08/02/2026
Match Report
Cambridge 3–1 Sunderland South
The tone of the afternoon was set long before kick-off, with several Sunderland South players giving it the big one. Chief among them was Mitchell Chapman, loudly promising to “smash” Cambridge players and boasting he’d be “going through lads all game.” In the end, the biggest impact he made was watching proceedings from the sidelines after being forced off himself.
The match started slowly, with neither side creating much in the opening stages. Sunderland South focused more on trying to rattle Cambridge than playing football, but the Cambridge lads stayed composed and gradually grew into the game.
The breakthrough came when Dom Moan swung in a dangerous corner, met emphatically by Jay Martin, who smashed the ball home from around 10 yards to put Cambridge 1–0 up.
Cambridge doubled the lead soon after. Luke McCabe played a perfectly weighted ball over the top for Kevin Humble, who rose well and headed over the keeper, despite loud protests and moans from the Sunderland South bench.
Half-time: Cambridge 2–0 Sunderland South
The second half began poorly for Cambridge, who allowed Sunderland South back into the game with a sloppy goal — arguably the only real effort they’d mustered at that point.
Any hope of a comeback was short-lived. Cambridge restored their two-goal cushion when Sunderland South’s keeper brought down Kevin Humble in the box. The referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot, and Luke McCabe calmly converted the penalty to make it 3–1. ( Pressure is for tyres)
By now, Mitchell Chapman had gone very quiet — a welcome silence broken only when he was heard begging the referee to blow for full time so he could get home for a bath to wash away the tears.
That peace didn’t last long, however. Chapman later hit the post and celebrated the moment like he’d just won the World Cup, reminding everyone about it for the remainder of the match.
Cambridge saw the game out comfortably to secure a deserved 3–1 win.
Goalscorers
• Jay Martin
• Kevin Humble
• Luke McCabe (pen)
Man of the Match
Mitchell Chapman – for all the wrong reasons.
