Cambridge United battled to a 1-1 draw against Lincoln City at LNER Stadium, but manager Garry Monk felt his side had done enough to secure all three points.
After falling behind early to Freddie Draper’s composed finish, the visitors responded well and levelled before the break through James Gibbons’ first goal for the club.
The U’s controlled much of the second half and were handed a late advantage when Lincoln’s Joe Gardner was sent off four minutes from time.
Early setback but spirited response from Cambridge
The afternoon began in disappointing fashion for Monk’s men as they conceded within the opening 10 minutes. Draper found space inside the box and slotted home, leaving Cambridge with an uphill task.
Despite the early blow, the visitors grew into the game and earned their equaliser shortly before half-time. Gibbons reacted quickly to a loose ball inside the area and fired a heavily-deflected past the goalkeeper, giving Cambridge a deserved foothold in the match.
From that point onwards, the visitors asserted themselves and looked the more confident side in possession. Lincoln struggled to build attacking momentum as Cambridge pushed forward in search of a winner.
Penalty controversy overshadows second half
The U’s continued to ask questions of Lincoln’s defence after the interval, with Jordan Cousins and Josh Stokes both going down inside the box under challenges that had Monk demanding penalties. The referee, however, waved away the appeals, much to the frustration of the travelling support.
Cambridge’s chances of securing victory improved when Gardner saw red late on for a harmless-looking challenge on James Brophy. Yet, despite pressing forward in the final moments, Monk’s men could not capitalise on their man advantage.
“Overall it’s a good performance. Coming here against these, not one person outside of that (Cambridge) changing room would have probably given us a chance today,” said Monk.
“Maybe there’s a tinge of disappointment because we did enough in the game to get three points, but it is what it is. You need some help sometimes as well from those decisions, but we’ll move on to the next game.”
Writer’s view
Cambridge United will feel aggrieved not to have taken maximum points, particularly given their second-half dominance and strong penalty claims. While the result does little to aid their League One survival hopes, their performance showed resilience and a belief that could serve them well in the battle ahead. However, with a daunting trip to league leaders Birmingham City up next, they will need to be even sharper to pull off an upset.
