There was an air of inevitability about the way Lee McEvilly relished the role of pantomime villain and put his old team to the sword. More difficult to explain was why Wrexham were such easy victims.
Wrexham started well against a Cambridge side which, after racing to the top of the table with four consecutive wins, had stuttered, gaining two points from the subsequent nine on offer. With a change in shape and a restructuring at the back brought about by their lack through injury and suspension of any right backs, United were disjointed in the opening ten minutes and might have capitulated if they had been made to pay. However, Wrexham failed to take advantage of them and were soon to rue their toothlessness.
They could have been ahead after a minute; a Louis flick sent Simon Brown clear on goal but he lost patience as he waited for the ball to drop for him and hooked a weak shot over the advancing keeper and wide. It was a glorious opportunity to atone for his midweek profligacy; he needs a goal soon.
Within a couple of minutes came another near thing. a cross was cleared to Levi Mackin on the edge of the box and his well struck shot was deflected narrowly wide of the left post. However, Cambridge weathered the storm, and soon established a grip on midfield as they took command of the game, with the movement of their front three and the sheer determination of Wrexham's betes noir McEvilly and Paul Carden.
Although McEvilly had a huge influence on the game, particularly in the alarming manner in which he was able to bully Darran Kempson, he was to miss two absolute sitters. First Beesley broke down the right and whipped in a cross which McEvilly contrived to head against the far post from inside the six yard box. Then he broke clear on goal after a neatly worked one-two only to make a complete hash of his shot, slicing it ludicrously wide as Ward advanced.
The tide had turned though, and there would be no hint of that changing until Wrexham had gone behind. Holdroyd was finding space in the hole and forced Ward into a sharp tip-over with a twenty-five yard drive before the keeper did rather less well with the opening goal.
A well-delivered corner from the left tempted the keeper into the crowded goalmouth, but he got nowhere near it. Kempson, straining to get his head on it, could only flick the ball across goal to the far post where Beesley slammed into an empty net from a yard out.
Substitutions:
Wrexham
-
(UNUSED SUBS: )
Cambridge
Tonkin
(UNUSED SUBS:)
Yellow Cards:
Wrexham
Brown, Baynes,Tremarco, Mackin
Cambridge
Tonkin
Red Cards:
-
Wrexham had switched to 4-3-3 as Cambridge's grip on midfield tightened, but it wasn't until ten minutes after the goal that the change of system mustered a chance, a neat move between Baynes and Mackin giving Brown a shooting chance fifteen yards out, but as he turned he failed to get a proper purchase on the shot and it was easily saved. Baynes was responsible for Wrexham's best decent effort of the half as injury time loomed when he lashed in a terrific shot from distance which Potter did well to tip over. Surprisingly he was to be removed early in the second half for a second successive game despite seeming once more to be the brightest spark in midfield.
The second half followed a depressing pattern. Despite having plenty of possession, Wrexham huffed and puffed but never looked likely to create anything of note. In that context the second goal was a killer blow. As Wrexham committed men forward, United hit them on the break and McEvilly broke down the right before sweeping in a high cross to the far post. The unmarked Holdroyd met it with a close range volley which Ward brilliantly tipped onto the bar, but Beesley followed up to tap the rebound into an empty net.
And apart from a close range header from a Shaun Whalley cross which Jeff Louis directed into the side-netting when he ought to have headed it across goal, that was it for the half. A moribund Wrexham controlled possession but were totally incapable of breaking down United's stubborn, comfortable defence.
It was a depressing sight for the viviting fans. Wrexham fans have been hoping their team would settle down into its true form. After the last two games they must feel they ought to be careful what they wish for.
