Cambridge United v Accrington Stanley

with
Owen Mizon
AFTER FOUR CONSECUTIVE TREKS IN THE BREAD AND
BUTTER THAT IS LEAGUE ONE, IT’S INVIGORATING TO
BE BACK HERE AT THE ABBEY STADIUM TODAY.
The U’s will no doubt be
recuperated for this one after
enjoying a full week of rest for
the first time in 2022. Here,
we will assess three makeor-break
midweek fixtures
- which ultimately could have
determined the final rankings
for some teams – as well as
dissecting the league table and
handing praise to those who
impressed in last weekend’s
enthralling clashes.
Wigan Athletic strengthened
their hold on their promotion
rivals following a professional 2-0
victory over Crewe Alexandra at
the DW Stadium. After a strenuous
opening hour where neither side
could gain the ascendancy, Callum
Lang latched home for the Latics
with a cushioned header to break
deadlock. Although it didn’t
quite open the floodgates, their
pressure did pay its dividends
with eight minutes remaining on
the clock after James McClean
added the elusive second via a
deflected strike. A gallant effort
with a particularly compact first half
performance, the Railwaymen must
now convert that into valuable
points as the clock ticks away
rapidly.
A barnstorming seven-minute spell
proved damaging as Burton Albion
dispatched Bolton Wanderers
with an assuring 3-1 success at
the Pirelli Stadium. Ripping up the
form book, an early flurry brewed
as the Brewers ruthlessly exposed
defensive frailties. Joe Powell
kickstarted the carnage after firing
in at the back post, before a brace
of headers from captain John
Brayford stunned the Trotters, who
could only muster up a consolation
at the death through Dion Charles’
lobbed effort.
After being consigned to twelve
losses in their first thirteen away
from home, you could forgive
Doncaster Rovers for dreading their
travels up and down the country.
Four games and three wins later,
it’s quite the contrary as Gary
McSheffrey’s side picked up a 0-1
win over ten-man Lincoln City. The
drama arrived with ten minutes to
go after Dan Gardner hammered
home the decider from the penalty
spot – frustrating the Imps who saw
Joe Walsh receive his marching
orders in the dying embers.
The table will make for intriguing
dissection by the time you read this,
with the frontrunners Rotherham
United and Wigan Athletic doing
battle with some Friday night
football. The Millers, who had won
six on the bounce, looked to extend
their gap at the top to nine points
and continue their inevitable surge
to promotion. With a mirroring
objective, the Tics obtained a fivepoint
and three-game advantage
over 3rd position. Rampant.
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