Injury crisis sparks losing run for Cambridge United

In their promotion-winning season, Cambridge United hardly ever thought about injuries.

The U’s went through almost all of the 2020-21 campaign without any of their key players missing games through injury. It allowed the likes of Paul Mullin and Joe Ironside to play almost every match, while the rest of the core of Mark Bonner’s squad remained ever-present throughout the season.

Things are totally different in League One. Cambridge opted to operate with a small, tight-knit squad to avoid upsetting players on the periphery of the first team. However, it would also mean an injury or suspension crisis would see the U’s pushed to the limit.

This has happened numerous times throughout the season so far, with Cambridge’s draw away at Doncaster Rovers the best example.

The U’s now face a similar struggle once again, with the club’s two best players sidelined with ankle injuries. Ironside was forced off midway through the second half against Doncaster Rovers, while Jack Iredale was withdrawn just before the half-time break away at Bolton Wanderers.

Bonner was initially coy on the pair’s respective injuries, but ultimately confirmed both would be missing for much of the remainder of the campaign. In their absence, Sam Smith has had to lead the line on his own, while Sam Sherring has stepped in to partner Jubril Okedina in an incredibly young and inexperienced centre-back partnership.

Both these areas have been ruthlessly exposed since Cambridge’s unbeaten January.

The U’s started February with a defeat away at Bolton, before hosting Championship side Luton Town in the FA Cup. While they started fast against the Hatters, Nathan Jones’ men went on to dominate the match after taking the lead inside the opening 15 minutes, winning 3-0.

A trip to Gillingham was seen as a way to make amends for their recent dip in form, but proved to be a bigger banana skin than many expected.

The Gills have had a torrid season so far, sat in the relegation zone with just three wins when manager Steve Evans was sacked. Fan favourite and former player Neil Harris was chosen as his replacement, winning their first game at home to Crewe Alexandra before falling to a narrow defeat away at Ipswich Town.

The visit of Cambridge was seen as a must-win game in their bid to avoid the drop.

The Kent side had already beaten the U’s in the reverse fixture, winning 2-0 at a rain-soaked Abbey Stadium in September 2021. In fact, that match saw Cambridge record their highest possession stats of the season, amounting a total of 57%. That was until they visited Priestfield Stadium, where they amassed an astonishing 60.1% possession.

Yet Bonner’s men were unable to do anything with it.

From the first whistle, Cambridge found themselves playing like Pep Guardiola’s FC Barcelona side. They were playing neat little passes, and the ball seemed to stick to them like glue. But the U’s ultimately became frustrated, resorting to hopeless long balls while seeming incapable of carving out regular clear-cut chances.

After an hour, Liam O’Neil was substituted for Jack Lankester, forcing Adam May to drop deeper. Suddenly, the visitors were there for the taking and Gillingham prepared to pounce.

With five minutes to play, Robbie McKenzie picked up a low corner and fired at goal. The ball landed at the feet of an unmarked Vadaine Oliver, who blasted the ball past Mitov to seal the win.

This was a sucker-punch for Cambridge, given how much of the ball they had across the 90 minutes. Furthermore, the young centre-back partnership of Okedina and Sherring, who were bullied by Cameron Jerome just three days earlier, had kept Oliver quiet throughout the game. Yet one moment of madness saw the U’s lose again because they couldn’t take any of the few chances they were able to muster.

It means that Bonner’s side have lost three on the bounce in all competitions, and question marks remain as to whether those results would’ve happened had Ironside and Iredale been available.

The sheer regularity of the fixtures make it much harder. Cambridge have been playing twice a week since the start of the year due to progression in cup competitions, and now have to pick themselves up once again to face Burton Albion on Saturday afternoon.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s side find themselves one place above the U’s in 14th, with the gap between the two sides just two points.

Their cushion on the bottom four stands at ten points, but they remain 14 points off Wycombe Wanderers in the last play-off spot. With the Brewers eliminated from all three domestic cup competitions, they’ve got little to play for other than pride.

Perhaps that has somewhat been echoed in their recent performances. Burton have only won one of their last five games, losing two and drawing one of their last three matches at the Pirelli Stadium.

The departure of striker Lucas Akins to Mansfield Town has obviously been a major blow, but Gassan Ahadme looks to be a suitable replacement after his arrival from Norwich City.

Cambridge’s first win of the campaign came at home to the Brewers, sealing a comfortable 3-0 win at The Abbey thanks to two own-goals from Tom Hamer. However, facing them away from home is a much harder prospect, with Burton having won seven of their 15 games in their own stadium this season.

The return of Wes Hoolahan should provide a boost, with May shouldering the majority of the creative burden in the defeat to Gillingham.

The U’s should also be able to submit a full bench once again, with Bonner naming just five substitutes on Tuesday evening due to the club’s participation in the FA Youth Cup. The likes of Greg Taylor, Shilow Tracey and Lloyd Jones all remain sidelined.

Recent performances have Cambridge listed as heavy underdogs going into their trip to Staffordshire, which is just how Bonner will like it. But as the past few months have shown, the U’s are a streaky team. When they start winning games, they become quite hard to stop, but a single loss can derail their confidence and spark a lengthy losing run.

While a return to League Two seems incredibly unlikely, Cambridge’s cushion on the bottom four is at risk of deteriorating. They can’t let their injury crisis dictate their performances, or they might end up getting dragged into the relegation battle.

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