The Blues’ final Papa Johns Trophy group game at Cambridge United remains goalless at half-time, however, the visitors are down to 10 men following Kyle Edwards’s early sending off.
Town named a stronger than perhaps anticipated side but with youngsters Cameron Humphreys, Edwin Agbaje and Tawanda Chirewa all starting.
Republic of Ireland U18 international Agbaje made his senior debut on the right side of the defence alongside Richard Keogh and Luke Woolfenden. Vaclav Hladky was in goal.
Kayden Jackson was the right wing-back with Kane Vincent-Young on the left with Lee Evans, who skippered, alongside Cameron Humphreys in central midfield.
Full debutant Chirewa, whose only previous senior appearance came as a sub in the same competition at Colchester when aged 16, was one of the number 10s alongside Edwards with Tyreece John-Jules the lone central striker.
Recent signing Panutche Camara, George Edmundson, Conor Chaplin, Wes Burns and Freddie Ladapo were on a strong bench along with young keeper Nick Hayes and U21s central defender Albie Armin. For Cambridge, former Town forward Jack Lankester was a starter.
John-Jules struck the first shot of the game in the second minute, Jackson cutting the ball back to the Arsenal loanee on the edge of the area, but his effort was too close to home keeper Will Mannion.
Two minutes later, John-Jules hooked the ball well over from a corner on the right, then in the seventh minute Edwards caught Zeno Rossi in the face with a high boot inside the Cambridge box as he looked to get on a bouncing ball. On 15, Edwards shot wide.
Two minutes later, the former West Brom man was given his marching orders. Edwards skipped his way past Jubril Okedina on the edge of the area on the Town left and looked to be tripped. However, referee Thomas Parsons felt Edwards had dived and showed him a yellow and then a red card much to the player’s bewilderment. It looked a very poor decision in real time which video evidence appeared to confirm.
Ben Worman shot straight at Town keeper Hladky on 25 as Cambridge sought to make the most of their one-man advantage. Four minutes later, home skipper Gregory Taylor was booked for pulling back Chirewa, who had made a bright start.
Despite being a man down, the Blues continued to see most of the ball and take the game to the U’s, although without threatening.
Cambridge had similarly created nothing in front of goal until the 42nd minute when Fejiri Okenabirhie shot not too far over the bar from the edge of the area.
Just before half-time, Woolfenden was booked for a challenge on James Brophy, although the defender was adamant that he got a foot on the ball, and he looked to have a case. Lankester sent the resultant free-kick deep into the Town fans behind the goal.
At the whistle, Blues boss Kieran McKenna made his way over to referee Parsons to make his frustrations clear regarding the red card, the latest in a series of bad decisions to have gone against Town this season.
But despite being a man down, Town had still controlled the game for the most part, albeit while rarely threatening.
Cambridge had had a couple of chances late on before the whistle, but other than that the Town backline had been comfortable.
Cambridge Utd: Mannion, Williams, Taylor (c), Brophy, O'Neil, Lankester, Okedina, Rossi, Janneh, Okenabirhie, Worman. Subs: Holden, Smith, Simper, Knibbs, Cowling, Jobe, McConnell.
Town: Hladky, Agbaje, Keogh, Woolfenden, Jackson, Evans (c), Humphreys, Vincent-Young, Edwards, Chirewa, John-Jules. Subs: Hayes, Edmundson, Armin, Camara, Burns, Chaplin, Ladapo. Referee: Thomas Parsons (Rochdale).