and the ball rolled past the goalkeeper and into the net.
The Tykes looked to work their way back to parity, as Luca Connell fired wide and John McAtee had a shot blocked on the edge of the box. Adam Phillips was next to try his luck, but his effort went over the bar.
United had a good chance themselves shortly before the half-hour mark as Danny Andrew forced Roberts to parry over from a free-kick on the right-hand side of the box.
The U’s thought they had doubled their lead from the resulting corner, as Ryan Bennett headed home Kaikai’s centre from close range, but the goal was controversially ruled out for what could only have been a foul.
The Tykes somehow passed up the chance to level in the 33rd minute, with Josh Earl’s cross from the left flicked on by Devante Cole into the path of the arriving McAtee, who struck the post from just a few yards out.
The hosts turned up the pressure in the latter part of the half as United looked to preserve their lead into the interval. Cadden and Williams both had shots blocked, while Mannion produced a good save to deny Phillips from the edge of the box.
However, it was United who had the final chance of the half as James Brophy broke down the left on the counter and the winger’s cross found its way to Kaikai, whose strike was blocked, but the U’s went in ahead at the break. United had the first chance of note after the restart, with Lyle Taylor’s poked effort saved by Roberts, while McAtee blazed over from range for the hosts soon after. The home side started to ramp up the pressure once more, as Corey O’Keeffe’s ball across goal just needed a touch to divert it home, before McAtee’s strike from outside the box was beaten away by Mannion just after the hour mark.
The U’s spurned a good chance at the midway point of the half from Mannion’s goal kick, as the ball dropped to Brophy and the winger played a looped pass through to Kaikai, who lashed his effort over the bar from inside the box.
However, the visitors did double their lead 18 minutes from time, as Andrew’s free-kick from deep was headed back across goal by Ahadme, with the ball going in off the post for the striker’s tenth of the campaign and the first since his return from injury.
United professionally saw out the remaining minutes as they limited Barnsley to very few opportunities late on. Cole had a decent chance for the Tykes in the closing stages, but the striker’s volley lacked power and was saved by Mannion.
Kaikai could have put further gloss on the scoreline but fired over at the beginning of eight minutes of injurytime, while Connell drilled wide for the Tykes in the final moments of the contest, as United held on with relative ease to secure a potentially vital victory.
Barnsley: Roberts, Williams, De Gevigney, Cadden (Cotter 82), Kane, McCart (O’Keeffe 57), Phillips (Watters 82), Earl, Cole, McAtee (Cosgrove 67), Connell. Unused subs: Killip, Russell, Grant.
U’s: Mannion, L Bennett, Andrew, Digby, R Bennett, Brophy (Kachunga 81), Kaikai, Taylor (Ahadme 54), Cousins, Gibbons (Ibsen Rossi 81), Jobe. Unused subs: Chadwick, Okenabirhie, Lankester, May.