Higher Grade Result for Cambridge

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Sunday 18 May 2014 at Wembley
Result	Cambridge United 2 Gateshead 1
Competition	Conference Playoff Final
Hopping	My 19th visit to Wembley and the second of five planned for the end of this particular season.
Pre-match preparation
Cambridge came from a first-leg deficit to beat Halifax, and Gateshead overcame Grimsby, in their respective semi-finals.  Pre-match opinion seems divided as to whether Cambridge’s success and experience here in winning the FA Trophy will be more significant than Gateshead’s impressive unbeaten end-of-season run.  I’ll be in the Cambridge end, having adopted them as a “second club” in my student days (having carefully removed all traces of university membership before entering the ground, as was advisable back in the 70s!).
This match in one sentence
A forgettable first half before Cambridge took control, though there were ten uncomfortable minutes at the end when Gateshead just might have forced extra time at least.
So what?
Cambridge join Luton in returning to League Two.  Gateshead will have to, as they say, “go again”.
The drama unfolds
This game will be well documented everywhere and I have an intray the size of a small car so this will be brief and more pictorial than wordy.  Other than an excellent save in the opening moments by the Heed keeper, there was nothing much to enthuse about in a goalless first half.  Cambridge played a more direct style to two large frontmen, and Gateshead kept it down and tried to work the ball to the flanks.  Something happened off the ball between John Oster (Gateshead) and Kevin Roberts (Cambridge).  David Beckham was famously sent off for less than that, but the officials missed it.  I spent most of the half trying to avoid serious sunburn – some parts of Wembley are a seriously unpleasant place to watch daytime football on a sunny day.  0-0 at halftime I was just returning to my seat with a giant overpriced container of carbonated fluid as Liam Hughes headed the opening goal of the game from Ryan Donaldson’s cross to put Cambridge in front.  1-0 after 52 mins Gateshead took the game to Cambridge but from a break, Ben Clark committed a foul which gave Donaldson the chance to fire in this direct free kick.  2-0 after 72 mins Adam Bartlett won't get that ... 2-0 Cambridge Cue the celebration ... that's gotta hurt Gateshead were not yet finished, and they deservedly got on the scoresheet after some substitutions, Jack Lester turning the ball in from close range with a few minutes left.  2-1 after 80 mins I took a clip of the closing minutes, which were disrupted for a lengthy injury stoppage for Cambridge captain Ian Miller.  There were a couple of scary moments with Gateshead crosses and headers but Cambridge held on for the win and the promotion party.  Final score 2-1
Ground and Around Pix
The unmistakable face of Bobby Moore The unmistakable .. er, foot of Bobby Moore   It's the English way, plus a subliminal message   Your lack of apostrophe mastery isn't helping either, matey... ...See, this guy has form but al least he knows that it's means "it is" Cambridge captain Miller made the formalities in a wheelchair and leg brace
Match Pix
Huddle Stats
Gateshead definitely huddled after the pre-match formalities so this means that non-huddlers edge into the lead. Whatever they were huddling for it wasn't for warmth, trust me ... 2013-14 Summary so far: P W D L GF GA Pts Pts per Game Non-Huddlers 30 14 3 13 47 49 45 1.50 Huddlers 17 6 5 6 20 17 23 1.35 Twin Huddlers 2 0 2 0 3 3 2 1.00 2nd Half Huddlers 1 0 0 1 1 2 0 0.00
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats
A win for Radioactive Bile (see previous posts if you are a new reader) over the first appearance of the season for maroon. Or burgundy.  Or something NOT red and NOT purple. The winning top, with Adam Smith in it 2013-14 Summary so far: 3pts for a win, 1pt for a draw, -1pt for a goal conceded and +5pts for a clean sheet P W D L GA (-1 each) CS (5 each) Pts Pts per Game Purple 1 1 0 0 0 1 8 8.00 Grey 12 7 2 3 13 5 35 2.92 Red 3 2 0 1 3 1 8 2.67 Green 12 6 1 5 16 3 18 1.50 Yellow 5 1 2 2 9 1 1 0.20 Radioactive Bile 4 2 0 2 7 0 -1 -0.25 Orange 3 1 1 1 6 0 -2 -0.67 Pink 7 1 3 3 16 0 -10 -1.43 Blue 4 0 1 3 7 0 -6 -1.50 Maroon 1 0 0 1 2 0 -2 -2.00
What Next?
Watch @GrahamYapp on Twitter for details!  Almost certainly Derby County v QPR in the Championship Playoff final next weekend. Serious point, if you are coming to any of next weekend’s playoff finals and it is hot and sunny, wear a longsleeve shirt, bring a hat and suncream (and industrial quantities of anti-perspirant) if you are in the lower levels on the northern and eastern sides.  My guess is blocks 100-114 and 140-144 are the most affected.  This is a public service announcement.