A floodlit Grange Road saw Cambridge continue their title charge against rivals University of East Anglia (UEA) in their first home fixture of Lent, snatching a late two-nil win thanks to a brace from skipper Deniz Ozer. A cagey encounter was characterised by near misses as the two sides went blow for blow, but it was a moment of magic from midfield maestro Ozer which proved decisive. A flurry of stepovers were followed by a left-footed strike, drilling the ball into the bottom right corner from 20 yards, before the captain consolidated his side’s victory with a stoppage time spot kick.

Billed as a six-pointer at the top of the BUCS Midlands Tier Two table, the occasion marked the two sides’ first meeting of the season. Cambridge came into the fixture off the back of a feisty away stalemate at Nottingham Trent, needing to consolidate their lead at the top of the table after dropped points. The meeting of the two sides also brought together the top scorer of the division, UEA’s Adam Bye, and the leading assister, Blues captain Ozer.

“As light faded… UEA looked the more likely to break the deadlock.”

Whilst the numbers on paper pointed towards a high-scoring encounter, the first half was notably devoid of much goalscoring spectacle. Ozer blazed over after capitalising on a misplaced pass by the UEA keeper, before Aaron Kay’s cut back once again found the skipper on the 30 minute mark, who curled just wide of the right-hand post.

Goalless at half-time, a weary crowd of 50-odd trudged into Grange Road’s clubhouse to escape the bitter cold which had enveloped the newly refurbished ground. As light faded and the sides returned to the field, UEA looked the more likely to break the deadlock.

A whipped inswinger found an unmarked Adam Bye at the back post, whose sliced effort flew wide from less than six yards out - a huge let off for the Blues. Cambridge’s head coach Tom Blatch responded with a double substitution in the 55th minute, marking the arrival of left winger Thomas Musie and centre midfielder Benji Tandy-Ortega, looking to take the game to UEA.

The changes provided an almost instant shift in gear for the Blues, with Musie causing havoc for the UEA backline. Musie’s constant pressing turned over possession twice for Cambridge in the UEA final third, with Ozer curling wide and forcing the opposition keeper into a low sprawling save with the resulting chances. Had Cambridge not snatched two goals late on, they may have rued missed opportunities, with the Blues guilty of trying to walk the ball into the goal at times.

“It was a moment of magic from midfield maestro Ozer which proved decisive”

It wasn’t long before UEA once more threatened, with a looping cross-come-shot from the right touchline needing to be tipped onto the woodwork by Cambridge’s Aram Sarkissian. Sensing that the game was there for the taking, Blatch shifted his side into a more aggressive back four formation. This tactical change allowed Ozer to pick up the ball between the lines and drive for the UEA goal, where he was promptly brought down on the edge of the box by the UEA skipper, Lawrie Babington, who promptly received the game’s first and only booking.

Ozer may have left his shooting boots at home for the first 85 minutes, as well as for the ensuing free kick which was drilled into the wall. But the skipper soon showed exactly why he is the Blues’ top scorer by picking up the rebound and smashing home through a crowd of bodies. Mass light blue celebrations ensued as the UEA manager sank to his haunches in his technical area. The Blues’ skipper showed a similar level of ruthlessness when, five minutes later, he was brought down in the penalty area after a bursting solo run, converting the spot kick with relative ease into the bottom left-hand corner.

Although the performance was not pretty, Cambridge showed the sort of grit and determination which is required of title contenders, and the three points gained secures their position at the top of the table for at least another week. The Blues’ next fixture sees bottom-of-the-table and winless Nottingham visit Grange Road, with Cambridge looking to extend their unbeaten streak to four games on the bounce.