CAMBRIDGE UNITED 1-0 COVENTRY CITY
Again, this was a game for the dedicated as it is not the easiest ground to get to for the 142 City supporters, those from the East of England and London and those from Cov, who got through the traffic at the Cathorpe Interchange and in Cambridge, arrived at the Abbey Stadium to see a City team which did not include latest loanee Adam Armstrong, who was watching from the main stand which was a walk through a field of cow pats and who knows what other type of mess to the away end.
City with Chris Stokes and Marcus Tudgay back in the side, were straight on the attack winning a corner in the opening minute and Lameiras firing in a shot at Sam Beasant.
But by the fourth minute, Richard Money's side had three corners in front of the South Stand where the City support, minus one rather loud individual, were housed.
Ruben Lameiras, played on the right but had to spend a lot of time tracking, whilst former Coventry City striker Robbie Simpson, was able to go forward at will and fired wide in the 18th minute at the end where the City support were.
Two minutes later and City had the ball in the net following a corner but the assistant had his flag up as Tudgay stroked the ball into the net.
Simpson had another effort which put Jim O'Brien, Ivor Lawton and Ryan Haynes who were warming up, to the right of the goal in more danger than Lee Burge who pulled off a good save in the 25th minute from Corr.
In the 28th minute, Cambridge had the ball in the net through Barry Corr but the flag from the light grey shirted assistant on the side to our left which had two segregated terraces and a TV gantry that looked precarious, was up and offside was given.
A great turn in the 33rd minute by Vincelot won City a free kick.That came to nothing and Cambridge broke and won a corner. All the City defence stood and in came Leon Legge, United's number six, to head the ball down and into the net.
The Sky Blues did win a corner and have a Vincelot shot which flew over the bar, but they went in at the break a goal down.
Jim O'Brien and George Thomas were sent on for the second half, for a City side that was having to defend in the early stages of the second half.
Robbie Simpson went off to good applause from the City support who launched into a "Sky Blue Army" chant on the hour mark but any support from the stand was not helping the team on the pitch who were guilty of some poor passing and decision making.
When things did click, City looked better and Maddison, Vincelot and Thomas combined to send a ball across the face of the goal in the 63rd minute.
John Fleck fired wide which brought a new song for the City support to the tune of Slade's "Cum On Feel The Noize", who were clearly restless with what was being displayed by the Sky Blues in the U21's home kit.
Jim O'Brien really should have done better in the 68th minute when he flicked a Vincelot ball into the arms of Sam Beasant, whilst Romain Vincelot, played some neat balls and was probably City's best player, but was booked for protesting too much about James Maddison going down with twenty or so minutes left.
Stokes had a 73rd minute corner cleared and Jordan Willis fired at Beasant five minutes later and after a City corner, Willis was replaced by Dion Kelly-Evans for the last eight minutes.
Cambridge had two shots at Burge but with Maddison struggling to stay on his feet and Thomas missing a sitter when he was clean through in the closing minutes, City's lack of accurancy in front of goal was always going to cost them and seven days after the defeat at Portmouth, Tony Mowbray's side went down to another pre-season defeat.