MarkHeadBonner coach
In a period where we have played more games with fewer players than most teams in the league, we are giving a good account of ourselves. We were sung off the pitch by our 1700 away fans last weekend and that tells you everything you need to know about what they thought of the performance. The noise in the away end was outstanding and it looked as though everyone enjoyed both the day out and the game.
It is the biggest crowd we have played in-front of so far since our step up after a year of no fans last year and I thought we took the ball played under pressure really well. We had a counter attacking threat, but we used the ball intelligently throughout the game. I thought we played well and had a good threat throughout the game. The statistics say it was an even game, and maybe a draw would have been a fair result, but I certainly don’t think we deserved to go home defeated. I actually said to the players it might be one of our best performances in lots of areas this season, so I am really pleased with the progress that we are making. The intensity has gone up this year, in terms of the quality of the opposition, the speed of the game, the ball inplay time and the atmosphere in the stadiums, which all cost you physically and mentally. That is why we are glad of this midweek break. Hopefully those days off have given us a chance to recharge a little bit, but the players have done unbelievably well to get through in both cup competitions and to pick up some league points along the way. We are not halfway through the season yet, so we know we have got a long way to go, but we are pleased with the start and look forward now to freshening everybody up and getting ready for Rotherham and Wycombe. We know we are close, but when you have got the game and it is there for you to take, that is where you’ve got to take it. That’s just that clinical nature of the game. We certainly took nothing from the game in terms of points last week, but the small consolation is we are going toe-to-toe with big clubs, huge budgets, massive expectations, great atmospheres and we are getting better and improving all the time. Today’s challenge is a great one. Rotherham are the best team we have played so far this season and we look forward to testing ourselves against them again so soon. Finally, I would like to wish all our supporters a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. ■ www.cambridge-united.co.uk
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