Cambridge United 4 Tranmere Rovers 2

 Phew, what a game! After witnessing a number of lackluster performances lately, it was good to witness a truly entertaining match when Cambridge took on Tranmere on Saturday.

To be honest, the first half was a bit of a stop/start affair with Cambridge playing the ball on the floor, but Tranmere tending to go aerial in their attempts to play ex-Cambridge centre forward, Joey Ironside into the game. In the opening encounters, Sullay Kaikai came the closest heading over the crossbar in the 13th minute. Tranmere responded with a chance of their own when Cambridge had to scramble a clearance away from a corner that Connor Jennings got on the end of on 22 minutes.

The next 10 minutes were a bit of a scruffy affair with both sides battling in midfield and feeding off scraps. As the half drew to a close Patrick Brough had a great chance to put Rovers in the lead, but fired wide. Cambridge responded with another short from Kaikai that forced a good save from veteran Rovers' keeper Joe Murphy. Just as it looked like the half was going to end 0-0 up popped Dylan Jones to head home a cross from Brough to make it 1-0 at halftime to Rovers.

Cambridge knew that they had to do something and really had the bit between their teeth. They still needed to change something though and on 57 minutes Shane Lavery was introduced. It didn't take him long to make his mark as one minute later, and with possibly his first touch of the ball, he fired home from distance to fire home an equaliser.

It felt like Cambridge would now go on to win the game as they seemed a lot stronger than the visitors, but Tranmere had other ideas. On 63 minutes Dam Finley teed up Charlie Whitaker and somehow it was 2-1 to Tranmere. 

Tranmere's lead was also short lived though when just four minutes later when James Brophy crossed the ball for Kelland Watts to equalise for the Us. 

The game was now turning into an end-to-end affair with Cambridge looking the more likely and Tranmere seeming to be happy with a draw, but still probing on the counter. In fact the next major chance fell to the guests when Ironside played Billy Blacker through only to see his shot well saved by Jake Eastwood.

Cambridge took the lead for the first time when Watts helped himself to a second goal heading home from a James Gibbons cross on 77 minutes. This really was the turning point in the game with the Us pushing Rovers hard and Lavery looking like he really wanted a second. The final goal came deep in stoppage time when Ben Knight, who was afforded too much space, slotted home to make it cambridge United 4 Tranmere Rovers 2.









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