Cambridge City eased their way into the 3rd qualifying round of the FA Cup with a confident and ultimately easy victory against a limited Northampton Spencer.
 
City had to make an eleventh hour change when Dave Theobald pulled his right hamstring in the pre-match warm up, giving way to Tom Pepper in a team otherwise unchanged from last week’s heroic draw at Truro.
 
It was clear from the outset that City had set out their stall to dominate the game and freeze out their opponents who themselves had recently bettered Daventry, City’s victims in the previous round.
 
Adrian Cambridge shot over on 3 minutes following a corner on the left, the ball become tangled under Neil Midgley’s feet two minutes later. Tom Pepper ballooned over on 6 and Lee Chaffey rose to head a corner wide on 7. It looked as if City were certain to score, such was their pressure. Robbie Nightingale volleyed wide after a good build-up on the left and Steve Gentle scuffed his shut after being put through by Pepper.

Although a goal wouldn’t come, City didn’t panic, preferring to work the ball patiently to seek openings. When the goal came it had a whiff of Frank Spencer rather than Northampton Spencer. Adrian Cambridge tried a shot that could best be described as speculative that from 25 yards, didn’t look goal-bound. However, a helpfully outstretched  Spencer leg took the ball away from Peter Smith in goal, leaving the keeper stranded and unable to scramble back in position.
 
Meanwhile, what were Spencer offering? Plenty of commitment and a liking for handing out some stern tackles.  Sean McBride was given a yellow for a harsh challenge and was soon followed into the book by Issac Addo for his ill-judged tangle with Chaffey which not only earned him a yellow but the close attention of the Shed for the remaining hour.
 
In truth, at one down Spencer were there for the taking. Two further strikes in the first half saw the tie more or less done and dusted and it wouldn’t have taken Derren Brown to predict the final outcome.
 
 First, Cambridge centred deeply from the right, finding the head of Laurie Stewart who was still up the field from an earlier attack. Given a free, unchallenged header, the defender was happy to nod the ball home to give City their first goal and to record his first for the club.
 
Almost on the stroke of half time, City produced the move of the game when a series of delightfully weighted passes down the right left Spencer chasing Autumnal shadows. John Frendo found himself with plenty of time to pick out Gentle with a low centre that the number nine pushed across Smith and into the net…game over.
 
The goal was to prove the last meaningful  action of the half and saw an end to Gentle’s afternoon as Gary Roberts gave him the second 45 off, Lee Clarke making his debut.
 
For a while it looked as if City might run up a cricket score. A flowing move down the left initiated by James Krause saw Fuller’s teasing cross just flicked away from his incoming forwards by an important defensive interception.
 
Just two minutes later, Fuller was back in the action, thundering in a shot that Smith just managed to palm on to the bar. Corners followed, pressure continued to be applied and further goals looked assured. Fuller demanded another fine save from Smith on 57 and a few seconds later, Frendo looked certain to score, the ball staying out rather than finding the net.
 
The number 7 finally found himself on the score sheet on 59 minutes scoring in a fashion that he is unlikely to replicate outside of the training ground. Smith tried to deal with a cross from the right but could only punch the ball weakly. The ball fell straight to Frendo who juggled once, twice, looked up and smeared the ball into the net as Spencer looked on.
 
At 4-0 to the good and 30 minutes to play, manager Gary Roberts decided to give Matt Haniver and Pat Bexfield some match minutes at the expense of Pepper and Midgley. Unfortunately, within minutes Frendo pulled up with an injured leg and with the subs used up, limped off to leave City to see out the game with ten men.
 
Somewhat disrupted and the result assured, the final 25 minutes lacked urgency and fluency. Addo used his undoubted pace to outstrip a sleepy City defence to score a consolation on 68 minutes, his shot being half-saved by Zac Barrett, who scrambled in vain to keep the ball from crossing the line.
 
Both teams knew the game was up. Fuller could have made it five three minutes from the end but struck his shot at the prostrate Smith rather than over him but other than that, the game ended quietly.
 
So: City are still unbeaten and importantly, will in be in the hat on Monday. Ten matches unbeaten and with the promise of more to come.