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There was a lot of excitement around The Abbey when Norwich City legend Wes Hoolahan finally signed a contract with Cambridge United.
The 38-year-old was on trial with the League Two club last summer and was reportedly on the verge of joining them under then manager Colin Calderwood. However, things went wrong at the last minute and Hoolahan opted to sign for A-League side Newcastle Jets instead,
However, having made just five appearances in Australia, he made a u-turn and finally opted to join the U’s this season, signing a one-year contract with the Cambridgeshire outfit.
Given his extensive Premier League and Championship experience with Norwich City and international caps for the Republic of Ireland, there were high expectations for Hoolahan ahead of his League Two debut. However, while we’ve seen flashes of brilliance, he’s struggled at times to adapt to the fourth tier of English football.
As expected, Hoolahan’s age has seen his game time somewhat limited, although he’s still managed to make 14 league appearances from a possible 20 so far this season. Some of the fans, however, have been frustrated by the way he’s given the ball away and criticised the midfielder for not being motivated enough.
Many believe that this is down to his position. A natural attacking midfielder, Hoolahan has been shifted out wide by manager Mark Bonner, who usually prefers to use a 4-4-2 formation to accommodate a strike partnership of Joe Ironside and League Two top scorer Paul Mullin. Because he’s not used to this, he often gets isolated on the wing and struggles to beat opponent fullbacks.
This was really highlighted in the U’s’ first-half performance against Leyton Orient on Boxing Day, where Cambridge struggled to create many chances at all and found themselves 1-0 down going into the half-time break. Hoolahan was easily closed down and pinned back by Josh Coulson and Sam Ling on the right side of the visitors’ defence.
The second half was a completely different story. Cambridge, who looked lethargic and lifeless before the break, upped their intensity and found an equaliser after just ten minutes of the restart. Kyle Knoyle’s quick flick found Hoolahan in the penalty area, the O’s gave him far too much space to comfortably prod the ball past Lawrence Vigoroux to make it 1-1.
Just seconds later, he was involved again as Cambridge took the lead. The 38-year-old picked a sharp and precise pass that found Ironside, who set up Mullin to score his 17th league goal of the season. Despite late pressure, Mark Bonner’s side held on to earn the three points, lifting them up to eighth in the League Two table.
Although the U’s had an electric start to the campaign which saw them top of the league at the end of October, their form has somewhat tailed off, losing three of their four games before Saturday’s ‘M11 derby’ win. If they are to keep their promotion hopes alive, Hoolahan’s form will be crucial to that.
Cambridge’s creativity has really left a lot to be desired in recent games, with MK Dons loanee Hiram Boateng out injured until February. The impetus will be on Hoolahan to set up the chances for the likes of Mullin and Ironside if the U’s have genuine aspirations turning around their recent form and earning a place in the playoffs.
