Northern Premier League Midlands
The Glassworld Stadium, Cambridge
Wednesday, 15th February 2023, 7.45pm
Rovers Left To Rue Early Misses
It made for a miserable long trip back home to South Derbyshire for the hardy few who took the journey made even more so by a couple of junctions of the M1 closed leading to a long detour adding another three quarters of an hour to the already two-hour trek.
Rovers should have been at least three goals to the good in the first half but, as has been the case for most of this season, those chances, gilt edged chances at that went begging. The visitors were to rue those misses with Cambridge converting three of theirs.
Carl Abbott included another new face into his starting line-up with Ryan Nesbitt joining the club from Bedworth United and he was soon causing problems for the home defence.
Rovers were on top in the early stages but those chances just could not be converted. The first came on 13 minutes with George Clarke firing wide from a good position. This was followed three minutes later when Danny Munday got on the end of a Alby Lansdowne, who was making his 200th appearance for the club, free kick from the right. Munday, who is usually deadly in the box, connected well with the ball but his header clipped the outside of the near post with the keeper beaten.
Rovers’ frustrating evening continued 25 minutes later. A great cross into the box from Nesbitt fizzed through and Jonathan Letford, sliding in, only managed to get his studs to the ball sending his effort wide of the far post leaving the front man frustrated as a better contact would surely have seen his side in front.
City’s only attempt on goal so far in the game came on 28 minutes and resulted in them taking the lead, A free kick was headed goalward by Jarid Robson whose speculative effort looped over the despairing Lewis Fenney and into the far corner of the net.
That goal seemed to spring the home side into action and they were soon putting Rovers under pressure and it took a fine save from Fenney to keep it to one goal tipping a fine dipping shot from distance over the bar.
A piece of sloppy defending from Rovers in midfield led to them conceding a needless second goal. On 43 minutes the ball was given away almost on the halfway line which led to a quick break down the right and the resultant cross was easily dispatched by Theo Aleandrou from close in.
Munday had a chance to reduce the deficit almost on the halftime whistle, but his header flew wide of the target.
At the start of the second half, the Rovers’ management made a change with Kane Lee replacing Akanni Akinwe and appeared to go with three at the back
Within seven minutes of the restart, City extended their advantage. A ball into the area was uncharacteristically missed by Clark leaving Daniel Cotton the easy task of tapping the ball into an empty net.
The home side’s tails were well and truly up and could easily added further to Rovers’ distress but Fenney was on hand to push the strongly hit shot away.
To Rovers’ credit they kept working and driving forward and during one of their attacks it took the slightest of touches from a defender to prevent an almost certain goal getting to the ball as Clark was about to take advantage of a superb ball in from the left. Another half chance came and went with a Rovers’ header going wide from a corner.
Nesbitt, having a fine debut, tested the home keeper with a blistering shot from just outside the area which Joe Welch did well to push away diving to his left.
A quick throw saw Shaquille Leachman-Whittingham race into the area from the right and he was unlucky to see his shot hit the near post.
With Rovers pressing they were almost caught out again from a quick break but Cotton somehow managed to miss an open goal. The game ended with Alex Morris putting his header narrowly past the upright.
Manager Carl Abbott, in his after-match interview, said that his team after that result are now in a mini-league of five. At present Rovers are top of that league and he, his assistant Paul Tomlinson and the rest of their backroom staff are determined to see that the players end the season in that position at the very least to ensure they remain in this league for next season.
