17th December 1999 

Cambridge previews

ANDY RITCHIE must decide which of his strikers to leave on the bench tomorrow when Athletic tackle a vital league match at Cambridge. Defeat could drag Ritchie's side back into the relegation quicksand and the men he plays up front will be crucial to the cause. Craig Dudley's thigh strain, which ruled him out of three games and kept him on the bench last week at Preston, meant Mark Allott and Steve Whitehall were automatic first choices. But Dudley is back _ and he could well force one of his team-mates on to the sidelines.

"It's tempting to play Craig," admitted Ritchie. "He gives us something different, but we haven't made a decision yet. We'll have to wait and see." Dudley had hit four goals in seven games before injury struck, his last start coinciding with Athletic's most recent victory. That was against Swansea in the FA Cup and Ritchie expects Cambridge, who are second from bottom of the table, to provide another stern test.

He said: "They are quite direct at times and they have some big lads who are strong physically. Martin Butler is one of the leading scorers in the division, so we know who the danger man is. But we also know what Cambridge are all about and we will be ready for them. This is the first of two big games because we don't just need points tomorrow _ we also want them against Scunthorpe on Boxing Day."defender Paul Jones, who was cup-tied for last week's match at Preston, rejoins the squad at the expense of Ben Futcher. There is no place for midfielder Danny Walsh or striker Paul Beavers, who is being given more time to reach full fitness.

ATHLETIC (from): Kelly, S McNiven, Garnett, Hotte, Holt, Adams, Rickers, Duxbury, Sheridan, Allott, Whitehall, Dudley, Innes, Tipton, Jones, Miskelly.

Cambridge are set to be unchanged after beating first division Crystal Palace 2-0 in the FA Cup last week. They play three men up front but, with 36 goals conceded, are cursed by one of the division's worst defensive records. 

CAMBRIDGE (probable): Marshall, Kavanagh, Wilson, Joseph, McNeil, Ashbee, Wanless, McKenzie, Taylor, Butler, Benjamin. Subs: Youngs, Preece, Russell, Eustace, Van Heusden. 

Butler gets the Abbey habit

ONE of the second division’s most sought-after strike pairings will be lying in wait for Athletic tomorrow at the Abbey Stadium. Cambridge are currently fighting off competition for both Martin Butler and Trevor Benjamin — the hotshots who fired them to promotion last May. Butler is the main target for the richer clubs and his goalscoring feats have already attracted several bids close to a cool £1million. Brentford, financed by Ron Noades, are confirmed as one of the predators, while Nottingham Forest and Blackburn are also thought to have tabled offers. Considering Butler’s habit of being in the right place at the right time — that inexplicable knack which so few players possess — it is no surprise that he is in such great demand. He has already hit 16 goals in a struggling side this term and stands second in the scoring charts behind Wigan’s Stuart Barlow. 

His partner in crime, meanwhile, also has the scouts flocking to this picturesque part of Eastern England. Benjamin is an Emile Heskey-style muscleman and has built a big reputation in a relatively short time. So far this season, the 20-year-old has struggled to match his past ratio of goals to games — but that didn’t stop Gillingham putting in a hefty offer only last week as they sought a replacement for Robert Taylor, now with Manchester City. While manager Roy McFarland has had the luxury of turning away potential buyers, Cambridge are not in a position to hold on forever. The general feeling is that Butler and Benjamin will leave as soon as someone can match their club’s valuations — believed to be around £1million and £600,000 respectively. The impending blow has already been softened, however, by a pledge from the chairman. He has vowed that half the proceeds from Butler’s sale will be made available for replacements — and that promises to be a very handy sum for a team currently stuck in the relegation zone. In the meantime, the dynamic duo will continue to terrorise defences with little regard for their recent leap in divisions.

They caused mayhem on the way to last season’s runner-up spot, cracking in 38 goals between them as Cambridge enjoyed a memorable campaign. Having finished a mediocre 16th in the previous season, The U’s made another shaky start last autumn and soon found themselves halfway down the table. A couple of wins showed the way forward and a run of only three defeats in five months saw them climb steadily into second. Along with Cardiff, they then played pass the parcel with the number-one position until the final week of the season. Just as the final layer of giftwrap was peeled off, however, Brentford swooped to take the title with a 1-0 victory . . . against Cambridge. McFarland and his side were disappointed by that outcome, but they still had more than enough to celebrate. They had also enjoyed a fine run in the Worthington Cup — beating Watford and Sheffield Wednesday before going out on penalties to Notts Forest — as well as almost reaching Wembley in the Auto Windscreens Shield. McFarland has since boosted his squad with ex-Stoke pair Neil Mackenzie and Jason Kavanagh, plus former Spurs and Man City full-back Clive Wilson, who is still going strong out at 38. The recruits, though, have been unable to prevent their team sliding down to 23rd place.

And the reason for that perilous position is clear — Cambridge haven’t kept a single clean sheet in 20 league games. While Butler and Benjamin — supported by player-coach John Taylor — make sure scoring goals isn’t a problem, conceding them certainly is. Except, that is, in the FA Cup, a competition which has delivered a hat-trick of clean sheets. The 1-0 defeats of non-league pair Gateshead and Bamber Bridge may not have been too eye-catching, but last Friday’s upset against Crystal Palace most certainly was. Cambridge won 2-0 and overwhelmed their first division opponents with, ominously for Athletic, their best display of the season so far.

The manager is hoping the side, who produced some of their best football of the season to knock first Division Crystal Palace out of the FA Cup, can follow up with a much-needed League victory over Oldham at the Abbey tomorrow. "It's tempting to bring in Alex Russell," he said, "but it would be a bit sudden for him. It's a pity we couldn't have had that Auto Windscreens match against Barnet on Tuesday. "I believe the Cup win carried on our recent form, rather than being a big improvement, and with the added confidence the team got against Palace we can beat Oldham. "It's another match against a team in the lower half of the table, and could be a step to getting out of the relegation zone, which is the target by the end of the year." The Lancastrians, who lost their first five matches of the season, climbed out of trouble with a run in which they were defeated only once in eight games. But they have hit another slump, going five games without a win with the goals drying up.

Former Leeds, Sheffield Wednesday and Bolton midfielder John Sheridan is still a classy playmaker at the age of 34, but young top scorer Mark Allott has managed only one goal in his last 11 games. They go into the match after two consecutive defeats by Preston in the League and FA Cup.

Cambridge United: Marshall, Kavanagh, Joseph, McNeil, Wilson, Ashbee, Wanless, Taylor, Butler, Benjamin. Subs (from): Cassidy, Van Heusden, Youngs, Preece, Eustace, Kyd, Mustoe.