FA National Futsal Super League

Sunday 18th February 2018 (5:50pm KO)

UEL University of East London SportsDock

FT: London Genesis Futsal Club 6 – 4 Cambridge United FC Futsal (HT: 1 – 1)

Goals – Monty Bouttell (2), Toby Hardwick, Alberto Morcillo

Squad – Jose Lima (GK), Chay Jakes (GK), Angel Martinez, Alberto Morcillo, Paulo Rodrigues, Monty Bouttell, Toby Hardwick ©, George Harlow, Tim Henery, Jonathan Tofts, Greg Birch, Enrico Barnes

Coach – Luis Mendonca

Cambridge United FC Futsal’s long FA Futsal National Super League unbeaten run comes to an end in East London.

Cambridge United FC Futsal made the short trip down the M11 on Sunday to East London to face London Genesis Futsal Club in the FA Futsal National Super League.

Cambridge United had won the reverse fixture at the University of Cambridge Sports Centre earlier in the season in a thrilling 6-5 win courtesy of a last minute Angel Martinez winner. Previously, Genesis had defeated the Us in the Futsal Cup semi finals in Manchester so the two sides knew each other well.

Cambridge United FC Futsal went into the match unbeaten in 9 games whereas Genesis were bottom of the FA Futsal National Super League but had strengthened significantly during the January transfer window and had posted some impressive results since.

The Us were missing Chema Cruz, Inaki Prado, Pedro Pereira, Justo Lopez, Vitalii Burnus and Lino Cebey but Jose Lima, Paulo Rodrigues and Enrico Barnes all returned to the match day squad. There was also a good travelling contingent of Cambridge United FC Futsal supporters that had made the journey adding significantly to the atmosphere at the UEL SportsDock.

Cambridge started the game confidently, controlling early possession and defending with discipline when required to do so although the strength, power and pace of some of the Genesis players were posing some different problems for the Us. However, United soon deservedly took the lead when two of the youngsters combined with Monty Bouttell playing in Toby Hardwick who had burst through the Genesis defence and calmly slotted past the Genesis keeper to make it 1-0 to the Us.

The first half continued to ebb and flow and shortly before half time Genesis made a breakthrough of their own to level the scores at 1-1 which was how it stayed at half time.

Us Coach Luis Mendonca rallied his troops at half time and United flew out of the blocks. It was all Cambridge at the start of the second half but chance after chance went begging with Monty Bouttell hitting both posts and Alberto Morcillo unfortunate to find the bar shortly after. United were made to pay in a mad 5 minute spell which saw Genesis score three times in quick succession, all avoidable from a Cambridge perspective, to suddenly make it 4-1 to the home side.

United had a mountain to climb now but Monty Bouttell grabbed one back with a well taken goal to reduce the arrears to 4-2 only for Genesis to respond immediately to make it 5-2 and restore their 3 goal cushion but with 10 minutes of the match still remaining.

Luis Mendonca threw caution to the wind and ‘went fly’, replacing the United goal keeper with an extra outfield player when in possession, a high risk and high reward tactic. This proved to be the case when Monty Bouttell scored his second of the game finishing off a fine team move exploiting the extra man to make it 5-3 only for Genesis to strike back when possession broke down with a long range effort into the unguarded Cambridge goal to make it 6-3.

Although, fiercely competitive the game had been played in a good spirit until an incident resulted in one of the Genesis players being rightly dismissed resulting in a rather unsavoury fracas.

Cambridge were fighting desperately now to maintain their long unbeaten record and struck back again through Alberto Morcillo playing as the fly keeper to make it 6-4 with 3 minutes remaining.

The final minutes summed up the game for United and perhaps it just wasn’t the Us day when Alberto Morcillo thought he had scored his second of the game to make it 6-5 only to be penalised for an adjudged foul on the Genesis keeper. So, not only was the goal disallowed but the home side were awarded a 10m penalty for the 6th foul to add insult to injury. However, young United goal keeper Chay Jakes ensured that Genesis did not score again from the penalty and the game finished 6-4 to the home side.

The disappointing defeat was United’s first since early November but despite the loss, Cambridge United FC Futsal stay 4th in the FA Futsal National Super League.

Luis Mendonca will be looking for an immediate reaction from his players when Cambridge United FC Futsal host London City Futsal Club this Sunday 25th February at the Cambridge University Sports Centre. London City currently sit just behind Cambridge United in 5th and the two sides couldn’t be separated earlier in the season when a last minute Toby Hardwick strike secured an important 3-3 draw for Cambridge so it is sure to be another fiercely contested fixture.

Location

UEL SportsDock