Cambridge Preview

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Team News:

City boss Chris Brass may be tempted to ring the changes after Tuesday's dismal performance at Bury. Players coming into contention for a first-team place include Chris Smith, who confirmed his return to fitness with a substitute appearance at Gigg Lane. Also, Stuart Wise has now completed his three-match suspension and will also be hoping to start. Player-boss Brass himself could be the player to make way for either of these two, as he could be ruled out with an elbow injury suffered in Tuesday's fixture.

There are also more options in terms of strikers, as loanee from Luton Dean Crowe may be given a chance to prove his worth, and Aron Wilford will be hoping for a recall should he overcome the groin injury which ruled him out of the trip to Bury. Jon Parkin is also likely to return from a lengthy period out of action, although he will probably only be fit enough for a place on the bench.

One player for whom Saturday's match will almost certainly come too early for is skipper Darren Edmondson, so Lee Bullock will continue as stand-in captain and Richard Cooper will again deputise at right-back, unless Brass feels the need to recall Steven Downes, whose absence from the last three squads is yet to be explained. Levent Yalcin will also remain notable only by his absence, after suffering another, albeit more minor, injury.

Likely starting line-up: Ovendale; Hope, Smith/Brass, Wise/Wood; Cooper, Ward, Dunning, Merris; Wilford/Fox, Bullock, George/Crowe.

Cambridge have fresh injury worries after their 3-3 draw at home against Doncaster, as veteran defender Mark Venus picked up a back injury and is almost certain to miss out. Full-back Stuart Bimson also had to come off before the end of the match due to a kick below the knee, though he is expected to recover in time for the visit to Bootham Crescent.

Having made a recovery from a long-term knee problem, Warren Goodhind has suffered a recurrence of the same problem and as a result will also be out, although star striker Dave Kitson's suspension following his red card in last weekend's home defeat to Mansfield will not come into action until the U's next fixture against City's last opponents Bury.

Kitson is likely to be partnered up front by 17-year-old John Turner, with Daniel Chillingworth and Alex Revell both rated doubtful for the encounter. Either of those two could make the bench, however, and another teenager Lloyd Opara provides further attacking options.

Likely starting line-up: Marshall; Angus, Duncan, Venus, Bimson; Tudor, Fleming, Walker, Guttridge; Kitson, Turner.


Form guide:

City last five: Yeovil (a) L 0-3, Darlington (h) D 1-1, Bristol Rovers (h) W 2-1, Macclesfield (a) D 0-0, Bury (a) L 0-2

Cambridge last five: Torquay (h) D 1-1, Boston (a) W 2-1, Cheltenham (a) W 3-0, Mansfield (h) L 1-2, Doncaster (h) D 3-3.


Last season's game:

City 3-1 Cambridge

In March 2003, City ended a run of five matches without a victory with a 3-1 triumph over John Taylor's Cambridge side. However, at half-time a third successive defeat looked far more likely, as Ezomo Iriekpen's 6th minute strike had given the U's a 1-0 lead at the interval. The goal came after Luke Guttridge's blast from 20 yards was diverted goalwards by Iriekpen, and just five minutes later they could count themselves unlucky not to have doubled their lead. Omer Riza was thwarted by Michael Ingham, then Scott Jones made another important block. Riza did manage do find the net just before the half-hour mark, again deflecting a scuffed shot from Guttridge, but the linesman ajudged him to be offside.

Clearly, when the referee blew for half-time, Terry Dolan needed to rally his troops, and whatever he said had immediate effect as Jon Parkin followed up Lee Nogan's blocked effort to tap in the equaliser for City. Less than a minute later, 1-1 became 2-1 as Parkin turned provider for Nogan to slot home his first strike of the year. City were a changed team, and proceeded to bombard the Cambridge area with crosses, but for all their efforts Dave Kitson could and would have equalised for the visitors were it not for Chris Brass' goal-line clearance. The three points were wrapped up in stoppage time, when Chris Smith's long ball was latched upon by loan signing Anthony Shandran, who went on to beat Iriekpen and rifle the ball past Marshall for his second goal in a City shirt.


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