Cambridge United remain top of the table with dominant win over Hamilton United

Published May 29, 2025

Cambridge United continued to showcase their impressive league form, remaining

alone at the top of the table with 15 points following a decisive 8-1 victory over

Hamilton United at Fountain Street Soccer Fields.

A relentless offensive surge within the first 17 minutes of the match would put

Cambridge up 4-0, entirely uncontested until the 20th minute in which Hamilton

would break the clean sheet on their first opportunity of the game.

The second half saw Cambridge extend their lead with three more goals, holding

Hamilton to just one to secure a comfortable win at home.

Team

A notable change in the starting XI would see goalkeeper James Ramsay step in for

regular starter Sam Schafer.

Cambridge: Ramsay, Grant (Sran 46’), E. Antolcic, Lesic (Amaral 46’), Ferraro

(McKeon 46’), Elezi (Ciavarro 62’), Heimbecker, Paton, Andrasic, Marchant

(Greenidge 62’), Clamp (Romano 78’).

Unused subs: Schafer, Thamilventhan, N. Antolcic.

First Half

Cambridge were off to a quick start. In the fourth minute, Grant found himself behind

Hamilton’s backline and squared it across the top of the six to find Clamp to open the

scoring.Minutes later, Cambridge combined through the middle to unlock Hamilton’s back

line again. Clamp’s chipped pass over the top found E. Antolcic, who would make no

mistake with a calmly slotted finish near post to make it 2-0.

In the 10th minute, Clamp found Ferraro with a through ball that split the defense to

allow Ferraro into the box to curl it into the bottom left corner for Cambridge’s third.

Ferraro struck again in the 17th minute, this time on a tap-in off of a gutsy solo effort

by E. Antolcic to put the home side up 4-0.

Hamilton got on the board in the 20th minute, finding the back of the net on their first

shot in the contest off of a turnover in Cambridge’s build-up play.

In the 31st minute, Paton lofted a ball to the back post to find Elezi. Elezi would

spring into the air to direct a bouncing ball to Clamp, who captured his second goal

with a clever backheel that found the top left corner.

Cambridge would close out the first half in the lead 5-1.

Second Half

Rain greeted the two teams when they returned for the second half. Cambridge

made three substitutions to begin the half with Amaral, Sran, and McKeon entering

the pitch for the Cambridge side for Lesic, Grant, and Ferraro respectively.

Cambridge picked up where they left off, when Andrasic found it off the bounce on a

corner to put Cambridge up 6-1.

Hamilton struggled to find any sort of consistent offensive threat in response to the

relentless Cambridge side.

In the 62nd minute, Marchant and Elezi were replaced by Greenidge and Ciavarro.

Ciavarro had an almost immediate impact, picking out the bottom left corner from

just outside the eighteen yard box in the 77th minute on a failed clearance attempt

by the Hamilton center back to put Cambridge up 7-1.Clamp, who ended his day with two goals and two assists, made his exit at the 78th

minute mark for Romano.

Hamilton attempted to press in the final minutes, but E. Antolcic would take

advantage of another failed clearance attempt, controlling the ball out of the air to

bring it down to complete a give and go on the top of the eighteen and finish the play

with a strike into the top right corner. With his second of the game, E. Antolcic

finalized the 8-1 victory for Cambridge with 82 left on the clock.