Cambridge United Mid-Season Review: League One’s surprise package are upsetting the big boys

Cambridge United have been a fantastic addition to the third tier.

In an overly top-heavy division, the U’s were universally tipped for a bottom four finish after winning promotion from League Two last season.

Despite operating on one of the smallest budgets in the division, head coach Mark Bonner had guided his boyhood club to 17th place at the halfway point of the campaign.

Cambridge have upset the applecart on more than one occasion, even if they aren’t threatening at the top end of the league table. They have, however, been on the wrong end of a few thrashings as they look to adapt to playing at this level for the first time in almost 20 years.

Three key games

Cambridge United 1-5 Lincoln City – September 11th 2021

To some, it might seem a bit weird to include a heavy defeat in a list of three key games. But Cambridge’s 5-1 humiliation at the hands of Lincoln City gave the U’s a major wake-up call.

Bonner’s side had failed to win any of their opening three league games upon returning to League One. An opening day draw to Oxford United was followed up by a narrow defeat to Accrington Stanley, before the U’s escaped with a point from a tough Tuesday night trip to Plymouth Argyle.

Then everything started to click into place. A convincing, albeit somewhat fortuitous, 3-0 win against Burton Albion and a backs-to-the-wall 1-0 victory against in-form Bolton Wanderers would round off the month. The U’s were once again in high spirits.

But in truth, Cambridge had not really been tested in the third tier. That was until the Imps visited The Abbey.

Michael Appleton’s men ran riot in East Anglia, opening the scoring after just 24 seconds. Within an hour, the U’s were 4-0 down. Joe Ironside’s neat finish proved to be nothing but a consolation goal, as Anthony Scully sealed his hat-trick with just over 15 minutes to play.

The 5-1 defeat is the heaviest suffered in Bonner’s tenure, and the second biggest away win that any side has registered in League One this season.

Cambridge were simply outclassed in every department. What makes the result worse is that, at the time of writing, the Imps are currently sat in the relegation zone after a catastrophic start to the campaign. But this was an eye-opener for the U’s, a reality check that they so desperately needed. It showed Bonner what was needed to compete at this level, which is exactly what they’ve gone on to do.

Portsmouth 1-2 Cambridge United – September 18th 2021

Football managers often talk about seeing a reaction from their players, and Bonner was no different after the defeat to Lincoln. Unfortunately for him, Cambridge’s next game was a trip to Portsmouth. The U’s had only beaten Pompey once in their entire history and had never won a single game at Fratton Park.

This was a big match for Danny Cowley’s side as well, who had lost their previous two games to Wigan Athletic and MK Dons respectively. Perhaps there was a sense of complacency in the air on the South Coast, as Cambridge stormed into a 2-0 lead inside 70 minutes.

While Ironside’s looping header was a sight to behold, it was Liam O’Neil’s weak-footed volley from a poorly cleared corner that truly stole the show. The midfielder curled the ball home from outside the area, doubling the U’s lead before celebrating in front of a furious Fratton End.

Oh Neil ?#EFL | @CambridgeUtdFC pic.twitter.com/FqvfoK7oNF

— Sky Bet League One (@SkyBetLeagueOne) September 19, 2021

Ronan Curtis fired a powerful effort past Dimitar Mitov with just under 15 minutes to play, but Pompey couldn’t find an equaliser. Given their scintillating form in recent weeks, this is undoubtedly the biggest scalp that Cambridge have claimed this season.

This wasn’t just a reaction, this was an astonishing act of defiance that proved all of their doubters wrong in spectacular fashion.

Cheltenham Town 0-5 Cambridge United – 7th December 2021

While Lincoln’s 5-1 win at The Abbey is the second biggest away win in League One this season, Cambridge’s demolition of Cheltenham Town is the biggest.

The U’s have unsurprisingly failed to beat many of League One’s bigger teams so far this season, but Bonner is always keen to admit that “their battles aren’t out battles”. That statement is undoubtedly true. Ultimately, his side need to beat the teams around them to keep their place in the third tier this season.

Wins against AFC Wimbledon and Morecambe rank quite highly in that regard, but the pinnacle was Cambridge’s astonishing 5-0 win at Cheltenham Town.

The Robins pipped the U’s to the League Two title last season, taking four points off Bonner’s side in the 2020/21 campaign. Their similarly impressive start to life in the third tier made Michael Duff’s men firm favourites to win the match, especially given that Cambridge failed to pick up a single league win in November.

After a positive start from the hosts, it was somewhat of a surprise to see Sam Smith score the opening goal of the game eight minutes before the break. What happened next was a one-sided annihilation of last season’s fourth tier champions, as the U’s fired in four goals without reply. Ironside scored a perfect hat-trick, with his third goal the pick of the bunch due to James Brophy’s back-heel assist.

Their defensive resilience was just as important as their scintillating attacking play. The U’s backline had to stand firm in the first half, but totally starved the Cheltenham attack of any chances after the halftime break. Every player did their job to a man over the course of Cambridge’s best 90 minutes so far this season.

Star player – Joe Ironside

There are a number of players who could be named as Cambridge’s player of the season so far. Jack Iredale has been exceptional in a variety of different positions, while Smith and Adam May have proven their doubters wrong with a number of consistent performances.

Picking the club’s top scorer may seem obvious, but Ironside has clearly been the U’s player of the season so far.

Losing Paul Mullin on a free transfer to Wrexham over the summer looked to be fatal. The 27-year-old scored 32 goals last season, the most ever managed in a single League Two campaign, and was expected to move to a top League One or even a Championship side.

Cambridge never signed a like-for-like replacement for him and instead put their faith in Ironside, who scored 14 league goals and provided seven assists in the fourth tier last season. Now midway through the 2021/22 campaign, he is now just three goals off of matching his total from the previous campaign.

Despite clocking in at 5’9”, Ironside has used his incredible presence and physicality to become one of the best target-man strikers in the entire division. His hold-up play is second to none, often setting up the likes of Smith and Hoolahan to profit off his hard work.

Thankfully, Ironside signed a contract extension at the start of the season that will keep him at the club until 2023. So unlike Mullin, the U’s new star striker is here to stay.

Underperforming player – James Brophy

Jack Lankester has arguably been the biggest disappointment for Cambridge so far this season, but that’s because the 21-year-old has hardly played due to a variety of extenuating circumstances. Conor Masterson has also been error-prone at times for the U’s, but his loan from Queens Park Rangers is due to expire after Monday’s game against Portsmouth.

As a result, Brophy probably has to be considered the biggest under-performer.

The former Leyton Orient winger was one of the club’s first signings upon returning to the third tier and joined the U’s with high expectations. Much of his time at Brisbane Road saw him played as a left-back, but the 27-year-old flourished on the left side of a front three towards the end of his time with the O’s.

Brophy hasn’t looked out of place in League One, having last played at the level in 2016, but he hasn’t had the attacking impact that many had hoped. Perhaps his performances are overshadowed by the scintillating pace of Shilow Tracey and Smith’s impressive goalscoring form, but he simply doesn’t offer enough in the final third.

Sometimes he shows a moment of brilliance, like his stunning assist for Ironside at Cheltenham or his powerful finish against Ipswich Town. But his attacking output doesn’t come regularly enough, and the U’s faithful have become increasingly frustrated with his performances.

It’s not all doom and gloom, however. Brophy’s defensive contributions have undoubtedly helped Cambridge down the left flank, working well with Iredale and Harrison Dunk to nullify any threats on that side. If he can improve his performances up the other end of the pitch, then he can become a crucial player for the U’s in the coming months and years.

Goal of the season (so far) – Ben Worman vs Morecambe

Cambridge have tried their very best to have their own goal of the season competition in the first half of the campaign.

O’Neil’s strike at Fratton Park (see above) comes near the top, as does Smith’s curling effort against Rotherham United. Many would pick Iredale’s fierce effort against Shrewsbury as their goal of the season so far, but the U’s went on to lose 4-1.

Bringing all factors into consideration, Ben Worman’s incredible finish away at Morecambe has to be number one.

After an incredibly hard-fought opening half-hour, Cambridge had started to get to grips with the pace of the game. Jensen Weir picked up the ball just inside the Morecambe half, pinging a pinpoint pass to Worman on the edge of the area. The U’s academy graduate used his weaker left foot to flick the ball over his head and fire a powerful volley past Jökull Andrésson in the Shrimps net.

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Stop what you’re doing and watch this absolutely ?????????? strike from Cambridge United’s Ben Worman! ? pic.twitter.com/6hnemsffSG

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) November 3, 2021

Not only was it one of the goals of the season based on quality alone, but also because it opened the scoring in an incredibly cagey affair. Cambridge went on to win 2-0 in a crucial game, further distancing themselves from the bottom four.

What’s next?

A huge FA Cup tie away at Premier League outfit Newcastle United is on the horizon, with Cambridge reaching the third round of the competition for the first time since 2017.

The U’s need to keep the core of their squad together in the January transfer window while also adding defensive reinforcements. Bonner prefers to operate with a small, tight-knit squad, but he lacks options in the back four due to a number of long-term injuries.

If there was one criticism to make, it would be that they need to turn their impressive performances into positive results. Cambridge played incredibly well against the likes of Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham, Sunderland, Wigan Athletic and Charlton Athletic, but failed to beat any of them.

That can be excused at this point, with the U’s four points clear of the drop zone while still adapting to life in League One. Bonner would undoubtedly like to turn a few of those losses into draws, and a few of those draws into wins.

Based on their current trajectory, that will happen eventually. When it does, Cambridge will be a true force in the third tier.

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