Cambridge see their unbeaten home record ended ahead of visit from resurgent Oldham

Cambridge fans returned to The Abbey on Wednesday night with high expectations, but Nigel Clough’s Mansfield brought them crashing back down to earth.

The U’s were unbeaten at home before the Stags came to visit, having won four and drawn three in League Two. Mansfield, on the other hand, had only won one game all season and dropped into the relegation zone before kickoff.

All signs pointed towards Mark Bonner’s side continuing their run at the top end of the league, but the visitors earned a shock three points to take them up to 19th.

Much of Cambridge’s play oozed class, they were slick and fast going forward, but chances were few and far between at best. Paul Mullin, who’s still the league’s top scorer, was marked within an inch of his life by Mansfield’s back four, and the players around him weren’t able to take any of the opportunities they were given.

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At the same time, the U’s were wasteful. They squandered the few easy chances they were presented, which isn’t what we’ve come to expect from them this season.

Mark Bonner has set up his side to become one of the best attacking forces in the division, scoring 26 goals in just 14 games. The Stags, on the other hand, took their chance when it came to them, and that ultimately proved to be the difference between the two sides.

The result means that Cambridge drop out of the automatic promotion places for the first time this season, sitting sixth in League Two. However, the U’s have a game in hand on four of the five games above them, where a win would take them back to third place.

They now face a visit from a resurgent Oldham Athletic side who’ve won all of their last five away games. The Latics were tipped for a relegation battle after a turbulent time off the pitch, which has seen multiple failed takeovers and HMRC winding-up petitions.

Many fans weren’t happy with the appointment of Harry Kewell over the summer, and pressure started to build after his side lost their opening three league games and were eliminated in the first round of the Carabao Cup by Morecambe.

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A 2-0 loss away at Salford at the end of October saw the the Latics drop to 20th, just four points from the drop zone. However, an inspired run of form in November has seen them claim the scalps of some of the top teams in the division. They won six of their seven games last month, beating the likes of Cheltenham, Exeter and Barrow along the way.

Their recent away form means that a trip to The Abbey won’t intimidate Harry Kewell’s men. The attacking duo of Danny Rowe and Conor McAleny have finally clicked. The former arrived with high expectations after scoring over 150 goals in six years with AFC Fylde, but he struggled to adapt to EFL football immediately.

Under Kewell, he’s become a much more threatening striker with a knack for scoring long range goals and free-kicks. He and McAleny have 14 goals between them in all competitions this season.

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The U’s, however, are the best defensive outfit in the league, having conceded just 11 goals in 14 games. Captain Greg Taylor has played every minute of every league game so far this campaign, partnering either academy product Harry Darling or Bristol City loanee Robbie Cundy.

With such strength in their centre-backs, Mark Bonner often encourages his full-backs to get forward more often, which especially suits the likes of Kyle Knoyle and Harrison Dunk.

Keeping out a dangerous team like Oldham will be a challenge for them, but breaking down their defence will be a true test of whether Cambridge have improved from their recent performances. The U’s lost midfielder Hiram Boateng to injury in the first half, and they really struggled to create chances from that point onwards.

There was a lot of pressure on Wes Hoolahan to carve open chances, but he often struggled to do that by himself. Adam May or Idris El Mizouni look likely to come into the side in Boateng’s absence.

Oldham will certainly fancy their chances based on their current form, and Mark Bonner will know that his side will have to be razor-sharp at both ends of the pitch to get a result and push themselves back towards the automatic promotion places.

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