With last week's game cancelled at the last minute after a sudden and unexpected frost caught hold on the Cambridge Uni pitch while Ely were driving down the A10, the boys in green and yellow may have been feeling a bit out of shape after their two week hiatus. Undeterred, they warmed up enthusiastically despite missing the direction of the 'injured' Dan Jolly.
Returning to the pitch, Ely were surprised to see the average age of those practicing animal based medicine these days. Having cleared up any confusion between 'veterinarians' and 'veterans', Skipper Abbas focused his men on the task ahead and Ely poised ready for the off.
Ely started rather unsteadily, with the vets probing the Ely midfield and defence for gaps. Ely slowly regained their usual composure but the spritely opposition continued the pressure, eventually winning a short corner. The set piece was simple but clearly well drilled and ultimately effective as the ball was fired past keeper Doddsworth as he stretched for the ball.The shock of going one down seemed to wake Ely from their slumber. Midfield general Wells played the ball off Tavernor, Brown and Abbas through to the eager forwards Rea and Hunt, but their efforts went unrewarded. Ely continued to push and after a few more minutes it was Wells who found himself with an opportunity to bring the game back under control, scoring a timely equaliser.
With only a few minutes to go before half time, the game was evenly matched but on a knife edge - Ely continuing to push up the pitch and the vets counter attacking after Ely gave the ball away carelessly. Something had to give, and it was Cambridge who broke the deadlock in the end, winning a short corner which they duly converted. 2-1 to the visitors at half time.
Ely came out of the blocks in the second half like a different team. As has so often been the case this season, Ely only seem to wake up when their unbeaten record is called into question. Reynolds pushed higher up the pitch, nervously leaving Kisby at the back, but crucially closing the aching chasm between the defence and the midfield that had left Ely exposed in the first half. Full backs Forber and Atkins shut down the Cambridge attacking moves with reliable composure and began to play the ball into the midfield and beyond. Ely legend and Man of the Match, Martin 'tank top' Brown was magnificent in the midfield, inspiring the players around him with his dogged tackling and insightful passing which helped to win a number of short corners for Ely.
With ten minutes to go, Reynolds, muttering something about being motionless in white, lumbered up the pitch for yet another short corner. Surely the odds were on for a goal. Having tried a myriad different strokes (including what might have been construed as a flick) as the number of failed short corner attempts neared double figures, Reynolds opted for the old classic; the straight strike tore through the Cambridge defence and hit the backboard with a resounding thud.
Despite numerous seething runs from the hard working Hunt and Rea, the victory was to be denied to Ely. The game finished 2-2, the result a timely wake up call for Ely who sit in second place below Cambridge South with everything still left to play for this season.