Cambridge United impress in defeat as QPR edge a 2-1 win at The Abbey

Despite falling to a 2-1 defeat against Championship side QPR, Cambridge United played above all expectations in their fourth game of pre-season.

The match acted as a testimonial fixture for left-back Harrison Dunk, who’s spent 10 years with the U’s after joining from Bromley in 2011. Although he’s a lifelong QPR fan, he won’t be pleased in how he contributed to their opening goal on Tuesday evening.

The 30-year-old tried to pick out Liam O’Neil from a throw-in, but his effort was picked up by Ilias Chair instead. The Moroccan international had a completely free run at goal, slotting the ball past Dimitar Mitov to give the visitors the lead after half an hour.

The pre-season rustiness from the opening goal can be excused, but QPR’s second quite simply shouldn’t have been allowed to happen. Cambridge failed to clear consecutive corners, with a recycled ball eventually finding the feet of an unmarked Lyndon Dykes in the penalty area. The Scottish striker missed a controversial penalty earlier in the half, but made no mistake in tapping the ball home from close range.

A 2-0 half-time lead could’ve been four or five at the break, but while the visitors were clearly the better side, the U’s managed to stay in the game in the second half. Mark Bonner’s decision to introduce Adam May seemed to be the real catalyst for changing the flow of the game, especially when the midfielder curled a 20-yard shot past Jordan Archer to half the deficit.

Speaking of May’s performance, Bonner said:

“He should’ve scored a ten-minute hat-trick, shouldn’t he? He had some good chances, and he might’ve taken the most difficult one actually. He had a really good impact, he gave us good legs and energy in a tired midfield after the other boys had gone.”

Attacking midfielder Wes Hoolahan was rested for the defeat on Tuesday evening, meaning that the U’s head coach had to tweak his tactics. As a result, Bonner played a flat 4-3-3 formation, with Paul Digby sitting behind Jensen Weir and Liam O’Neil. This was a chance for Cambridge to show off their impressive depth in midfield.

As has been a regular characteristic of the 35-year-old’s time in charge, his side played with an incredibly intensive press and a high line. A side of QPR’s quality were able to exploit the gaps that Cambridge left, but they were rarely allowed to be comfortable in position. This pressure emanated from the U’s midfield and wide players.

James Brophy and Shilow Tracey used their searing pace to chase down defenders on the ball, often forcing it all the way back to the goalkeeper. While Cambridge need as many midfielders in the starting lineup as possible to make this work, it does leave their lone striker looking very isolated.

In League Two, the U’s switched between a flat 4-4-2 and a diamond, with Joe Ironside and Paul Mullin playing in a strike partnership. With Mullin leaving for non-league Wrexham, Bonner has seen this as a good chance to play with just one striker in order to “respect” the increase in the quality of opponents that promotion will bring.

However, lone striker Sam Smith was given very little to work with against QPR. His teammates struggled to get the ball into the box for him, and as a result he had very few chances to get on the scoresheet. While the return of Hoolahan should improve his attacking returns, it remains to be seen whether any of the club’s strikers are comfortable leading the line on their own.

Bonner explained that he wanted to be able to alternate between different formations and tactics depending on the opponent that they face:

“I think flexibility in the system is really important for us, and I think we’ll have to do that (change between formations), whether we play with one or two (strikers). We will play with two at times, but we know that system quite well and we’ve done that fairly often. That’s something we will look at.

We may see that change on Saturday afternoon, as Cambridge host Northampton Town in their last pre-season friendly. There’s a clear gap in quality between the Cobblers and QPR, and Jon Brady’s side are likely to play a more direct style of football.

There’s still transfer business to be done at The Abbey, as Cambridge are lacking depth in defensive areas. Bonner confirmed that the club are still working to bring in a centre-back, with Greg Taylor and Lloyd Jones the only senior options in that position. A backup goalkeeper has also been brought in on trial following a shoulder injury to Guyana international Kai McKenzie-Lyle.

The U’s head coach was keen to stress that no side will be playing at their best for the opening day on 7th August, but he’ll be keen to see his players increase their tempo and intensity as their pre-season comes to an end. After all, there’s just over a week to go until Cambridge play their first game back in the third tier.

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