Cambridge United 1-2 Leyton Orient match report: Charlie Kelman and Tottenham Hotspur loanee Jamie Donley score second-half goals to move U’s closer to League One relegation
Cambridge United moved another step closer to having their League One relegation confirmed after today’s 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Leyton Orient.
With other results going in their favour, there was a period this afternoon when the live league table showed that the U’s were only two points from safety.
But two second-half goals condemned Cambridge to a 24th defeat of the season and with a gap of five points and just two fixtures remaining, it very much appears a matter of when and not if their demotion down to League Two is confirmed.
It was visiting Orient that registered the first shot of note on target in the 12th minute when Jamie Donley’s free-kick from just outside the box was kept out well by Jack Stevens down low to his left. The resultant corner also dropped invitingly for Donley, but Orient’s number 17 could not get a clean connection and his shot drifted harmlessly wide.
For a period thereafter the game was played in Cambridge’s half, but the hosts released the pressure in impressive fashion with the deadlock-breaking goal after 19 minutes. From deep inside the home side’s territory, Ben Stevenson threaded a short pass through for Josh Stokes, who in turn shifted the ball out wide to the left for Sullay Kaikai. His cross found Ryan Loft at the back post and the forward duly nodded the ball back across for Stokes to bundle in from close range.
Orient continued to dominate the ball after falling behind and they ended the first half with 73 per cent possession, but they found it nigh on impossible to force Stevens into any significant action.
Richie Wellens responded by making a couple of alterations to his Orient side at the break, which include the introduction of Dan Agyei – an attacker that has caused Cambridge problems in the past.
And yet it was the home team that started the second half on the front foot. Stokes volleyed straight at Josh Keeley in the 48th minute and five minutes later the Orient goalkeeper held James Gibbons’ header from a corner. Stokes also went through after Loft’s flick on but a retreating Rarmani Edmonds-Green did enough to put the playmaker off balance.
Agyei had struggled to get into the game up until that point, but he showed his quality when Orient equalised in the 67th minute. It was his cross from the right hand side of the box that drifted over perfectly for Charlie Kelman and the division’s leading goalscorer made no mistake with a downward header.
U’s boss Neil Harris reacted to the setback by introducing Shayne Lavery off the bench for his first action since the 4-0 defeat to Huddersfield Town on 20 December – and it almost paid dividends in the 77th minute. The Northern Ireland international, who has suffered two lengthy hamstring injuries this term, did well to collect Stokes’ cross-field pass before lashing a left footed shot from the edge of the area just over.
Lavery’s introduction certainly lifted the home crowd, but within 60 seconds of that attack Cambridge fell behind. It was a moment of magic from Donley as the Tottenham Hotspur loanee unleashed a dipping half volley that left Stevens no chance.
It was a moment that knocked the stuffing out of Cambridge, although they did rally late on and went close to scoring an equaliser when Lavery fired across the face of goal from a narrow angle but there was nobody on hand to apply the final touch.
Cambridge United: Stevens, Gibbons (Ballard 81’), Watts, Morrison, Andrew (Bennett 75’), Brophy, Digby (Kachunga 81’), Stevenson, Kaikai (Lavery 75’), Stokes, Loft
Leyton Orient: Keeley, Currie (O’Neill 90’), Edmonds-Green, Beckles, Galbraith, Brown, Clare (Adbulai 64’), Donley, Williams (Jaiyesimi 46’), Markanday (Agyei 46’), Kelman (Cooper 85'
