Team News:
Jamie Stephens had an injection on his knee this week so won’t be part of the squad this weekend. John Akinde (knee) has made good progress but is also not likely to feature. Curtis Weston remains side-lined with his knee injury. It was confirmed this week that Richard Brindley has fractured his foot and will be out until the second half of the season as will Elliott Johnson (knee).
Andre Blackman will be serving the first for his three game suspension after being sent off last week at Swindon.
Last Time We Met:
Cambridge were 1-0 winners at The Hive back in February, midfielder Luke Berry with the only goal of the game in the 65th minute.
There was a debut for goalkeeper Harry Burgoyne, brought in on an emergency loan from Wolves after both senior ‘keepers were ruled out through injury.
Neither side hit the target in the first half, Akinde coming closest with a header just over the bar from a Vilhete cross.
Cambridge took the lead when Harrison Dunk picked out Luke Berry who volleyed home from 12-yards.
Opportunities in the dying minutes for Michael Nelson, Charlie Clough and Jamal Campbell-Ryce were all kept out by Will Norris as Cambridge hung on for the three points.
Manager:
A midfielder during his playing days, Shaun was appointed in November 2015 following the departure of Richard Money. Beginning his career at hometown club Notts County, the 39-year old made 93 appearances before leaving for spells with Sheffield United, Portsmouth, Nottingham Forest and Leeds.
Shaun also had two stints with Crystal Palace, winning promotion to the Premier League in 2004. He repeated the trick with Queens Park Rangers and made a total of 61 appearances in the top flight, prior to hanging up his boots after a spell with Millwall.
With 649 games under his belt as a professional, Shaun opted to take the managerial reins at Notts County in November 2013, subsequently guiding the struggling Magpies to League One safety. Despite a fine start to the 2014/15 campaign which saw County cement a top four place, he left Meadow Lane in March 2015.
Shaun signed a contract that will retain his services at the Cambs Glass Stadium until the close of the 2017/18 season.
Dangerman:
Striker Uche Ikpeazu has score 2 goals in six games already this season and is certainly one to keep an eye on.
Signed on a short-term deal in August 2016, Uche brings a powerful physical presence to the U’s attack. Following a spell in the Academy at Reading and loan stint with Didcot Town, this 22-year old penned his first professional contract with Watford during the summer of 2013.
Unable to break into the first-team, he embarked on temporary spells at Crewe and Doncaster, before a productive 28-game loan with League One side Port Vale, which was complimented by six goals. He concluded the 2015/16 campaign with Blackpool, before being released by the Hornets. Uche claimed his first league strike for United during the victory at Newport last October and finished the season with eight goals to his name. He has penned a longer deal with the U’s, who have secured his services until the summer of 2018.
Connections:
Bees captain Michael Nelson spent a season at Cambridge before moving to The Hive in 2015. He made 38 appearances that season, scoring on three occasions. He was a key part of their FA Cup run which saw them earn a replay at Old Trafford against Manchester United.
Goalkeeper Craig Ross also spent time at the Abbey Stadium. He made 15 appearances in the 2012/13 season, keeping 4 clean sheets.
In the other camp, ‘keeper David Forde made 7 appearances for the Bees in 2003 whilst on loan from West Ham United
Last Time Out:
Uche Ikpeazu scored a 64th minute winner as Cambridge United beat Colchester United last weekend.
Cambridge found it hard to break down their visitors until Jabo Ibehre entered the field as a second half sub against his old club, and subsequently assisted the winning goal for strike partner Ikpeazu.
CAMBRIDGE: Forde, Halliday, Legge, Taylor, Dunk, Deegan, Brown, Maris (sub Carroll, 77), Elito (sub Mingoia, 60), Ikpeazu, Azeez (sub Ibehre, 60). Unused subs: Mitov, Taft, Osadebe, O’Neil.
Ticket info:
All ticket information for matches at The Hive London can be found here.
Tickets can be purchased here.
Matchday Arrangements:
Home supporters –
Legends Bar will be open from 12:30 as will Pecking Order. Both locations will be showing the live lunchtime kick off in the Premier League, Manchester City v Liverpool.
The home ticket office will be open from 12:30.
Please note that Legends Bar is still undergoing renovation work and will be ready for our fixture vs Crawley Town. We thank you for your patience during the work.
Visiting supporters –
Bar 66 will be open from 12:30 and will be showing the live lunchtime kick off in the Premier League, Manchester City vs Liverpool.
The away ticket office, located behind the North Stand, will be open from 12:30.
Keep up with the game:
Full match commentary from every game is available on iFollow. If you are based outside the UK and Ireland, you can watch the match live on iFollow.
You can also get live match updates on Twitter throughout the afternoon. We are also on Facebook and will go behind the scenes on our Instagram.
