Well, that certainly was not pretty but it was exactly what we needed. You have to give the players a lot of credit for the guts they showed in the second half to keep going and force the victory through sheer persistence. The SWA played their part as well, lifting the players when they badly needed some help.
The first half was awful, and as has been commented above, I was just glad we went in level at half time. We were bright for ten minutes, with Stockton forcing a decent save from their keeper, but after that passes went astray and there was little pattern of play or semblance of shape. The distribution from the full backs was poor, with too many aimless punts and poor passes, and there was a gaping hole in midfield in the absence of Banks, with nobody to put their foot on the ball and show some composure: McCullough had a below par match and, while Harris worked hard and had a decent game by his standards, he just is not good enough on the ball at this level. A poor Cambridge side had the better of the possession and chances.
In fairness to the players and manager, after half time we worked our way into some kind of form, and the football did gradually improve. Cambridge had already had a couple of lucky escapes prior to the goal, notably Monthe's shot which squirmed under the keeper but was cleared off the line, and the victory was deserved in the end, Mullin again showing his value in the build up to the winner. At the other end of the pitch Cambridge offered nothing and were woeful.
Individually, I thought Connor Jennings had a good game and showed some much needed composure in the middle of the pitch; both centre backs were solid; Norwood worked as hard as ever; Cole Stockton put in a decent shift and did ok, but should have put away the two chances he had before being substituted. However, I agreed with the sponsor's choice of Jonny Smith as man of the match. I thought he was scinitillating at times, particularly in the second half.
A vital victory and hopefully confidence will grow from here.