REPORT | Wanderers 2 Cambridge United 2

John McAtee goal Cambridge

Wanderers twice came from behind but couldn’t complete a successful fightback as they were unable to mark a first home game of 2025 with a win, writes Pete Oliver.

Two poorly conceded goals at bad times put the Whites on the back foot as they looked to try and make the most of the first of back-to-back fixtures at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.

John McAtee’s initial leveller and seventh goal of the season before half-time should have turned the tide and given Ian Evatt’s men the chance to kick on against the struggling U’s.

But a quickfire strike from former White Elias Kachunga wrested the initiative back Cambridge’s way and gave the visitors something to hang onto after the break.

They were then only minutes away from getting over the line for a vital victory in their fight to beat the drop. But having knocked on the door throughout the second half, Ian Evatt’s men forced a 90th-minute equaliser courtesy of a Zeno Ibsen Rossi own-goal to at least inch closer to the play-off places.

Wanderers’ homecoming after four games on the road brought three changes to the side beaten at Rotherham a week ago with Luke Southwood among those to get a start after keeping a clean sheet in the mid-week Vertu Trophy win at Lincoln.

However, the keeper had barely touched the ball before he was beaten by Cambridge’s opening goal after just three minutes.

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John McAtee celebration Cambridge

A deep free-kick looked to be heading out of play but Kachunga kept the ball alive with a header back into the six-yard box which was nodded into the top corner by Josh Stokes.

That was exactly the start the Whites didn’t need but after re-grouping and feeling their way into the contest their probing finally paid off with an equaliser 11 minutes before half-time.

Wanderers had worked themselves into some decent positions and this time a move involving Ricardo Almeida Santos, Joel Randall and Szabi Schön ended with Schön crossing low for McAtee to slide the ball home.

That should have been the platform to go and take control but instead Evatt’s men gifted Cambridge a second goal just a minute later.

Again Stokes and Kachunga combined and this time it was the former Wanderers’ man who swept the ball home after Almeida Santos failed to cut out the cross.

Back to square one, Wanderers tried to repair the damage as Randall, on his home debut, teed up McAtee. But with his effort going over the top, the Whites left themselves 45 minutes to reverse their fortunes.

That wasn’t easy as Cambridge were able to sit in with almost a whole team behind the ball as they looked to halt their five-game losing run and with half an hour to go Evatt sent on Jordi Osei-Tutu to try and open up the visitors.

The wideman made an immediate impact and following one of his crosses, Aaron Collins and Randall were both denied by a superb double save from debutant U’s keeper Marko Marosi in the closest Wanderers had come yet to a second equaliser.

It was almost an exercise in attack against defence with Evatt then sacrificing one of his own defenders with 15 minutes to go as Josh Sheehan returned to the fray after nine games out injured.

Alongside him Aaron Morley kept trying to drive Wanderers forward on his first home appearance since returning from a loan and as time began to run out substitute Klaidi Lolos dragged an effort wide.

There looked to be no way through but in the final minute the Whites’ persistence finally paid off.

Again they got in behind the U’s defence in a wide position and this time when George Thomason whipped the ball in, defender Ibsen Rossi could only steer the ball past his own keeper to give the Wanderers some reward for their efforts.

Wanderers: Southwood; Jones (Sheehan 75), Almeida Santos (Forrester HT), Johnston; Dacres-Cogley (Osei-Tutu, 59), Morley, Thomason, Schön; Randall (Lolos 70); Collins, McAtee (Adeboyejo 70). Substitutes: Baxter, Matete.

Booked: Collins, McAtee, Sheehan

Cambridge United: Marosi; Bennett, Ibsen Rossi, Watts, Andrew, Barton; Cousins, Brophy; Kachunga (Longelo 78), Loft (Njoku, 66), Stokes. Substitutes: Stevens (GK), McConnell, Hoddle, Holmes, Munday.

Booked: Andrew, Kachunga 

Referee: Tom Neild

Attendance: 19,946 (236 Cambridge)

Read Time: 4 mins