By Owen Mizon - writer for YABA
Stevenage go into this derby day fixture against the U's with a decent bit of form behind them, losing once in their last six games. Their most recent outing was a 1-1 draw at home to play-off chasing Mansfield Town on Tuesday night. Last weekend, they came away from Wales with 3 precious points and a clean sheet against fellow mid-table side Newport County. 5 days earlier, it was an enjoyable Easter Monday when they consigned Barnet to the basement of League Two with a barnstorming 4-1 victory. On Good Friday, they were held 0-0 against out-of-form Grimsby Town. On the 24th March was where the Lamex Stadium witnessed a home defeat, 1-0 against a resilient Colchester United side on the day, not the best of performances to back up a 2-2 draw against Port Vale, a team flirting around the relegation zone. Nevertheless, the return of Dino Maamria as the new manager, replacing Darren Sarll, has reignited confidence within the club, giving them hope for the remaining 4 games of the season. For the U's, it's just one win in six. Nevertheless, 5 of those games have been very good performances. You would hope that Joe Dunne's men will start putting these strong performances into results very soon. Within the six games, it's 3 1-1 draws for the U's, against Luton Town, Wycombe Wanderers and Carlisle United. The first two of the three you'd expect will be League One sides next campaign. The two losses have been from an off-day at home to Swindon Town and most recently, a narrow 3-2 loss at home to Exeter City. Where the U's were superb at times and on another day would have got the three points, just sloppy defending let them down. The win on Good Friday against Crawley Town was an emphatic one with exceptional play from the midfield. Cambridge United will be determined to have gained victory come 5pm, as will Stevenage of course in this mid-table battle.
Injury News
Joe Dunne faces a selection headache ahead of the visit to the Lamex Stadium after suffering a bruising at the hands of Exeter City last week. We'll start with the good news, that is that Greg Taylor is eligible to feature after limping off last Saturday. Uche Ikpeazu will have to be assessed. He is currently clearing up a back problem so it's a 50/50. Barry Corr got through Exeter City unscathed and is set to start on the bench again. However, Jabo Ibehre is ruled out due to his injury he suffered against the Grecians. Liam O'Neil won't travel either after picking up a thigh injury. Due to limited time on the grass in recent weeks, Piero Mingoia will miss out again. For the hosts, Dino Maamria has stated that the squad lacked a bit of energy on Tuesday night, therefore changes could be made to freshen up the squad. Ben Wilmot, subject of heaps of interest from Premier League clubs recently, is likely not to be with the club much longer and there's no value in playing him for this game. He has been dubbed as "the best 18 year old I have ever come across" from Maamria. In terms of injuries, they can expect Ben Kennedy to be back for the fixture. However, experienced midfielders Jonathan Smith and Dean Bowditch are heavy doubts.
Reverse Fixture
25th November 2017
Cambridge United 1-0 Stevenage
The U's came away from this derby with 3 points and a clean sheet courtesy of a late Uche Ikpeazu strike. The attendance that day was 4039 with 474 away fans. United eager to bounce back from the humiliation at the hands of Luton Town the week before and without a win in the league in 4 games. Shaun Derry's men lined up with Forde in net, a back four of Halliday, Taylor, Legge and Carroll. 4 in midfield consisting of Mingoia, Elito, Lewis and Dunk with a partnership of Ibehre and Ikpeazu. Good options on the bench however in Maris, Brown and Amoo. The first half offered very little entertainment, both sides trying to find a break but it wasn't to be, the closest chance came to Tom Pett who fired wide from 10 yards. After the restart, the U's started to play their own game, Jevani Brown inspiring them to attack. Paul lewis coming excruciatingly close with his shot. Opposition goalkeeper Joe Fryer pulled off an excellent save from an Uche Ikpeazu shot which no doubt would have nestled into the top corner. 10 minutes from the end, Cambridge had David Forde to thank, who made three saves in quick succession including a header and a powerful shot from Chris Whelpdale. Stevenage would rue the missed chances when, two minutes from time, Ikpeazu nodded in an exquisite Jevani Brown ball to finally give Cambridge United a long-awaited goal. They had to wait another four games until they tasted victory again however, eventually dropping to a lowly 16th.
Cambridge United 1-0 Stevenage
The U's came away from this derby with 3 points and a clean sheet courtesy of a late Uche Ikpeazu strike. The attendance that day was 4039 with 474 away fans. United eager to bounce back from the humiliation at the hands of Luton Town the week before and without a win in the league in 4 games. Shaun Derry's men lined up with Forde in net, a back four of Halliday, Taylor, Legge and Carroll. 4 in midfield consisting of Mingoia, Elito, Lewis and Dunk with a partnership of Ibehre and Ikpeazu. Good options on the bench however in Maris, Brown and Amoo. The first half offered very little entertainment, both sides trying to find a break but it wasn't to be, the closest chance came to Tom Pett who fired wide from 10 yards. After the restart, the U's started to play their own game, Jevani Brown inspiring them to attack. Paul lewis coming excruciatingly close with his shot. Opposition goalkeeper Joe Fryer pulled off an excellent save from an Uche Ikpeazu shot which no doubt would have nestled into the top corner. 10 minutes from the end, Cambridge had David Forde to thank, who made three saves in quick succession including a header and a powerful shot from Chris Whelpdale. Stevenage would rue the missed chances when, two minutes from time, Ikpeazu nodded in an exquisite Jevani Brown ball to finally give Cambridge United a long-awaited goal. They had to wait another four games until they tasted victory again however, eventually dropping to a lowly 16th.
Ones To Watch
Matt Godden - Godden is a 6ft 1in striker who is deadly in front of goal, a clinical player who is extremely useful in League Two, as he proved last season. He spent 5 years at Scunthorpe United from 2009 to 2014, making 18 appearances but never scoring. Between that time he gained experience on loan in Non-League, but never seemed to get going at the likes of Ilkeston Town and Gainsborough Trinity. However, loans most recently at Ebbsfleet United, Dartford and Tamworth, he averaged 1 goal every two games. Fleet were most impressed, signing him permanently in 2014, he spent 2 years at the club. In a successful spell, he scored 35 goals in 70 games, earning him a move to todays opponents at the start of last season. In his 71 appearances so far, he's bulged the onion bag 30 times. 21 of them coming last season as he was named player of the year, as well as player of the month for February 2017. The U's must be cautious of his natural finishing.
Chris Whelpdale - Chris is an experienced 31 year old midfielder with a killer pass and an eye for goal too, good traits that has seen him play at a strong level most of his career. He is extremely familiar with Stevenage, currently in his second spell. After spending his youth at Ipswich Town, he joined Maldon Town for two seasons, he caught the eye of Billericay Town in 2006 where he scored 14 goals that season. Peterborough United enquired for his services after and he went on to make 125 appearances for the Posh, scoring 12 times. In that spell was a loan at Gillingham where he played 4 games, scoring 3 goals. When released from Peterborough, he went straight back there for 3 years. Scoring 20 in 104 games. A two year spell at Stevenage followed, averaging a goal every four games, totalling up to 60 appearances. Because of that form, he joined AFC Wimbledon in their first season in League One, only making 17 appearances which may have been the reason why he came back to the Lamex Stadium for this season. He's been a key figure in their midfield this season and will continue to be, expect a tough battle for the likes of Gary Deegan.
Danny Newton - Danny is a prolific Non-League goalscorer who, this season, has finally been given the chance to pit his wits in the Football League. Currently 27, he's found the net on 14 occasions so far this season in 41 games. A good spell for his debut season. His career started at Hinckley United in 2010, he scored 17 goals in 71 games which earnt him a move to then Conference Premier Nuneaton Town, in one season he only played 9 times and didn't score. Loan spells at Hinckley United and Barwell helped him find form again, so he joined the latter in 2013 and made 12 appearances, 11 goals he scored. So he joined Brackley Town in the January and couldn't kick-start the goals there. For the 2014/15 season, he made a huge 54 appearances, scoring 26 in his best season of his career. 2 years at previous club Tamworth followed where he had a goal every two games conversion, 38 in 75. Finally after 7 years of hard work and spending summer at the V9 Academy, he moved to Stevenage in League Two. It's been a solid season so far, scoring 14 goals in 41 games. He's surpassed 100 career goals now and will aim to find a few more goals before the season finishes. Together with Mat Godden are two goalscorers who can win games with the impact they create.
Chris Whelpdale - Chris is an experienced 31 year old midfielder with a killer pass and an eye for goal too, good traits that has seen him play at a strong level most of his career. He is extremely familiar with Stevenage, currently in his second spell. After spending his youth at Ipswich Town, he joined Maldon Town for two seasons, he caught the eye of Billericay Town in 2006 where he scored 14 goals that season. Peterborough United enquired for his services after and he went on to make 125 appearances for the Posh, scoring 12 times. In that spell was a loan at Gillingham where he played 4 games, scoring 3 goals. When released from Peterborough, he went straight back there for 3 years. Scoring 20 in 104 games. A two year spell at Stevenage followed, averaging a goal every four games, totalling up to 60 appearances. Because of that form, he joined AFC Wimbledon in their first season in League One, only making 17 appearances which may have been the reason why he came back to the Lamex Stadium for this season. He's been a key figure in their midfield this season and will continue to be, expect a tough battle for the likes of Gary Deegan.
Danny Newton - Danny is a prolific Non-League goalscorer who, this season, has finally been given the chance to pit his wits in the Football League. Currently 27, he's found the net on 14 occasions so far this season in 41 games. A good spell for his debut season. His career started at Hinckley United in 2010, he scored 17 goals in 71 games which earnt him a move to then Conference Premier Nuneaton Town, in one season he only played 9 times and didn't score. Loan spells at Hinckley United and Barwell helped him find form again, so he joined the latter in 2013 and made 12 appearances, 11 goals he scored. So he joined Brackley Town in the January and couldn't kick-start the goals there. For the 2014/15 season, he made a huge 54 appearances, scoring 26 in his best season of his career. 2 years at previous club Tamworth followed where he had a goal every two games conversion, 38 in 75. Finally after 7 years of hard work and spending summer at the V9 Academy, he moved to Stevenage in League Two. It's been a solid season so far, scoring 14 goals in 41 games. He's surpassed 100 career goals now and will aim to find a few more goals before the season finishes. Together with Mat Godden are two goalscorers who can win games with the impact they create.
Managers View
In the home dugout, Dino Maamria has recalled fond memories of Cambridge United match-ups. "I enjoyed great games against Cambridge," never mentioning the play-off victory however. "I am sure it's going to be an entertaining game and I will make sure we will be up for it." "I want everything. I want to entertain the fans and I want to win football matches." His mantra is certainly positive if you're a Stevenage fan, Dino will get the best out of his squad it seems after what was an impressive spell at Nuneaton Town. "As long as we put everything we've got on the pitch and the players show that they care.. we will be on the right path." Joe Dunne has had a lot to say about the club going forward as the season is brought to a close. "There's a couple of players that we still need to talk to going forward," which we would assume is about contracts. About the recent extension of Greg Taylor's contract, he expressed how Greg is "the beginning of what have been positive conversations with players." Great news indeed. He has also stated how the U's will be ready to play different types of games, whether it be sitting back and soaking up pressure or really bringing the game to the opponent, they'll be prepared. "The key thing in these types of games is desire and commitment and pure energy to get you through the game."
Stray Observations
Congratulations to Greg Taylor on the two year contract extension. It's well deserved after what has been a fantastic season. He's adapted to his centre-back role extremely well and is forming a strong partnership with George Taft. Who I'd like to see wrapped up next: Halliday, Dunk, Amoo and Ikpeazu.
Injuries have hit the U's and without key players, changes will be made. The striker positions could be filled up by Billy Waters and potentially Jevani Brown if we don't see a return to action for Uche Ikpeazu. Barry Corr will probably come on in the latter stages of the game. Having Dunk and Amoo on the wings is an option I'd like to see stay. Leon Legge was exceptionally composed on the ball last week and was a threat in the box, I'd like to see him back soon.
Match Betting
Courtesy of Sky Bet, you can get a home win for Stevenage at 6/4 who go into the game as favourites due to this. The draw is a creditable 9/4 whereas you can back the amber army at 15/8. With Coral, my tip of the day is under 1.5 goals which has odds of 21/10. Please bet responsibly.
Match Officials
The referee for the tie is Tom Nield. He will be assisted by Cristopher Wade and Danny Gratton as his linesmen. The fourth official is Andrew Williams.
Trivia
When you think of Cambridge United vs Stevenage, you'll think of late drama. We've got that many a times in the past years, Robbie Simpson and Harrison Dunk especially who have popped up in the dying embers. However, the most notable is the Conference Play-Off Semi Final at the Abbey in 2009, the U;s overcoming a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2, sending them to Wembley. Scott Rendell was the hero that day, but in what minute did he score that winner to send the United faithful into ecstasy?
On This Date
14th April 2012
Barrow 1-3 Cambridge United
Barrow 1-3 Cambridge United
On this day 6 years ago, Jez George's side came home from Holker Street with a 3-1 win in front of 870 fans. Lining up for the U's that day was: Naisbitt, Roberts, Jennings, McAuley, Hudson, Thorpe, Jarvis, Shaw, Berry, Pell, Gash. Notable players on the bench were Liam Hughes. The only players from that team to play a part in the 2013/14 promotion season was Kevin Roberts, Luke Berry and Liam Hughes. Hughes, who opened the scoring in the Wembley triumph, now plies his trade at Billericay Town. If you haven't yet read his article where he opened up about his battle with depression, please do. It's a brave thing to do and he should be credited for coming out. Michael Gash opened the scoring on the 17th minute, but Barrow's Jack Mackreth equalised 3 minutes later. He's now at Wrexham hoping to fire them to promotion this season. Loanee Harry Pell put United into a 2-1 lead going into the break. He is now at fellow League Two side Cheltenham Town and is a pivotal player for the club. A rare Kevin Roberts goal wrapped up the win on 58 minutes. Barrow finished a creditable 13th that season and the U's 9th. Eventually 10 points off the play-offs. Fleetwood Town stormed the league that season with 103 points. Spearheaded by a familiar Jamie Vardy.
Up the U's!
Owen Mizon
Mizonowen@gmail.com
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