ST NEOTS TOWN 1 CAMBRIDGE CITY 1 Southern League Premier Division / 02.04.2016 / Attendance: 351 / Referee: Alistair Wilson (Boston)
Points shared in derby game that could have gone either way Beaten only once in their last seven games a fourth consecutive draw afforded St Neots another important point towards retaining their Premier Division status next season. Elsewhere Histon was beaten at Bedworth and Paulton drew at home with Dorchester so one more win by St Neots from their last three matches looks to be sufficient to ensure survival. A match that was competitive throughout saw both sides spurn chances in the final ten minutes to snatch all three points but a draw was a fair result. St Neots have never beaten Cambridge at the Premier Plus Stadium in five attempts and this was their first draw other than the Red Insure Cup tie earlier this season when Cambridge went through on a penalty shoot-out. St Neots made just one team change with fit again Josh Dawkin coming back from injury to face his former Club with Dan Schiavi relegated to the bench. St Neots looked full of confidence from the start. In their first attack Dawkin lifted a cross into the visitors’ penalty area and arriving late Drew Roberts shot narrowly wide but Cambridge hit back with an Adam Murray header from a Kaan Fehmi free kick forcing an important save from Alex Archer. However, St Neots were enjoying the best of the exchanges and after 14 minutes they forged ahead as Lee
Clarke crossed from the left and the ball deflected off a defender to Drew Roberts who claimed his third goal in four matches with a perfectly placed volley. It was no less than they deserved and just sixty seconds later with visiting keeper Zac Barrett off his line Dawkin was unfortunate to see his net bound shot blocked. From a Fehmi cross James Hall brought a good save from Archer but St Neots continued to prosper and Peter Clark fired narrowly over the bar after good work by Roberts and Remy Gordon. Clarke then tested Barrett but the visitors should have capitalized from a St Neots defensive slip eight minutes before the break. Tom Ward under hit a back pass which freed up Buster Harradine and he cleverly rounded the advancing Archer but lost control and could only fire into the side netting. The half ended with Hall shooting wildly over the bar as Cambridge tried to level the scores. After Barrett had saved well from a narrow-angled finish by Gordon it was the visiting side that started the second half better. Ieuan Lewis shot across the face of goal when he had support square of him and then Brett Longden had to clear off the line from Hall. In an attempt to up the pressure still further Cambridge sent on their two remaining substitutes with more than half an hour to play and now St Neots had to defend
with skipper Adam Tann in good form in front of the back four. The match became very competitive with both sides looking to take advantage of a break from defence but on the hour it was Cambridge who benefitted from their more positive approach as Lee Clarke was judged to have fouled Danny Kelly just inside the penalty area and from the resultant penalty award James Hall made no mistake with the perfectly placed kick to level the scores. Four minutes later Neots had a good shout for a penalty of their own as Peter Clark was hauled back but the Referee judged the offence outside the area and booked Harry Norman but the free kick was wasted. Cambridge substitute Charlie Woolf was played clear but Archer stuck out a hand to deflect his shot and then from a Longden throw Lee Clarke had the ball in the net but was ruled fractionally offside. The last ten minutes saw further chances at either end. Zac Barrett saved brilliantly from a Roberts close range effort and Lee Clarke missed a golden opportunity for St Neots firing the rebound over the bar whilst for the visitors’ Joel Norris was denied by a full length one handed save by Archer.Then, in added time Hall was set up by a slick visitors’ attack but he shot high over the bar and the points were shared.
St Neots Town Archer, Casey, Longden, Tann, Ward, Burns, Dawkin, Clark (P), Clarke (L), Roberts, Gordon Subs: Brown (J) (for Dawkin 65), Schiavi (for Gordon 87), Coulson, Mazeo-Kelly and Jeckells Cards: None Goals: Roberts (14 mins)