Walker keeps his cool
RANDALL BUTT reports as United step closer to the twin towers.

Cambridge United 1 Exeter City 1. Tuesday 19 January 1999

Referee: J Brandwood

Att: 2758

Auto Windscreen quarter-final

Cambridge win 5-3 on penalties


LACK of practice made perfect as Cambridge United hit five precision penalties to reach the Southern semi-final of the Shield. Manger Roy McFarland, remembering the heartache of the penalties defeat at Nottingham Forest in the Worthington Cup, deliberately steered clear of spot kicks all week in training. "We had a special practice session before the Forest game and it went wrong," he said. "This time I didn't want the players having them on their minds. "I just made a list of the five names 10 minutes before the end of extra time, asked John Taylor to do the same and we had the same people. "Richard Walker was the gamble. We weren't sure whether it would put too much pressure on the youngster, but we went with it." Any pressure was magnified by the fact that the 21-year-old Aston Villa foannee walked up to take the crucial kick, number four, after goalkeeper. Arjan Van Heusden had saved Exeter third from Brian Quailey. But he slipped the ball nonchalently inside the left-hand post, with keeper Ashley Bayes hardly moving. "It didn't bother me," claimed the striker. "I'd have been happy taking the first one. It made up for not scoring in the match. I had a clear shot, but I tried to slide it past the keeper and hit him." That was one of two excellent chances United had at the end of normal time and extra time, to bring a happy earlier end to a dreary windswept struggle. Walker's opportunity came in the 90th minute. Then Trevor Benjamin, who had hammered United in front what seemed years ago - in the ninth minute - blazed wide in the 123rd! "I should have scored, or at least hit the target," he said. "We got through without playing very well." He looked certain to save his team- mates from the tension of the shoot- out when Walker's pass set him up just eight yards out. But it would have denied another big Abbey Stadium crowd for this competition the penalty drama they deserved for staying to the bitter end of what Benjamin accurately described as a very patchy performance. His early goal was the only real first- half threat from United, apart from Ben Chenery's 32nd minute centre which the swirling wind turned into a shot that bounced off the crossbar. Van Heusden had more to do at the other end against a wind-assisted attack, twice saving well from the only local boy on the pitch, Exeter's former Foxton forward, Steve Flack, and watching a Shaun Gale free kick scrape the bar. When United turned around after the break however, playing towards their favourite Corona Kop end, with the wind at their backs, it seemed a formality they would get the second goal to put the tic beyond the West Countrymen's reach. But territorial advantage produced little in front of goal. Taylor faded out of the game while midfielder Neil Mustoe could not contribute his usual energy. Exeter, despite two long trips in three days, plus a hard game on the Scarborough bog, did their disrupting and defending well. And when Flack snatched their equaliser in the 65th minute enough wind was knocked out of United's sails to becalm them for what felt like an interminable slog to the final whistle and through extra time. "They should have the Golden Goal from the start of normal time," shouted one bored customer. And indeed there seemed no chance of either leg-weary team finding a nugget among the dross to bring the stalemate to a sudden death end. Van Heusden prevented what for the United fans would have been the absolutely worst outcome when he deflected a 105th minute shot from Jason Rees, the midfielder they loved to hate during his undistinguished spell at the Abbey last season. The Dutchman followed up with the vital penalty save before Andy Duncan, in driving rain, swept home the fifth spot kick to take his team into the final four in the southern draw.

Goals TIMETABLE

9 mins, 1-0: Martin Butler stretched the Evetai defence with a powerful run towards the right of their penalty area and hit a precision path into the path of TREVOR BENJAMIN whose angled drive from just inside the box flashed through the hands of goalkeeper Ashley Bayes.

65 mins, 1-1: A diagonal pass to Brian Quailey on the right of the United box. He seemed to lose the ball as fullback Jamie Campbell challenged, but recovered to hit a low centre which was deflected across the face of goal where STEVE FLACK banged the ball in from point blank range.

PENALTY SHOOT-OUT

• MARTIN BUTLER: Low, inside right hand post sending keeper the wrong way. 1-0
• STEVE FLACK: Straight power drive under the crossbar. 1-1
• PAUL WANLESS: Low, inside left hand post, keeper diving other way. 2-1
• JON WILKINSON: Side-foot shot to the left of wrong-footed keeper
• ALEX RUSSELL: Placed inside left hand post. Keeper rooted to spot. 3-2.
• BRIAN QUAILEY: Low towards right hand post. Van Heusden dived to deflect wide. 3-2
• RICHARD WALKER: Almost casual ground shot inside left hand post. 4-2
• JASON REES: In off left hand post. 4-3.
• ANDY DUNCAN: Blaster flew in under the crossbar. 5-3.

GOAL ATTEMPTS

On Target: United 6, Exeter 4
Off Target: United 8, Exeter
Corners: United 6, Exetel 7


In the BOOK
Referee 
J Brandwood (Lichfield)

Exeter
DISMISSALS
Power (105 mins) two fouls
BOOKINGS
United: Joseph (foul).
Exeter Gale (foul), Quailey (unsporting behavior).

The TEAMS
CAMBRIDGE UNITED
Van Heusden. Chenery. Duncan. Joseph.
Campbell. Mustoe. Wanless. Russell. Butler. Taylor. Benjamin
Substitutes: Walker 7 (for Taylor 67 mins), Ashbee 6 (for Mustoe 75 mins), Youngs (for Ashbee 119 mins).

EXETER CITY
Bayes. Gale. Power. Clark. Breslan. Gittens. Quailey. Flack. Curran. Gardner.

Substitutes: Wilkinson 6 (for Gardner 65 mins). Not used: Fry, Waugh.