League Two Lowdown: Cambridge United

Last updated : 20 July 2016 By Jim Bonner

Vital Statistics

Founded: 1912

Chairman: Dave Doggett

Last Season: League Two - 9th

Nickname: The U's

Rivals: Peterborough United, Luton Town, Cambridge City

Major Honours

None

Scheduled Matches

Portsmouth vs Cambridge: Saturday, April 22nd (3pm)

Cambridge vs Portsmouth: Saturday, October 29th (3pm)

Cambridge United: A brief history

Formed in 1912 as Abbey United, the club didn't change its name until 1951 when they started to gain success in the regional southern leagues. The U's were elected to the Football League in 1970 and got to the second tier in 1980 before it all started going pear shaped, with a record equalling 33 losses in the 1984/1985 season which saw them relegated back to the fourth division.

The 1990's saw Cambridge rise back up to the second division, winning the first ever play-off final at Wembley along the way and they almost were promoted to the inaugural Premier League season but were beaten in the play-offs and the decline began there.

The U's dropped out of the Football League altogether when they were relegated from League Two in 2005 and suffered financial difficulty and more play-off heartbreak until two seasons ago when the goals of Pompey's Ryan Bird helped Cambridge finish as Conference runners-up and then play-off winners over Gateshead on top of an FA Trophy Final win over Gosport Borough.

The Manager: Shaun Derry

Derry is no stranger to Pompey fans having played for the Blues between 2000 and 2002 before leaving for Crystal Palace. He represented the Eagles in the top flight before playing for Leeds and QPR where he tasted promotion to the Premier League again.

Derry ended his playing career at Notts County and began his first job in management with the Magpies, keeping them safe from relegation against the odds in 2014. He was sacked a year later following a poor run of results but returned to management late last year when he replaced Richard Money at Cambridge.

The Ground: The Abbey Stadium (Capacity: 9,600 - Away: 1,200)

Cambridge is supposedly one of England's most beautiful cities but the Abbey Stadium is situated in one its "less developed" areas. To get to the away end you must walk through a field whilst avoiding dog shit and various mud puddles. When you do get there, though, you'll be happy to find that the away end is the best stand in the ground.

C:WindowsTempphp925C.tmp

Opposite the raised South Stand is the North Terrace which is home to the most vociferous U's fans. It was difficult to measure how loud they could be after their side received an absolute drubbing last season.

C:WindowsTempphp99FB.tmp

To the west is the Habbin Stand which is your typical bog standard terrace. Some away supporters can be put here if demand requires it.

C:WindowsTempphp9F39.tmp

And to the east is the Main Stand which typifies the League Two seated stand perfectly. It doesn't have the same colour scheme as the rest of the ground and is looking very worn.

C:WindowsTempphpA330.tmp

Overall, the Abbey Stadium sums up what a League Two ground is; a mixture of the old and new as the club look to redevelop the stadium in the future. Pompey fans can make a lot of noise here and in general it's a decent away trip.