Cambridge United v Crawley Town: Can Boxing Day bring the Reds their first away win since September?
It is coming up to nearly four months since Crawley last won on the road, which is very disappointing. Boxing Day could be a good time to do it however as Cambridge United currently sit 22nd in League Two hovering just one place and point above the relegation zone.
However, this will be the first home game in charge for new Cambridge boss Colin Calderwood. Calderwood’s first game in charge of the U’s was last Saturday as he watched his Cambridge side fall to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Morecambe. Boxing Day’s game will give Cambridge players a point to prove as they look to impress their new manager, meaning Reds will have to be aware of the threat ahead of them.
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Hide AdSEE ALSO 'We can't blame the ref for our defeat': Crawley Town forward Dominic Poleon | Watch Dominic Poleon react to disappointing defeat | Watch Gabriele Cioffi react to third consecutive defeatCambridge are yet to score a league goal since November 24 and are without a win since November 3.
It leaves the U’s 6 games without a win and 4 games since they last scored a goal.
This could be what the Reds need to see an end to the poor away form and bounce back with a win. Crawley’s form isn’t much better than Cambridge’s with no win in three in the league and one win in eight, meaning both sides come into this in very poor form.
Both teams will see this as a chance to end a poor run of form and look to get back to winning ways. It sets out to be an interesting contest at the Abbey Stadium as both teams will be desperate to claim all three points.
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Hide AdCambridge have lacked goals this season only scoring 19 in the league, only Macclesfield have fewer with 18 goals. The U’s have a goal difference of -19, the third poorest in the league. The U’s joint top scorers are Jevani Brown and George Maris, with four goals each neither of the two being strikers, meaning Cambridge’s main threats come from elsewhere.
Reds’ goal threat has also taken a knock due to the extension of Ollie Palmer’s ban, meaning he will miss a further two games, meaning he misses games against Cambridge United (26th December) Newport County (29th December) and Colchester United (1st January). Other players will need to step up and help to score goals for the Reds. Let’s hope that we can get back to winning ways and put an end to poor away form.