Cambridge 0-0 Shrewsbury - Report
Shrewsbury Town were somehow made to settle for a single point from a second stalemate on the spin despite throwing the kitchen sink at Cambridge United.
The visitors were the dominant side at Abbey Stadium, where they forced 21 shots at goal in a bid to build on an important run of results in League One, but could not force an all-important winner.
The contest was almost totally one-sided throughout and only Shrewsbury will know how they have not come away from Cambridge with maximum points.
Town were well on top for the first 35 or 40 minutes and while the early to middle part of the second half was not as one-sided, Steve Cotterill's men began to hammer on the door inside the final 10 minutes and 10 minutes of stoppage time.
Ryan Bowman hit the woodwork in the first half, before Daniel Udoh's close-range diving header somehow flew over the crossbar, Luke Leahy shot inches wide of the top corner from distance before he was somehow denied a headed winner from man of the match Dimitar Mitov on the U's goal.
There was still time for more in an agonizing period of added time as Leahy looked odds-on to slide in at the back post from Bowman's header, but somehow the Shrews man was unable to convert with another superb collection of 477 travelling fans left with head in hands behind the goal in the driving rain.
Salop, who remain 17th, could have done little more in their push for a winner. Just four of their 21 efforts were on target, but the impressive performance was a fitting way to build on the second half against leaders Rotherham in midweek, where Cotterill's men were relentless in their pursuit of a winner, albeit left with a share of the spoils then too.
A second 0-0 on the spin, making it three unbeaten with three clean sheets and a total of five points has once more increased Salop's gap to the danger zone beneath them, with the buffer now up to eight points. The latest shutout hardly comes as a surprise, with only top two Rotherham and Wigan boasting meaner defensive records.
There were no surprises to see Cotterill decide to reward his Town XI with another start after the same side had taken four points from games against Burton and Rotherham.
Indeed, the entire matchday squad of 18 was the same as in fixtures against the Brewers and Millers.
Josh Vela served the final of his three-match suspension, with David Davis a long-term omission for the remainder of the campaign.
Attacker Shaun Whalley is edging closer to a return to action and has taken part in training in recent days and weeks. The winger - one game off 250 for Town - was not part of the squad in Cambridgeshire, but with a full week of training ahead, could possibly play a role at home to Oxford next weekend.
U's boss Mark Bonner, meanwhile, made three changes from the side that were comprehensively beaten 3-0 at Wycombe on Tuesday.
Joe Ironside, Jubril Okedina and Wes Hoolahan come in for ex-Town loan flyer Shilow Tracey, Ben Worman and Sam Sherring for the hosts, who started the day in 13th with an impressive haul of 44 points - six better off than Cotterill's visitors - in their first campaign back in the third tier.
The hosts, unbeaten at home in 2022 with four wins from five, have claimed some impressive scalps on their own patch, but that didn't put Cotterill's men off getting stuck into the Yellows.
Another former and fellow brief Shrewsbury loan, forward Sam Smith, was in the Yellows' frontline. Smith leads the way for Cambridge goals with 17 this season. He had a very short spell on loan at Sam Ricketts' Town a few seasons ago, where he didn't score in three substitute appearances.
Backed by another impressive and vocal pocket of travelling supporters in Cambridgeshire, Town wasted little time in almost forcing an opener.
They might have netted on two occasions, but the main chance belonged to new recruit defender Tom Flanagan, who climbed excellently to meet Elliott Bennett's corner from the left, but Bulgarian goalkeeper Mitov made a decent parried save.
The rebound was well won back by Town, for whom Leahy thumped over from a narrow angle with his weaker right foot.
Cambridge's respond was for sitting midfielder Adam May to fire well over from distance after typically delightful approach play from evergreen former Republic of Ireland international Wes Hoolahan.
Salop saw off a couple of set-pieces before almost making a couple of dead balls of their own count having seemingly spotted a U's weakness.
Udoh - who shot low at Mitov from distance - was plenty involved in a bright start for the visitors, he helped link play well with wing-backs Bennett and George Nurse. A couple more Bennett deliveries from the left corner flag had the busy Flanagan interested, as first a diving header pinballed wide before the stopper nodded at Mitov.
The visitors came closest yet to edging ahead from open play, however, but from a familiar ball into the box.
Tom Bloxham's delivery from near the right byline was a good one and Bowman, level with the near post, almost added to his fine record against Cambridge but his glancing effort shaved the right post on its way wide.
Salop continued to dominate in an impressive start as they used the ball well both with neat interplay and long passes.
The U's threatened an attack through James Brophy's enticing cross from the left but Salop broke well, started by Leahy, and ending in Tyrese Fornah winning the ball for midfield colleague Leahy, who shot low and wide across goal.
Leahy was again orchestrating things for the visitors. The full-back-turned-midfielder has been playing with such a confidence and did not think twice about trying his luck from 45 yards as he noticed Mitov off his line, but the effort drifted wide.
Town's first 35 or 40 minutes just lacked the contest's opening goal. Bonner's home side did improve before the interval and forced a couple of openings of their own.
The best of which was through midfielder May, who powerfully met a loose ball around the edge of the box. His looped header had Marosi scrambling and almost dropped into the corner. Right-back George Williams shot over from distance shortly afterwards, but a watchable first half remained goalless.
Town were on the front foot for almost all of the first half and matched that up out the blocks for the second period. Left wing-back Nurse fired narrowly wide of the left post from 25 yards after just 25 seconds of the second half.
Bloxham thrashed a half-volley well over from 30 yards out after a neat Salop move, which drew a reaction from Leahy telling him to 'calm it', with the visitors in charge of the ball.
The second period settled into a more even affair with Cambridge showing more intent than delivered before the break.
Twice U's fans screamed for a penalty for handballs from Town duo Flanagan and Ethan Ebanks-Landell, but there was nothing doing. The latter covered well as Matthew Pennington also defended well to clear.
The home crowd chanted the name of ex-Town loanman Tracey as he was introduced from the bench for the injured Brophy before Bennett kept Mitov honest with a clean strike from distance.
It was top scorer Smith who had Town hearts in their mouths as he went mightily close with 15 minutes remaining.
The forward connected to a deep cross, craning his neck muscle to stretch and sent a header just over the sprawling Marosi's crossbar and on to the roof of the net.
A couple of stoppages in play did nothing for helping the game build towards a booming crescendo.
But that exciting finish was to arrive - and in Shrewsbury's favour too.
A well-worked move fed Bennett on the right and his delivery was excellent as it picked out Udoh's excellently timed dart into the six-yard box.
Udoh flung himself at the ball but, with just Mitov to beat, he diverted the ball well over the crossbar. More concerning, though, was the striker's momentum took him crashing into the left post. A concerning image was quickly put to bed as Udoh rose to his feet following treatment.
Seconds later and Shrewsbury went closer still, albeit from much further out. The excellent Leahy received the ball from Nurse in space some 25 yards out and let fly with a left-footed strike that arrowed just inches wide of the top right corner.
It looked in all the way as the ball flew beyond Mitov's flying left hand.
There was to be at least one more 'was that it?' moments to come as an action-packed afternoon entered 10 minutes of stoppage time.
Town forced a barrage of corners and Bennett's delivery was once more on the money. His dead ball from the left was met by Leahy's excellent run and the midfielder's crouched here looked in at the near post until the busy Mitov somehow got down for a wonder save.
Travelling supporters behind the goal thought it was in. It was that kind of afternoon for their side.
And it was confirmed as very much one of those days after Leahy somehow could not connect at the back post from Bowman's knocked down header. It looked odds-on he would slide into the net to set the near-500 strong away end wild behind the goal - but it was just not to be.
Teams
Cambridge United (4-2-3-1):
Mitov; Williams, Okedina, Jones, Dunk; May, Digby (c); Smith (Knibbs, 84), Hoolahan, Brophy (Tracey, 67); Ironside.
Subs not used: Mannion, Tolaj, Lankester, Knibbs, Worman, Bennett.
Shrewsbury Town (3-4-3):
Marosi; Pennington, Ebanks-Landell (c), Flanagan; Bennett, Fornah, Leahy, Nurse; Bloxham, Bowman, Udoh.
Subs not used: Burgoyne, Pierre, Daniels, Bondswell, Craig, Caton, Janneh.
Attendance: 5,651 (477 Shrewsbury fans)
Referee: Neil Hair
