U's striker earns point at Crawley
The U's have drawn 1-1 against Crawley, with a late equaliser from Chris Porter.
John McGreal's side went behind in the first half, with Adi Yussuf's volley beating Sam Walker in the U's goal.
It took the U's until the eighty ninth minute to level the score, Porter smashing a right foot effort high into the home net.
John McGreal's side went behind in the first half, with Adi Yussuf's volley beating Sam Walker in the U's goal.
It took the U's until the eighty ninth minute to level the score, Porter smashing a right foot effort high into the home net.
At the beginning of the game, both sides were feeling their way into the game and neither keeper was tested early on.
In fact, it was thirteen minutes in before Tarique Fosu hit a shot straight at Norris after a good header from Denny Johnstone.
Adi Yussuf hit a shot wide on fourteen minutes but he did much better four later.
A good move from the hosts ended with a clever clip over the U’s back four and Yussuf beat Walker to the ball and flicked his volley home to give Crawley the lead.
Fosu was trying to make things happen at the other end but he was being well shackled by the home defence.
An illegal tackle on the Reading loanee resulted in a free kick for the U’s but Fosu’s effort flew well over the home crossbar.
That took place in the twentieth minute, and a minute later Walker had to dive to his left to divert a Collins’ shot away from danger.
The U’s pushed forward in numbers in the build-up to half time, but a number of good passages of play couldn’t open up the Crawley defence.
Craig Slater came closest, putting his free kick just over the top after another foul on dangerman Fosu.
The whistle went with the U’s trailing by the single goal but were still well in the game.
The second half started with a higher tempo and it wasn’t long before the U’s were testing the home defence.
Wright got down the right but his dangerous low cross came to nothing with less than sixty seconds gone.
Bolsewijn had a couple of efforts as the home side looked to extend the lead, but was denied by Prosser and then hit a shot over.
It was the U’s who were asking most of the questions though, and Szmodics had a shot deflected wide on fifty nine minutes before McGreal made his first change.
It was an enforced one though, with Kane Vincent-Young replacing Brindley, who looked to have picked up a groin injury.
Dion Sembie-Ferris and Chris Porter were then introduced as well but it was two players on from the start who fashioned the next chance.
Slater put a cross in, the first header was won and Szmodics flicked his header goalwards, only to see Norris make a superb save to preserve his side’s lead.
The industrious forward was denied again on seventy six minutes, having a shot blocked for a corner, after great wing play from sub Sembie-Ferris.
It was the other sub Porter who grabbed the headlines though.
On eighty eight minutes, he couldn’t find a finish as the U’s piled pressure on the hosts but he only had to wait a few seconds to make amends.
That initial shot wasn’t cleared far and when the ball was put back in the penalty area, Luke Prosser did well to win the header and find Porter.
There was still plenty to do for the U’s striker, but he did it with a smart touch and a powerful finish high into the net to make it 1-1.
Neither side could grab an even later winner and the U’s once again responded to defeat with a decent performance.
Who knows what might have happened had the U’s equalised earlier but a valuable away point was at least what they deserved, ahead of another tough trip at the weekend.
It will be a much further journey for the squad and the supporters though, with Carlisle playing host on Saturday.