Haverhill Cambridge United Supporters

United 3 (Three) Woking 0

After seven defeats in a row The U’s bounced back in a spectacular fashion. Two goals from Robbie Simpson and one from Danny Brown were combined with a rare defensive clean sheet to give United a desperately needed three points. Manager Jimmy Quinn brought in a sports psychologist to speak to the players before the game said he was “proud of every one of the players” for their performance. Hopefully the boost to the players confidence from both the psychologist and the win will be enough to turn around results.

February

The team has five games in February, two are away against teams in the play-off positions, Oxford United and Morecambe. Two games are relegation battles, both at home against Grays and Southport. The remaining match is against Forest green Rovers. Despite Saturday’s win the club is still in the relegation places but there are seven teams within three points. Wins against Grays and Southport are essential if we are to escape relegation but we will probably need to pick up a couple of other points as well.

Cambridge 0 Stafford 1

Once again there is nothing positive to report on the United front. Another home game and another loss. The statistics are truly appalling however you read them. Lost 5 games in a row, lost 5 home games in a row, or three home wins all season out of 15 games. The Conference teams have a wide range of ability, those at the top are good enough to be successful in the League, then there is a middle group playing a good standard of football and then there are the teams at the foot of the table. At this end of the table the football is poor and the teams need major changes to compete with those at the top. Last season Cambridge were a mid-table team, we picked up points against the lower teams but this season we are struggling against all Conference sides. Only goal difference now keeps United out of the relegation places. We said at the beginning of the year that January would be the crucial period when we played many of the teams fighting against relegation, we are now half way through the month without a win.

Next At The Abbey

The team are away for the next two games. This Saturday they play our nearest Conference rivals Stevenage Borough and on Tuesday they play at Rushden and Diamonds, one of the few teams below us in the table.

Two New Strikers

Veteran striker Dean Holdsworth has joined the club for a month. The 38-year-old former Brentford, Wimbledon and Bolton striker has been the subject of transfer fees totalling more than £4.3 million during his 20 year career, and he joins United as a non-contract team member. Holdsworth's previous club was Conference South side Havant & Waterlooville, where he spent the 2004-05 season and scored 33 goals in 51 appearances. Manager Jimmy Quinn described Holdsworth as “a great acquisition”.

The club have also signed Wayne Purser until the end of the season. Essex-born Purser has scored 32 goals in 108 starts and 52 appearances from the bench, and the vast majority of those were in the Football League. Wayne singed from play-off candidates Weymouth whre he scored three times in seven starts this season.

Next At The Abbey

After last week’s match was cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch. The team will be hoping for better weather this Saturday when they are home to Stafford Rangers. Stafford are only two points above Cambridge so should give the new strikers an opportunity to show their worth. Keep up with all the Cambridge United news, including pitch inspections and postponements on www.cambridgeunited.com.