Cambridge United head coach Mark Bonner says he saw an angry team when he watched the Blues beat Morecambe 4-0 at Portman Road in their last League One match 10 days ago.

Town hammered the Shrimps following a tough spell in which they’d won only one in six in the league and slipped from the top of the division to third, seven points behind leaders Plymouth and four off second-placed Sheffield Wednesday ahead of tomorrow’s game against the second-bottom U's at the Abbey Stadium.

“We know the size of the challenge,” Bonner said in his pre-match press conference, his side having lost 3-0 at Portman Road in the league earlier in the season and then subsequently having beaten 10-man Town 1-0 in a Papa Johns Trophy to at home.

“I think every manager will say the same things about them and the strength of their team and the strength of their window. I think they have added well and spent well and used the resources that they have got.

“I watched them against Morecambe last week and think the difference now, maybe because of a few results recently, compared to a few weeks ago, [is that] they’ve fallen out of the automatic promotion places and a small gap’s opened up.

“I saw an angry team against Morecambe that looked really determined to get back and they’re chasing something. That can be dangerous for us as an opponent, but it might also give us some opportunities as well.

“So we’ve got to try and find the formula. We have played them twice already this year and we have done OK in parts of those games.

“We've got to try and put another performance on the board from last week [the U’s drew 0-0 at Lincoln following four successive defeats] and see if it can be a really competitive match for them.

“But I also want to make sure the things we do well, we do well and try and make it an uncomfortable game for them, try and make sure we carry a threat in the game, and take a little step forward and see if we can build on last week because it is a big challenge but I probably say that every week now.

“Whilst we have to be absolutely mindful of their strengths and the way in which they play, we have to make sure we focus a real energy in our own performance levels and what problems we can cause them as well.”

He added: “You look at them statistically, I think they outperform pretty much everybody with every stat and every statistic says they should be even higher in the league than they are.

“We know that challenge, they dominate the ball against most teams and the areas of the pitch in which they dominate, it’s very clear.

“They’ve got stronger again, they’re very well coached in the way in which they play and they’ve got excellent individuals, but there’ll be plenty of moments in the game when we can take some control, not only counter-attacks, but taking control of the game and we’ll have to be courageous enough and brave enough to do that.

“And we’ll have to defend brilliantly because they are a team which forces you to defend, not just us, you see it against everybody they play, that’s how they play, that’s what they do and that’s the of strength of them. We’ll have to be good in order to compete with that.

“I am excited for the game, there’ll be a brilliant crowd, a brilliant atmosphere. I thought our supporters were amazing last week at Lincoln and that sort of energy we’re going to need, and togetherness and optimism from everybody, is going to be really important for us in the 19 games that we’ve got ahead.”

Photo: TWTD

Suffolkboy added 12:12 - Feb 3 An honest Manager who doesn't attempt to fudge any issues ,nor flannel ! No doubt his team will give a similarly honest performance ; let's hope we're up fir it ! COYB
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d77sgw added 12:15 - Feb 3 Its an interesting point about the stats showing that we should be higher - ie top. At the end of the day, we're creating chances for ourselves, and limiting the opposition. And its not like our strikers have been missing gilt edged chances, or our defence have been making obvious errors (like they were last season). For me its simply rub of the green - we've conceded at least two massively unfortunate injury time equalisers (there's your 4 points on Sheff Wed straight away...) in the last couple of months, had crappy referee decisions go against us all season (Barnsley, Sheff Wed, Lincoln...) and Plymouth have had so many jammy late wins themselves. The old adage that luck evens itself out over a season is just not true (in our last two Prem campaigns we were a tad fortunate to finish 5th, and then v unfortunate to relegated the season after). I reckon that most seasons the way we have been playing, and with a bit more luck, we'd be walking this division. Got to keep doing what we're doing, and we'll get there - if not this season, then next.

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BurleysGloryDays added 13:01 - Feb 3 hit the post more than anyone too, but it's firmly ourselves i blame. we've bottled leads on occasion, tried to defend out leads when oppo was for the taking, and we absolutely need to be more clinical - we have missed many gilt edged chances in my opinion, sorry to disagree D77. Agree, if not this season then next. But we should be 10 points clear. I'm very optimistic we can get back where we should be. TJJ returning is good news too. Those first 10 games of the season we looked unplayable.

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mr_bean added 15:22 - Feb 3 @d77sgw Agree with most of what you say, but: "fortunate to finish 5th" in the first of our last two PL campaigns? Really? Fortunate?
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 20:01 - Feb 3 I'd say we were a bit UNfortunate not to get a Champions League place in the first year of our last PL campaign! -:)
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