Cambridge took a decisive step towards securing the Midlands Division 2A title with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Lincoln 1s at Grange Road on Wednesday afternoon. Three first half goals set the tone for a comfortable victory over a struggling Lincoln side, the Blues now just a point away from securing promotion to the second tier of BUCS and the top tier of Midlands football.

Cambridge entered this game with a win absolutely crucial to their title hopes. It was a tight affair at the top of the division heading in, with the light blues only a point above second-placed Loughborough 3s, and four above East Anglia who had a game in hand. Cambridge have played a near flawless Lent term, with two big home wins and an away draw, and so came into this fixture with momentum on their side against a team they had already beaten 4-1 in November.

The home side fired straight out of the blocks and caused Lincoln huge problems from the off. They found space wide well, and within five minutes had started to win corners. Their second set the tone for the game, as a well worked short corner led to captain Deniz Ozer teeing up midfield partner Jesse Tapnack, who curled in a wonderful strike destined for the back of the net. However, the Lincoln keeper remarkably dived at full stretch to tip it behind, the first of many great saves he pulled off throughout the match.

“[Lincoln were] simply outclassed by the Blues and their relentless pressure, physicality and midfield dominance”

It did not come as a surprise when Cambridge opened the scoring soon after. Relentless pressure led to turnover after turnover, and the defence mopped up the early long balls with ease. A fantastic line-piercing pass to Benji Tandy-Ortega forced an error from the defence, bringing the attacker down for a penalty. Ozer stepped up and powered the ball into the net for his tenth league goal of the season, clear at the top of the Division’s goal charts. The keeper got a hand to it, but could only clip the ball as it soared past him for the opening goal.

The Blues never looked back. The Lincoln backline dug in and blocked well to deny Cambridge certain goals, but could not stop the waves of pressure facing them, with every corner posing a threat. Lincoln got themselves up the field but could not resist the counters, and two passes cut through their defence before a rare footballing event occurred. An indirect free kick was awarded after a back pass, and eight Lincoln men subsequently packed the goal-line as Cambridge prepared for this unpredictable chance at goal. Incredibly, a Lincoln player blocked Tapnack’s venomous effort squarely with his face!

Lincoln finally caused the hosts a problem after a few more waves of Blues attacks, and won a free kick out wide. However, the resulting cross was brilliantly cleared and turned into a devastating counter, as an outside of the foot pass from Tapnack cut Lincoln apart. A run from deep by Thomas Musie was followed with a ball squared in pure ‘sweaty’ fashion for Tandy-Ortega to tap into an empty net. Two goals in 30 minutes, and it was nothing less than Cambridge deserved.

It quickly turned from great to incredible as a few minutes later, Max Cowan fired in a cross. In unfortunately comical fashion, the ball deflected off the defender’s shin, and it crashed in off the far post for Cambridge’s third goal, perhaps a fair reflection of the balance of play and all but securing the three points.

“In miserable conditions, Cambridge put in a delightful performance at Grange Road”

Three successive efforts were then met with sharp saves at the near post when the hosts nearly added another as a corner hit the bar. The half-time whistle was then blown to spare Lincoln’s blushes, simply outclassed by the Blues and their relentless pressure, physicality and midfield dominance.

During half-time, news broke that the Blues’ two promotion rivals, who were playing each other that afternoon, had just finished in a 2-2 draw. This was great news for Cambridge, as it left them as it stood three points clear of Loughborough with a game to play. The Blues’ destiny now remained entirely in their own hands, and racking up as many goals as possible in the second half would give them the best possible cushion should they lose in two weeks’ time.

While Deniz Ozer admitted post-match the team were unaware of the result, you would be forgiven for not thinking so as Cambridge created countless opportunities again. Lincoln came out stronger in the second half, as substitutions for both sides shifted the game, with Lincoln finding more space down the right wing. They had their best move of the game, as a scuffed shot from the edge of the box drew the first proper save from keeper Aram Sarkissian.

Whatever hope remained for an unlikely comeback was rapidly snuffed out. A ruthless Cambridge pounced on a rare goalkeeping error, after a fumbled shot found Max Cowan’s path who swiftly added a fourth goal. Lincoln recovered quickly as they managed to pull one back, firing an effort home from a resulting corner after a strong period of pressure.

However any hope of a late momentum shift was immediately halted when an aggrieved Lincoln player worded his way into trouble, and was booked as a result. A card at this level leads to a rugby-style ten minute ‘sin bin’, rendering Lincoln down to ten men for much of the remainder of the match. Safe to say his teammates were not best pleased, and made sure to remonstrate with him loud enough for us all to hear.

Lincoln never got back into it, and soon the full-time whistle blew for a resounding 4-1 victory. It was a brilliantly dominant display with the entire team deserving of acclaim. The defence kept Lincoln to few chances, the midfield and forwards tormented Lincoln all game, and could have easily scored twice as many on another day.

In miserable conditions, Cambridge put in a delightful performance at Grange Road and head towards their final two games in great form. A point away against a UEA side they defeated 2-0 at Grange Road a few weeks ago would secure the title, capping off a fantastic league campaign this year.