Special New Year S Edition

SPECIAL “NEW YEAR’S” EDITION

January 2016

“And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been.” Rilke

Opening Window,

It was inevitable, I suppose, that Mr Derry would suffer the curse of winning Manager of the Month for December. January has been hard and bleak and not just on the football field. Cambridge generally has a mild and temperate climate but those in parts of Wales, Scotland and the Northwest have suffered grievously from unusually extreme weather. We wish them well.

The high flying U’s were brought crashing down to earth by Wimbledon, who showed us what can be done with the right mixture of experienced players and speedy and determined youth. This month the spine of the team has been bolstered by the arrival of Messrs Dunne and Norris but it looks as if there is still work to do.

1 The Grandad cynics in the Habbin would have it that the centre of our defence remains too inviting and the names Coulson and Hughes have been mentioned in my hearing. However, as Robert (Osbourne) points out later in the newsletter, the January window is never quite the opportunity it seems, although in my own mind I have already signed Matt Tubbs…..

Mike Barnes has been missing all the fun whilst sunning himself in Spain and who can blame him? Perhaps he has been doing some scouting for us. Due diligence should be able to ensure that all incoming players arrive with a guarantee against injury.

Whilst feeling jealous of Mike, spare a thought for U’s fan Dave Meldrum who has just relocated to Washington and sends us this chilling picture.

Living in Nottingham has given me the odd insight into our illustrious manager’s past! My local newsagents, which is run by a branch of the Clough family, tell me that Mr Derry is a top man, well regarded in football circles and highly principled. He deserves to succeed.

Fellow retired English teacher, Steve Arnold, writes a fascinating article about the only pupil at his school to make a career in professional football. Well worth a read. Of course, I thank all our contributors and remind you that it is only January and the wheel is turning. Keep the faith!

Escape to Spain: winter travels to the land of sunshine and football by Mike Barnes Much as I love Cambridge United, in recent years I have escaped from the grey January skies to take in some Spanish winter sunshine and with it a healthy sample of La Liga football action. This time, I was lucky enough to attend games in three wonderful Spanish cities.

As 2015 drew to a close, a couple of hours in the air from Stansted delivered me to Barcelona, where I had secured a ticket at Camp Nou for what turned out to be Lionel Messi's 500th game for La Blaugrana. Ahead of the match against struggling Real Betis, Barca paraded the five trophies they had landed in the calendar year.

Despite their success, Barca fans are irked because it could have been six had Athletic Bilbao not given them a pre-season warning by emphatically winning the Spanish Supercopa, though revenge was eventually exacted in the form of a 6-0 spanking in La Liga.

Even with 83,600 inside Camp Nou, the atmosphere was one of bubbling excitement rather than anything higher up the scale. Special for those of us making an occasional visit but routine in the greater scheme of things. Naturally, the 4-0 win for Barcelona was as expected, but the home side's opening goal was the result of calamity.

2 Charging out of his goal to defend a Barcelona attack with Messi at its epicentre, Betis goalkeeper Antonio Adan was yellow carded after being adjudged to have fouled the stricken Messi who lay prone on the Camp Nou turf. Neymar hit the bar with the resulting spot kick and, following up, Betis defender Heiko Westermann got there just ahead of Barca's Ivan Rakitic but could only slam the ball into the roof of his own net.

Former West Brom manager Pepe Mel, in his second spell in charge of Betis, was sent to the stands for protesting in the aftermath of Barca's controversial opener - and replays did appear to show the decision to have been harsh. Betis went on to lose their next four games - two of which resulted in a 6-0 aggregate Copa del Rey defeat to city rivals Sevilla - all without scoring and duly showed Mel the door for a second time.

Needless to say, Messi scored on his big night, quickly adding Barca's second after recovering from the impact of his collision, and Luis Suarez scored twice after the break to seal an emphatic victory for the Catalans against a Betis line-up containing Norwich City reject Ricky van Wolfswinkel.

Fortunately enough, a couple of weeks later, to enjoy a longish break in Southern Spain, I soaked up the sun while Britain froze. Spending my first few days in the majestic city of Seville, I joined the 400 Malaga faithful who had travelled the relatively short distance to the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, the intimidating home of Sevilla, for a full-blooded Andalucian derby.

In warm sunshine and in front of a noisy and mostly partisan crowd of more than 34,000, Sevilla striker Kevin Gameiro sent the home fans into raptures when he struck twice inside two minutes, effectively putting the game out of reach for Malaga by half time and extending his side's impressive winning home run to nine La Liga games.

Gameiro's first touch was sublime as he ran onto Adil Rami's long pass and dinked the ball over Malaga keeper Carlos Kameni. Then, almost from the restart, he started and finished a neat move with Vitolo, chipping over the advancing Kameni to seal a match-winning performance. Malaga staged a gallant second-half fightback and Brazilian striker Charles reduced the arrears, but the home side rode their luck and hung on for a 2-1 win.

After a few days in Cadiz - where Sir Francis Drake famously boasted of singeing the King of Spain's beard - I moved on to Malaga, another great Andalucian city. I have been to a number of games at Malaga's home at Estadio La Rosaleda, but this one promised to be special because Barcelona were in town. A near-capacity 27,500 filled La Rosaleda and the Malaga fans, as always, were in rumbustious form.

Young striker Munir El Haddadi, deputising for the injured Neymar, slotted home in the second minute after Suarez's shot had been parried by Kameni. Despite their early lead, however, the Catalans were outplayed by Malaga in the first half and the home side deserved their equaliser, scored by Juanpi after Barca had given the ball away.

3 Under a clear blue sky as the winter sun shone, Barcelona's makeshift defence struggled, with Thomas Vermaelen particularly woeful alongside freshly convicted tax cheat Javier Mascherano. The former Arsenal man was unsurprisingly hooked at half time and Barca looked stronger as a result.

Messi - clearly not at 100 per cent fitness - had been anonymous for the entire first half but, when it came, his goal was a typical moment of Messi brilliance as the little man volleyed home from Adriano's cross soon after half time. Unlike my high vantage point at Camp Nou, my seat at La Rosaleda placed me closer to the action than I usually am at the Abbey. I had a perfect view of Messi's goal - something I will always remember.

‘WHAT DID YOU SAY YOUR NAME WAS, INSPECTOR?’ by Steve Arnold Ellis Guilford School, Nottingham, January 1994. The bullying tones of Arthur, hard-headed businessman and head of the Birling family, makes his threatening enquiry of Inspector Goole, in J.B. Priestley’s play ‘An Inspector Calls’. I’m listening to the tape twenty-two years later, and am still impressed by the student who had taken on the role, capturing the character’s bluff gruffness, and by his knowledge of the character in the discussion with his peers which follows. At the time I awarded him a grade A for this piece of GCSE Spoken English assessment, and saved the tape to use as an exemplar for future students to listen to. What interest and relevance has this for you? The student was Sean Peter Derry, now manager of Cambridge United.

A colleague, John Derbyshire, took Sean for another spoken assessment: ‘My Future’, and remembers how Sean talked confidently, in a considered manner – but not arrogantly – about his hopes of a career in football, acknowledging the capricious nature of our favourite game. Surprisingly, John, a Manchester United supporter (but at least a Mancunian), thinks Sean decided the 2012 Premiership title. He claims that if the 34-year-old Sean had been a millisecond faster, he’d have blocked what became Aguero’s winning goal, resulting in United being champions. Check it out on YouTube. Then again, if Joey Barton had not earlier elbowed Tevez, kicked Aguero and head-butted Kompany and been sent off…..etc…etc. Sounds like sour grapes to me.

What is genuinely surprising is that Sean is the only student - out of the 6,800 who passed through the school during my time - to have a successful career in football. We had plenty of talented youngsters: in 1996 four students joined football league clubs; Richard Cooper joined Michael Owen’s cohort at the F.A. School of Excellence at Lilleshall Hall in 1994; ex-Notts County player and ex-Mansfield manager (and current Barrow manager) Paul Cox is an old boy. But if you club them all together their total league appearances = 149 which is dwarfed by Sean’s 578 appearances, made mostly in the top two tiers, over his 18 year career. He made 649 appearances in all competitions.

So how was Sean different? I taught him English and English Literature for three years during which time his classroom attitude largely corresponded with his approach on the playing field. Intelligent, hardworking, accepting criticism and listening to advice - but being prepared to challenge it if he disagreed – he was unfussy and determined. The only differences I noted on the football pitch were a high level of ruthlessness, an ability to galvanise his team-mates and an unmatched athleticism.

4 I recently bumped into his parents and brother, a good footballer himself, who is now an assistant head at another Nottingham school, and was reminded of Sean’s down-to-earth, genuine and supportive background. Sean was certainly not allowed to get too big for his boots as a youngster and has maintained a level of humility as his career has progressed . He was generous enough to come to school during the 2004-05 season when he was on loan at Nottingham Forest, prior to his move to Leeds United, to talk to the students about his career and to answer frankly some awkward questions (‘When you’re trying to get back in the first team, do you want the side to play badly?’, ‘Which opponent do you dislike most?’* ‘What do you do to wind up the opposition?’). He also presented us with a signed shirt which we proudly displayed on the classroom wall.

When I retired, he wrote to me, offering both his congratulations and tickets to watch his Notts County side. I should confess at this point that I have been a Chesterfield F.C. supporter for 53 years and am a long-term season ticket holder. When Notts played at Chesterfield in September 2014, I approached the away dug-out just before kick-off and hailed Sean, who came over and again congratulated me, placing his arm around my shoulder. As I made my way to my seat just in front of our chairman, the chap who sits next to me and with whom I have conversed about the game for the last six years, asked me, “Fraternising with the enemy. What was that all about?” We never talk about anything other than the game in front of us, and the inadequacies of our team. I don’t even know his name.

“I taught Sean Derry,” I explained, proudly.

“F*** off! He’s older than you,” he replied. Admittedly, Sean has the grizzled appearance of the seasoned warrior but is twenty-four years my junior. Don’t be fooled by appearances. You have a young (but experienced), genuine, intelligent manager, with the steel necessary to carve out a successful career.

*Played for Wales, Derby and Leicester and spent the match boasting about his wealth.

CUFC LOTTERY SUPPORTS:

… … … .an organisation which funds research into heart conditions and promotes heart screening programmes.

Cambridge United are organising a heart screening day to be held on 16th July, 2017. The approximate cost of the day will be £3,500 (screening 100 people) but will be free to participants. CFU hope to raise the cost through the lottery and through donations. Fiona and Paul Roberts of The Brook Pub, 25 Brookfields, Mill Road, Cambridge have been active fundraisers for CRY for many years, due to their personal circumstances and have strong connections with Cambridge United.

5 Details of the day are yet to be finalised but applications will be handled in confidence by CRY. The day will be open to all those between the ages of 14-35.

Help CFU support our club and organisations like CRY and join our lottery scheme!

Robert Osbourn’s “CFU View”

The January transfer “window” is fast becoming more of a focus of interest for fans and media than some of the football being played by our clubs, at times. It allows fans their opportunity, even more than at other times, to say how they believe that the club should move to rid itself of players considered to be underperforming, overpaid, out of position, unworthy of a place at the club etc. Supporters are clearly able to express what they feel is required in terms of recruitment and, sometimes, this can be reflected in a hostile or intolerant analysis of the way in which their club has undertaken such action in the past, or appears to be doing currently.

Of course, the public pronouncements of the manager and the club’s officials in relation to potential deals concerning players are always likely to be tailored to a variety of situations, some of which are constrained by progress in what are often sensitive and tricky negotiations with several parties. Unwise or hasty announcements have the propensity to scupper a deal or to alert rival clubs to the possibility that a target player may be available, entailing even fancier footwork to close the contract negotiations, whilst avoiding a hike in the asking price to be paid.

It does not help when players submit their own twopennor’th via social media, whilst their agents are earning their corn behind the scenes. With the “window” for transfers being open for so short a time, it is obvious that not every aspiration can be satisfied. This is even more the case since the introduction of financial controls over the size of player wage budgets. These mean that players have to leave before others can come in. Sometimes that will be a permanent move and sometimes a loan, but potential loan-outs must agree to the move, which complicates management’s options even more.

No wonder, then, that fans can become bewildered at what appears to be taking place and the natural thing is to feel that the whole process is being mismanaged, or that they could do the job

6 more effectively. As fans, we shall almost certainly not know or discover the complete extent of the story. Whilst our club has become much more open in recent years, the same cannot be said of every other and confidentiality, often to the point of seemingly desperate secrecy, does rule the waves.

I suppose that few of us would choose for our working contracts, payment and incentive details et al to be bandied around in the public domain, and discussed by outsiders, even fans of their club. So the football fan keeps his or her eye on the press, the club’s website, Facebook, Twitter, message boards both official and unofficial, associated with clubs the length and breadth of the land for any inkling of a transfer.

The rumour mill is rife with overheard conversations between people in pubs, Tesco and alleged distant relations of players who claim to be “in the know.” Every other club in the land is performing the same ballet, trying to improve their squad and their position for the second half of the season and beyond.

When all is done and dusted and the departures and arrivals are duly completed, it is back to business as usual: the manager setting the tone and the strategy; players trying to impress and win a place; regaining fitness; the club trying to sell tickets and run games, market commercial activities, etc and the fans turning up in numbers to support the players old and new, in the expectation of commitment, passion and skill, plus wins and points along the way.

Same old same old! But this season………..COYUs!

Luton Town Away

7 Matches against Luton are always much anticipated and keenly contested. This season was no exception and around 1,000 United fans watched a much improved performance which the away side clearly deserved to win. Even the match referee admitted that he’d blown too early for a crude foul by Paul Benson, when playing an obvious advantage would have given United a winning goal. The other disappointment was the conduct of some Luton fans in the executive boxes, positioned as they are very close to the away fans. Those fans pictured spent the entire game baiting the Cambridge fans several feet below. One of them filmed the results of his taunting while the other was clearly encouraging his teenage son to copy his own ignorant behaviour. When many Cambridge fans complained about this stupid provocation, the nearest steward, far from taking effective action, gave the perpetrators the thumbs up and laughed with them. The police I spoke to about this told me that they couldn’t take action unless the stewards asked them to! They accepted that the boxes had been the source of trouble for a number of years and were clearly frustrated at the lack of action. If we want to encourage families to go to football matches, surely stewards must be trained to spot potential problems and deal with them fairly? Or is it the case that, at some clubs, fans who pay more are given preferential treatment?

More positively, how good it is to see that Manchester United have taken steps to increase their provision for disabled fans, having been criticised earlier in the season for having failed to do so. All fans should be treated fairly and well by the clubs who are happy to take their money.

A big club should have a big heart.

Memories of a fan by William Arnold

8 Roy McFarland deserves great thanks and praise for his service to Cambridge United and must be considered the United manager with the greatest pedigree as a player. If it were not for his injury problems and the fact that the peak of his career coincided with two successive failures by England to qualify for the World Cup Finals, he would probably have gone on to be an England all time great. I, along with other supporters, was most surprised with the reappointment of John Beck which in the very short term may even be considered a success, with survival in the 2000-2001 season achieved. In the following season, as a supporter at distance, I purchased the pictorial record of the club written by Brian Attmore (a previous Fans Elected Director and Acting Chairman) and Graham Nurse where I was thrilled to see a picture of my Grandfather. This prompted delightful correspondence with the authors. At about this time I was introduced to a fellow exiled supporter in Portsmouth by a mutual friend and very sad Cambridge United conversations started. The LDV Cup progress generated particularly great excitement. I attended the Brighton away league encounter where I again met up with my old school friend and after a great performance in the managerial battle of the Taylors (John and former England caretaker boss Peter ) was very upset by a last minute Bobby Zamora winner and a 4-3 defeat. I then attended the Bournemouth away league game ( a draw ) where I particularly remember Lionel Perez and the great rapport he had with supporters. The cup final at Cardiff was an enjoyable day out ( organised by my Portsmouth based fellow supporter who also persuaded many of his friends to attend) but of course a very disappointing result. In the following season I attended a great early season 4-1 victory against league leaders Rushden and Diamonds and later in the season along with my fellow Portsmouth based supporter the epic victory by a golden goal at Brentford. We were not the dedicated followers standing on the drenched terraces but a Brentford supporting friend of my fellow supporter had sponsored the game and we sat in comfort and enjoyed good banter with the United directors. My viewing in the next 2 seasons was limited and the very upsetting departure from the league at the end of the 2005 season coincided with me leaving Portsmouth. I returned to Kent, having obtained a new teaching post close to Maidstone, and attended the first away fixture of the new season at Gravesend. I was asked by the friendly police if this was our first season in the league to which I replied “for 35 years, yes” though of course the conference did not exist in those times but the Southern League was arguably stronger than The Northern Premier League. I soon realised how Dion Dublin remained public enemy number 1 in Maidstone after his play off exploits over 15 years earlier and on my first day at my new job met a fellow teacher who is also a Cambridge supporter. He remains a great friend to this day and one of the first people I make contact with whenever I return to England. Through my continued sporting connections I met a golf partner of John Ryan and also his accountant and may in jest have made comments such as “ the worst manager we have ever had?!” I attended with my newly found fellow supporter an early season

9 game in the 2006-2007 season and a 0-0 draw at St. Albans and as the season progressed became genuinely worried about relegation and also the possibility of both Cambridge City and Histon overtaking United in the football pyramid. I then attended a great victory at home to already promoted Dagenham towards the end of the season and along with everybody else was greatly relieved at survival at the end of the season. TO BE CONTINUED

A BIT TO THE WEST by Neil Hudson

I first moved to Milton Keynes in 1976, but always went to see the U's as often as possible, home and away. Now the Milton Keynes street map, in the early days, used to have this little square labelled “football ground”, just around the corner from the railway station. I think they gave up on this hope some years later and we were given the “National Hockey Stadium” This came in on the back of Sean Kerly and our success in winning the Gold Medal at the Olympics in 1988. Hockey was going to be the game of the future (they should have had a word with me first...).

The ground had a big main stand that accommodated about 3,500 and an open terrace on the far side that held 1000+. I think to put it mildly it was a white “hephalump”. I don't recall anyone going there. Hockey is a girls' and public schoolboy game as far as I am concerned. And then in 2001, along came Pete Winkelman. He spotted that Wimbledon FC were on their uppers and there was a business opportunity. He smacked in two open terraces behind the goals, bringing the capacity up to 8,000. There was a problem with the pitch though. It was an artificial surface. No problem, build the sides up by 6 inches, put some dressing down and turf it over.

There was a membership scheme, no doubt to deter troublemakers. I had to take a passport and a utility bill to sign in. The first game I went to was Watford. There was a strange atmosphere, people were asking “is that our side in blue?” There were also police inside the ground and the stewards who appeared to be door staff from clubs and bars in the city centre. At one point some Watford fans in the home end started to cause trouble. The chairman came down and tried to restore peace. Personally, I would have stayed upstairs. The next year I was told my membership was no longer valid as the club was now Milton Keynes.

I played cricket with a bloke called Pete F..... from Northampton. He always made out he owned Nationwide Building Society, I don't think he did though, but he could get guests in to the director's lounge before games as the league sponsor. I was invited one day, and was told to be there at 1pm and was to wear a collar and tie and tailored trousers and leather shoes. Much what I wore every day. We went upstairs and there was a free bar, we sat down at a table, free programme and everything. The waiter came round and was serving food. “You not eating Neil?” “You never told me there was grub! I've had my dinner at home!” The best bit was the simplest bit though. About an hour before the game we were all given freshly printed team sheets, no doubt intended for the officials and press. I was told though that Norwich were coming in two weeks time, it could have been great that day “enjoying the soup Delia? You can't beat tinned mushroom in my book!” The game was dire and a 0-3 defeat for the Dons.

Meanwhile down the road at Denbigh Hall Fields things were moving, and this is the difference between Milton Keynes and Cambridge. Things get done in Milton Keynes. The fields had about 6

10 football pitches and a cricket ground and an adventure playground for children. They were given notice to move. The plan was hatched for ASDA and IKEA to build huge retail outlets and pay for the new stadium at the same time. The stadium was not finished as planned, upstairs, until some years later because of the recession, as Primark and Marks and Spencer held back. I had played cricket against the Open University with our works' side on the site of the new stadium. Now, before the South Stand, the only innovation at Cambridge was to widen the path across the common so visiting coaches could park there. The locals did not like this though and the facility was soon closed. (Just to change the subject, does anyone know what the little house close to Coldham's Lane entrance once was? I think I do).

In 2008 Milton Keynes took 35.000 to Wembley for The Johnston's Paint Trophy Final. I think Wembley did not like to sell more to one side, but they could have done. I used to take the long way round to pass the National Hockey Stadium, cycling home from work. First the grass was just left to go wild, then the seats were stripped out, and then I went by one day and this giant “nibbler” thing was eating the stands. The site is now home to Network Rail HQ. Stadium MK has had three 30,000 gates in the Rugby World Cup and will no doubt get as many for the Chelsea cup on Sunday. (Tickets are already sold out).

I still look out for the U's first, and always will.

I hope someone from our local councils read this. After all, we didn’t steal our football club – it belongs to the community.

Christmas Trivia Answers 1. What is the name of the cake traditionally eaten in Italy at Christmas? PANETTONE

1. What plant has the Latin name: Viscum Album? MISTLETOE

2. How many points does a snowflake have? SIX

3. Who wrote: “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”? DR SEUSS

4. Who sang the 2014 Christmas No1 song: “Something I need”? BEN HAENOW

5. The words: “Herod the king in his raging, charged he hath this day” are sung in which Christmas Carol? THE COVENTRY CAROL

6. London’s Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree is usually given by which country? NORWAY

7. What did my true love give to me on the eighth day of Christmas? 8 MAIDS A MILKING

8. What date is St Stephen’s Day? 26TH DECEMBER

9. In biblical times, what was Myrrh used for? ANTISEPTIC OR INCENSE

The Story of the U’s It’s taken a while but we’re almost there: 100 Years of Coconuts’ mini-museum will be open from 8pm on Monday, February 22.

11 Called The Story of the U’s, it will be found in the furthest corner of the Supporters’ Club. Follow the bar all the way round and you’ll be confronted by a small but perfectly formed exhibit formed of photographs, documents, memorabilia, other artefacts and interpretation boards. We learned much from the Coconuts exhibit in the Museum of Cambridge last October and November, and that knowledge is being put to good use. The Story of the U’s has been made possible by generous funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, to which we will forever be indebted. The February 22 opening will coincide with Coconuts’ talk to the Cambridge History Festival, From a holy well to the promised land: football in Cambridge up to 1970. It’s a free event, open to all, and you’ll be very welcome to drop in at 8pm for the talk and, afterwards, have a look at the exhibit. Following the opening night, it will be open to Supporters’ Club members and their guests during normal opening hours, or by prior arrangement with Coconuts if you’re not a member. Email 100yearsofcoconuts.co.uk or fill in the form at 100yearsofcoconuts.co.uk/contact-us.html to arrange a visit. Team picture 1925

United in Endeavour! Coconutters go all misty-eyed at the thought of the old ‘United in Endeavour’ badge and, judging by the brisk early sales of our new line of merchandise, they’re not the only ones. Saffron Apparel’s mastery of new-fangled manufacturing techniques allows us to offer this majestic piece of work on the usual array of Coconuts gear – polo shirt, sweatshirt (both £20), hoodie (£25), beanie hat (£10) – in an exciting range of colours: black, grey, white, light blue, navy and amber. We’re also knocking out the badge as a patch at a trifling £7. Admire the workmanship of the city of Cambridge coat of arms at the top. The fleur-de-lis and roses are emblems of ancient royal charters granted to the town. Either side are hippocampi, mythical creatures that supposedly pulled Neptune’s chariot. The three ships beneath the bridge are a reminder of the time when the town’s trade was largely river-borne.

12 Marvel at the depiction of the old Supporters’ Club badge (right) and that of the long-lost Cambridge & District Sportsmen’s Guild (left). Gasp at the representation of what we believe to be the Abbey Church. Feast your eyes on the United in Endeavour-inscribed scroll – the perfect summation of what a community football club should be about. Email your order, stating what you want, its size and its colour, to [email protected], visit 100yearsofcoconuts.co.uk/contact- us.html or go to our social media pages. Alternatively drop in on Terry and Robert at the CFU caravan on a match day.

……and finally…….. “I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.” David Bowie

To return to my theme of the promise of a new year, this is a very exciting time to be a Cambridge United fan. Grosvenor are about to explain their plans for a new North Stand and for the Supporters’ Club, a decision is to be made about the Sports Village and there are only a few points between us and the play off positions. I don’t know if we’ll do any more business in the current window but we have a talented squad and, if it performs at its best, promotion is not out of the question. It’s been good to see Will Norris back between the sticks and his Man of the Match award against Hartlepool was well deserved. I expect that we will see a number of young players appear in the first team before the end of the season. Shaun Derry has always believed in giving youth a chance and our youth scheme is flourishing. Our next game is at Orient and it will be quite a test for us. Once again our fans will be out in incredible numbers giving the team wonderful support. If a football club is really a representation of its fans, then the future is amber!

13 Make a difference and join CFU. Your opinions and contributions are always gratefully received. [email protected] [Deadline for the next newsletter – Monday February 24th at 8pm]

United in Endeavour