Stevenage 0 Cambridge United 2 - League One player ratings

This was probably worse, simply because it was at home, but it was still brimming with lack of effort.

The players might disagree, and that is their prerogative, but while there are standards from that management that they need to meet, my expectations are simple but high - you can be rubbish, you can make mistakes but you have to crawl off that pitch having given absolutely everything.

These ratings will reflect that.

Player ratings

Stevenage (0) 0 Cambridge United (1) 2

Murphy Cooper - 6

No blame attached to him for either goal and while some of his team-mates criticised his distribution, it was better than almost all of the outfield players by a long chalk. Made one good save from Korey Smith and was rightly furious with those in front of him afterwards. Understandably so. 

Dan Butler - 6

One of the few that did show a bit of gumption, a bit of backbone. Often running in a futile cause, ignored despite being unmarked, but at least he was trying to do something. Comet Sport man of the match.

Carl Piergianni - 5

Started off really well but slowly capitulated and began to suffer. Passing, not his strongest attribute, went off a cliff and said this before, despite how wonderful a defender he is, playing on the right of the centre-back pairing does not help him. Needs must of course but this was a night where that was highlighted in glorious technicolour.

Dan Kemp - 2

There was a point just before half-time when he gave the ball away and went to the floor with an apparent injury. That seemed to have gone when the Cambridge counter fizzled out 20-30 seconds later and he trotted back into the Boro half. That got me furious. If you lose it, win the ball back, or at least make an effort. A good player but for some reason he is way below par at the minute.

Jordan Roberts - 4

Another incident. James Brophy stumbled in the first half, inside his own half right in front of the press box. He crawled for a bit on his knees, got up, and played a pass that split the defence. Ended with Butler almost scoring an own-goal. While he was on the deck, Roberts was right next to him but had turned his back. If he's been alert, he'd have nicked the ball and Stevenage would have a great attacking play. Did OK for the rest of the game but this really annoyed me. 

Kane Smith - 3

I like Kane, I really do, but this was not his night. Passing was off, crossing invariably hit a Cambridge man, Brophy's bum twice in a row at one point, and was just way behind what is required. On the plus side, I'll guarantee he won't have many worse nights, if any at all.

Lewis Freestone - 5

One of the better performers, without being anything special. When there is chaos happening around you, you end up being dragged into it. Just on the below side of average.

Jamie Reid - 4

Barely noticed him, which may be a blessing as it might mean he did nothing outrageously wrong, bar one stupid cross-field pass that was always doomed to failure. Keep it simple I was told as a bairn. He, and a few others, may need reminded of that. 

Dan Phillips - 5

Add him to the same category as Freestone, the below side of average. Not particularly bad and did stick his foot in once or twice but he has set his own standards and this was way short of that.

Louis Thompson - 4

Carrying an injury or a niggle, or certainly ended with one as he was removed at half-time. He's had a horrible year off the pitch too, let's not forget that. Perhaps it was a combination of many things but not a good night

Jake Young - 4

Made a run with a burst of speed after 20 seconds, as he tried to get onto a Roberts pass, that filled me with confidence. Tackled by James Gibbons and that was the last I really saw of him. No service at all like, stupid long aimless balls going nowhere near him, but not good. 

READ MORE:

'Unacceptable' - Alex Revell's response to the performance against Cambridge

Stevenage humbled and deservedly beaten at home to Cambridge - report

Stevenage 0 Cambridge United 2 - full match recap, as it happened

Subs - Pressley, White, King, Freeman, List

Chocolate fireguards basically. Yes, there was a bit more possession but bar one Harvey White ball forward that Pressley couldn't control, they had no impact.

Cambridge stand-out players

All of them, but then lets be honest, I would have stood out playing against Stevenage last night, at my age now and with my dodgy knees, so it doesn't really count. Gibbons won that tackle on Young and a couple of headers in the first few minutes. In hindsight, that was probably the clue for what was to follow.

Overall

Spent the morning looking at a thesaurus. Rubbish is a perfectly adequate word to describe that performance but I wanted more, it deserved more description. Came up with this lot:

feeble, fruitless, futile, impotent, inadequate, incompetent, indecisive, ineffectual, inefficient, inept, limited, unproductive, unsuccessful, worthless.

Yeah, that about covers it.

It's come with a cost too, Piergianni and Thompson both suspended for Saturday's trip to Rotherham, but the Millers, and the rest of the division, have now been given a blueprint on how to beat Boro.

Both Cambridge and Lincoln outfought Stevenage. Unacceptable is the polite way of putting it but it is another very adequate and apt description.

And I'll leave it there because that performance doesn't deserve any extra effort on my part.

I will expect better in South Yorkshire, I DEMAND better.