Cambridge Manager, Mark Bonner, looked to the positives after Saturday’s 5-1 home mauling by Lincoln reports the club’s official website and urged his team to focus on the weekend’s fixture at Portsmouth.

Despite conceding after 25 seconds and finding themselves 3-0 down at half time, Bonner saw some good points against the Imps stating “Any period where there were not any goals, we actually controlled the game quite well; we had lots of entries into the attacking third but were just unable to turn them into real chances.”

Bonner warned his team they will face another tough test against Pompey, another of the division's heavyweights, but is relishing the challenge stating “We know it will be a tough test for us, and we are going to have to try hard to create chances against such a well organised team. A tough game but one we can really look forward to going to Fratton Park, it is why we are here!”

Meanwhile, U’s loanee, Conor Masterson, stated that he is enjoying his football following his arrival from QPR and says he has settled in quickly at the Abbey Stadium. Masterson has made three appearances in the league and said “I just want to play! It has been a privilege to be here, and I am really enjoying it so far. I was buzzing with the win and clean sheet [on his debut, the 3-0 win against Burton], but the lads really helped me. Right now I am feeling fit, I am feeling strong and I am relishing the challenges so far!”

Verdict

Cambridge have made a solid start to their first season back in the third tier and Saturday’s drubbing at Lincoln is the first time that they have been outclassed. Bearing in mind the size of other sides in the division such as Sheffield Wednesday, Sunderland and Portsmouth they may face similar adversity and it is vital they look for the positives during these periods, as Bonner is appearing to do, to ensure they bounce back quickly.