Cambridge United beat Ipswich Town in pre-season friendly thanks to Michael Morrison’s last-minute goal at the Abbey Stadium
Cambridge United continued their pre-season friendly programme this afternoon with a 2-1 home victory over EFL Championship outfit Ipswich Town.
It appeared that the encounter was going to end level at a goal apiece but with virtually the last kick of the game newly-appointed Cambridge captain Michael Morrison sent the majority of the crowd home with something to smile about.
Ipswich – spearheaded by new signing Omari Hutchinson – threatened to run riot during the opening exchanges. It took them a mere two minutes to break the deadlock when their Chelsea loanee, who arrived at the club during the week, curled a left-footed cross from the right flank towards the back post. Leif Davis – up from left-back – had crept into the box unmarked and he duly bounced an effort beyond a flat-footed Jack Stevens into the United goal.
Hutchinson was proving to be a real thorn in Cambridge’s side and he almost had a second assist in the eighth minute. His pace took him away from United left-back Harrison Dunk and from the byline he picked out Conor Chaplin. Last season’s leading marksman had three bites of the cherry, but his first two efforts were blocked and then off balance, he poked the third wide of the target.
Within 60 seconds it was Hutchinson’s turn to try his luck with a curling effort from the edge of the area that only flew a foot wide of the top corner.
Much of the game had been played in the Cambridge half up until that point, yet slowly but surely the U’s started to work their way into the contest. Saikou Janneh dragged an effort wide of the near post from 12 yards out in the 19th minute and then six minutes later his cross from the left was just a couple of inches too high for Ipswich loanee Gassan Ahadme.
Janneh – back at the club after a loan stint at AFC Wimbledon – was proving to be United’s best outlet and it was he who levelled up the scoreline in the 28th minute. The winger showed good pace to break into the Ipswich box and after he had opened up his body to make room for a right-footed shot, his effort looped up off visiting defender Cameron Burgess and over Vaclav Hladky in goal.
Cambridge’s number 17 then thought he had scored a second goal in the 36th minute after he had headed Jubril Okedina’s right-wing cross beyond Hladky, but his celebrations were cut short by the offside flag.
Ahadme headed straight at Hladky and Janneh blazed an effort over as United made a bright start to the second half, while up the other end Stevens was forced into a full stretch save down low to his right by Marcus Harness before an off-balance Davis steered the rebound wide.
United head coach Mark Bonner made a trio of changes just after the hour mark and with 20 minutes remaining two of them featured heavily in one of the best passages of play in the match. Liam Bennett produced a step over to get the better of Harness midway inside his own half and then two passes later – from Paul Digby and George Thomas – Fejiri Okenabirhie cut inside from the left and forced Hladky into action with a low shot.
More substitutions entered the action as the second half wore on – including Cambridge youngsters Kai Yearn and Glenn McConnell, both of whom showed some bright moments as the home side ended the encounter in positive fashion when Morrison powered home after Ipswich had failed to clear a 90th-minute cross from Andrew.
United will be back in friendly action on Tuesday with a behind-closed-doors encounter against lower-league Gillingham.
- Cambridge: Stevens, Okedina (L Bennett 61’), Morrison, R Bennett, Dunk (Andrew 61’), Digby, Thomas (Simper 73’), Lankester (McConnell 78’), Brophy (Trialist 78’), Janneh (Okenabirhie 61’), Ahadme (Yearn 78’)
- Ipswich: Hladky, Davis (H Barbrook, Woolfenden, Burgess, Carr (F Barbrook 76’), Evans, Luongo (Ayinde 55’), Harness, Chaplin, Hutchinson (Morgan 76’), Ladapo
