United travelled to free-scoring Cambridge City on Saturday and came away wondering what might have been.
With Luke Ricketts and Ben Connelly both unavailable, and John Dennis and Nick Harrison struggling with injury, new signing James McGowan (formerly with Queen of the South and Albion Rovers) came straight in to the side, partnering Ellis Hercules in a Centre Back pairing.
In the opening minutes the home side enjoyed the majority of possession, with the only product being a couple of long range efforts that were wide of the target. By contrast United, with their first real foray in to the opponents half, took the lead on 10 minutes when Lynton Goss cut inside and hit a powerful effort that Conroy could only parry and Dan West was first to react, heading home.
The lead, however, was short-lived. City won a corner that was drilled in to the box for an unmarked Gent to head home. On 23 minutes the home side took the lead when a cross, this time from the right, as met by the head of Sharman who gave Hill no chance.
United immediately pressed for an equaliser and, only a minute later, trickery from Goss saw him create space, forcing Conroy to make a fine save. The next action resulted in Dan West hitting a powerful effort from 30-yards that beat Conroy and crashed off the underside of the bar before being cleared to safety. The most controversial incident of the half cam two minutes later when a Goss cross along the six-yard line was handled by a prone City defender on its way through to Ben Sturgess, but both the referee and assistant waved away the penalty claims. United were, however, rewarded a minute before the break when a Goss corner was headed back at the far post by McGowan and West found time to control the ball before drilling in to the roof of the net.
At this stage it was the least that United deserved, but they could not hold on to the break, as a deep cross in to the box was headed home by Patterson at the far post, and proving to be the final action of the half.
The second half lacked the goalmouth action of the first, as both defences tightened. However, West saw a 25-yard free kick just clear the bar on 50 minutes, before a David Lynn effort was saved by Conroy. West then sent a header wide from a Goss cross before shooting over two minutes later.
It was City, however, who scored on 65 minutes when a ball was pulled back to Wilson on the edge of the box and he stroked it wide of Hill. Hill then pulled off a tremendous save at his near post before good play between Adam Morris and Goss put West through, but his effort was again saved by Conroy. West then saw another header go wide before, in the final goalmouth action of the game, Hill did well to tip a shot over the bar.
Thame United:
Hill, Mepham, Lynn, Hercules, McGowan, Ashworth, Gray (Evans) Goss, Sturgess, West, Morris (Johnston).
