Bluster gets blame from bosses for bore draw

STEPHEN Crainey felt his Fleetwood side deserved some reward for their performance in stormy conditions.

The Cod Army’s head coach spoke after watching a poor spectacle played in swirling winds on a difficult playing surface, with perhaps neither side doing enough to warrant a victory.

He said: “It would have been nice to get the three points, but when you don’t get the three points you have to make sure you don’t lose the game and that’s what we did today.

“We went behind through a set play and that was disappointing after we’d reiterated to the group before the game that set plays were going to play a massive part, with the conditions the way they were.

“But the character they showed to get back in to it, and the way we finished the game, was pleasing.”

Paddy Lane’s eye-catching goal was enough to secure a point for the home side, with the midfielder sending a beautiful strike past Dimitar Mitov to cancel out an own goal by Anthony Pilkington seven minutes earlier.

An even first period saw neither side really take the initiative.

Fleetwood centre-back Tom Clarke should have headed home one of his dead-ball chances, but Mitov saved the first while the second was sent way over the bar.

Cambridge barely threatened until a minute before the break, when they finally put together an effective passing move that ended with George Williams forcing Alex Cairns in to a good save.

The opening goal came after 65 minutes when Pilkington, on as a sub two minutes earlier, got the final touch to Wes Hoolahan’s corner for a Cambridge lead.

But when Callum Camps gave Lane the ball in space, he whipped a wonderful shot into the top corner to earn his side a point.

There was a lastditch chance for Fleetwood’s Ellis Harrison but his shot hit the luckless Pilkington and bounced wide.

U’s head coach Mark Bonner said: “We’re a bit disappointed not to win after we’d gone ahead, but let’s be honest it was horrible.

“When we got here we knew it was going to be because the conditions and the pitch were dreadful, so we’ll happily take the point in the end.”