Cambridge United 1 Oxford United 1

Oxford were held to a 1-1 draw at the Abbey Stadium tonight by Cambridge, after the Us had dominated the first half. They lost their shape a bit in the second half and allowed the home team back into the game, but in the end a draw was probably the fairest result, and one that United would have settled for beforehand. United started strongly, and were denied a clear penalty claim after just three minutes when Lewis Haldane was sandwiched between two defenders. Adam Murray, playing just behind lone striker James Constable, had a shot that Danny Potter failed to hold, and then Luke Foster spooned the ball over the bar from just a couple of yards out. The opening stages were all Oxford, and Murray did well with a speculative lob that just drifted wide. On ten minutes Haldane worked the ball to Constable who, closely marked by Phil Bolland, squeezed the ball into the path of Murray, who hammered home his second goal in successive games. Cambridge then created their only chance of the first half when Paul Carden's shot deflected off Chris Willmott into the path of Danny Crow, unmarked and eight yards out. In the home game Crow missed an open goal from two yards out, and while this wasn't quite as clear cut, he really should have beaten the on-rushing Billy Turley. Instead he dragged the shot past Turley but against the post. This led to a spell of Cambridge pressure that United stood up to before reasserting themselves. Craig Nelthorpe slid a brilliant pass through to Constable, who was denied by a perfectly timed last-ditch tackle by Bolland. Adam Chapman got on the end of a cross but could only direct his powerful header straight at Potter, and shortly before the break Constable returned the favour to Nelthorpe, who ran clear but his shot was well saved by Potter, when perhaps the winger would have done better to try and round the keeper.

United started the second half well, with Nelthorpe and Constable both going close, but without the dominance that they had shown in the first half, and gradually the home side got back into the game. The Us were grateful to Billy Turley for tipping over Cambridge's first shot on target with just 20 minutes remaining. He repeated the feat a minute later, and then headed a corner off his own line, although the whistle had already gone. Three minutes later, though, and Cambridge were level. United's defence failed to close down Carden, whose shot curled out of Turley's reach and into the net. Cambridge now scented victory, and Turley had to be alert again to save from Robbie Willmott. Yemi Odubade raced clear at the other end, but a last-ditch tackle dispossessed him just as he was about to pull the trigger. Before the last two away games Oxford would probably have bitten your hand off if you'd offered them a four-point return, so the lads can be reasonably pleased with their last week's work. Now they have to ensure that they keep the momentum going when second-bottom Lewes visit on Sunday; a game for which Constable will be suspended.

Chris Wilder made two changes to the side that won at Crawley Town on Saturday. With Shane Killock out injured, Joe Burnell came into the midfield and Haldane started in place of Yemi. Eddie Hutchinson came on midway through the second half to replace Joe Burnell, and when Cambridge scored United replaced Haldane with Yemi.

Tonight's referee was Peter Quinn, who had a far better game than in his previous encounter with Oxford, in the season's opener at Barrow. He did book Constable for dissent, but otherwise saved his cards for the Cambridge players, which is what they were there for, after all. The attendance was 3,774, which isn't too shabby for a midweek game live on the box, although a lot of those were students taking advantage of a cheap offer. There were allegedly 259 from Oxford.

The point lifts Oxford up to tenth, above Rushden & Diamonds, and now eight points off the play-offs. Cambridge move up one place to sixth, climbing above Wrexham. [@news]2454[/@news][@opponent]cambridge united[/@opponent]