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Blues 0 Cambridge United 1

k1BLUES are still looking for their first pre-season victory, but they produced another encouraging performance against Football League opposition.

It was another promising pre-season work-out for Adam Flint’s squad as they lost narrowly to a full strength United side with the winning goal coming shortly after the break.

While United boss Joe Dunne took his club’s youngsters to Newmarket, the visitors sent what is likely to be their starting line-up at Port Vale to the ProKit UK Stadium, although a second half injury to Jabo Ibehre will have soured the win for them.

k4As expected the visitors controlled most of the proceedings in midfield and territorially were on top for the 90 minutes.

In windy conditions United’s George Taft was close early on following a George Maris corner and Maris was close over the bar after a good move. Then Liam O’Neil wasn’t far off target,

The Blues first real threat came in the 19th minute as Jack Thomas linked with Jamie Cureton, playing his first match, and the veteran saw his effort turned for a corner by defender Taft.

k2Elliott Ronto shot over the bar four minutes later whilst a Maris free-kick deflected off the Stortford wall on to the top of the bar on the half-hour.

Stortford settled gradually and in the 39th minute a fine long ball from Ronto found Cureton running for goal and the striker whipped his shot over and wide of keeper David Forde but the ball fell the wrong side of the keeper’s right-hand post.

United almost took the lead a minute from the break when Bobby Mason did well to tip a shot from Jabo Ibehre over the bar.

k6The only goal arrived in the 48th minute as the Blues failed to deal with a corner and Emmanuel Osadebe , brother of Stortford’s Chi, worked himself into space to fire low into the corner from eight yards.

The Blues skipper Lewis Dark wasn’t far off target soon afterwards but Mason saved from Maris with fifteen minutes left. There was a spell of substitutions and then, before the final whistle, the hosts came close to grabbing an equaliser. First substitute Ike Nzuraba saw a clearance rebound off him and pass a foot over the bar and then in the 82nd minute Johnville Renee’s acute angled cross from the left struck the bar and no one was able to convert the rebound.

k3In the last minute of the match Stortford substitute keeper Klinton Makayabo did well to stop Harrison Dunk net a second for the visitors.

STORTFORD: Bobby Mason (Klinton Makayabo 76); Shabazz Omofe; Johnville Renee; Lewis Dark; Damien Green (Max Brassington 69); Sam Robbins (Joe Robinson 60); Alfie Mason (Dalton Harris 69); Jack Thomas (Jordan Wescott 60); Jamie Cureton (Ike Nzuraba 69); Chi Osadebe; Elliott Ronto (Freddie Oakman 76).

Unused substitute: Younis Farah.

CAMBRIDGE UNITED: David Forde; Jake Carroll; George Taft; Greg Taylor; Gary Deegan; Liam O’Neil; Harrison Dunk; Jabo Ibehre (Sam Bennett 57); Emmanuel Osadebe; George Maris; Louis John.

Unused substitute: Josh Jeche