To wrap up this season’s content, we’ve asked all of the UTAS podcast and website contributors to send over one conclusion from the season. What was the main thing that they came away with when reflecting on the season? And is that something that can help us next season as we look to take on a very different type of challenge in League One?

Normally, these articles are for Coconut Tier members only. But as it’s the last of the season, we’ve opened this one up to everyone so you can see what you’re missing out on if you’re not subscribed. You get an article like this every week, as well as extra pods, etc etc. Here’s some other end of season stuff that we’ve posted recently which you get access to:

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Change is good - Jordan Worland

McFarland, Bonner and now Harris. Three times I have seen United promoted from the fourth tier and each time, the manager has made a mid-season tactical change away from a formation that they started the season with, and the result has seen a significant upturn in fortunes in the league table. In the 2020/21 season, the change was driven by the question of how to best position one Wesley Hoolahan, whereas for Harris in 25-26, the reasoning was less luxurious. Travelling with a reputation, perhaps unfairly, of only playing a back 4, Harris’ decision to move to a back 5 was driven by necessity rather than luxury, as injuries and player unavailability racked up. Harris has spoken this post season about how the mid-season change in formation peaked at Barrow and the team and morale didn’t look back after that.

Having endured months of Monk’s philosophy over formation approach, which resulted in both poor performances and minimal points return, change was needed. With the departures we’ve already seen this summer, there is some doubt in mind as to whether we stay with a back 5, but for now, the success of 25/26 to me will be a marker in tactical and formation pragmatism that Neil Harris played.

Clean sheets actually are a platform to build on - Tom Walker

I’ve spent the last five or six years joking about it, but this is basically what won us promotion. 33 goals conceded is pretty insane, regardless of level. Sounds really basic, but if you don’t concede, you can’t lose, and that really is the platform we built our season on. Hopefully it’ll translate pretty well up the pyramid, too. Next season will be all about 0’s into 1’s, and keeping clean sheets will be pivotal to that.

Home is where the heart is - Jules Roberts

United ended the season as the best home side in the fourth tier. Bromley might have gone the whole season unbeaten and ended on the same points return at home as us, but even though we lost twice at the Abbey we still came out on top with a goal difference of +28, 8 goals better than the champions. And unlike a lot of good things that we saw this year, this wasn’t something that got better in the second half of the season, it was something that defined us all season long. Oldham came to town in September and did a job on us, Grimsby were flying when they repeated the same trick in April, but apart from that it has been a total fortress. And that’s something that we’ll need even more next season, making it a place that is really hard to come to and pick up points.

The club is in an incredible place, on and off the pitch - Matt Caspell

The club has never been in better shape commercially and off the field as it is right now. Posting revenue of £9.2 million is remarkable, and shows how far we’ve come. When I first started watching United in the early 00s, our revenue was usually between £2-3m. While our losses have also grown, we can see this as investment overseen by hugely trustworthy individuals in Paul Barry, Mark Green, Alex Tunbridge and co.

The Abbey is bursting at the seams, which is great to see and really adds to the matchday experience. I’m maybe being naive, but it feels for once tangible that we will be able to move and develop a modern facility in Cambridge East. The matchday experience has never been better than it is right now, we are making the most of what we’re able to do at The Abbey.

We feel like a club with upward momentum right now, on the pitch and off, and I’m loving it.

Defence is the greatest form of attack - Jack Swindlehurst

Even with our catalogue of late goals conceded and the classic end of season wobble, we secured that final automatic promotion by only conceding 33 goals across 46 games. That’s 11 less than anyone else in the league and up there with the best across the whole of the football league. Coupled with a fantastic clean sheet record and especially defenders contributing heavily to our goals, our defence was really the key to this season’s success in every respect.

It’s become enjoyable watching Cambridge United again - Owen Kiernan

After two seasons flirting, and one season fully in bed with relegation there were times when it felt like going to the Abbey was a chore. The constant injuries, late goals, aimless crosses to no-one and repeated mistakes meant 3pm on Saturday was a time to endure, not enjoy.

I’ll admit I was sceptical about Harris and Bonner returning, but with Neil’s tactical nous, and the feel-good factor Bonner brings to the place this season has (mostly) been a joy. Yes, we made hard work of it, and yes the squad needs a lot of improvement if it’s going to become comfortable in League One, but we all know that it’s the fans that make the club, and if we can recapture the spirit of 2021/22, then we should be in for many more enjoyable years ahead.

Football fans still don’t know the rules - Matt Ramsay

Even with the delight of finishing third, the continuing reactions to Kell Watts thigh passes will be a feature of the season which will be spoken about in years to come. We’ve seen it enough times to know what’s coming: the South Habbin realising that Jake Eastwood has picked up a backpass, only it’s not a backpass, it’s a thigh pass, often an entirely unnecessary one, designed to prompt a reaction from opposing fans and draw knowing cheers from U’s supporters.

You’d think people would know the laws of the game they spend their lives watching. United go into a different division in 26-27 and you know what that means, a whole new batch of fanbases to mock for their outrage at Kell Watts doing his thing.

All superstitions are nonsense - Matt Gooding

Throughout the campaign I have tried wearing various combinations of replica shirts and different pairs of yellow trainers (I own a lot of trainers, don’t judge) to matches, and all have coincided with periods of good and, eventually, bad results. As much as we all like to think our various pre-match routines and rituals can have a bearing on results, thankfully it seems having a competent manager and a well-organized team is a much better formula for success.

Trust in the coaches - Ben Griffis

The key conclusion for me is that I fully trust Harris and his coaching staff’s ability to notice problems, diagnose them, come up with a solution, and then implement everything on the training ground. The first 10 or so games were a little rocky and landed us mid-table due to various issues. Harris and his team effectively addressed the issues and the players translated everything onto the pitch. The team ended up having the best defence in the EFL and went on a long unbeaten run. All of that is not an easy task and takes coordination and work from so many different parties.

Paul Barry and Mark Green got it bang on the money - Freddie Owers

In a footballing era where it is seemingly impossible to come across any sort of praise for a club’s board or ownership, I must say we have it extremely lucky as supporters of Cambridge United, and that is no more so summed up than by Barry and Green’s decision to appoint Neil Harris and Mark Bonner just over 18 months ago.

It seemed a gamble at the time, with Harris’ recent exit as U’s manager still lingering over him, and Bonz having no previous experience as a DoF, but the combination of recruitment and management of the side since the summer has left me feeling that literally no better decision could have been made.

It played out to perfection; players adopting a fighting attitude that seemed almost alien to fans after the previous couple of years, and signings being made with a clearer vision than we have seen for a while of exactly where and how they will help the team.

It led to us having a team that was enjoyable to watch, and is an incredible depiction of the simple fact that intelligence and strategy in football goes much further than throwing money around to mask governance inadequacies. It’s going to be an exciting summer.

Like every promotion, United’s was built from the first kick of pre-season in July (and even before) all the way through to the final whistle at Crewe. One good month does not equal success; it’s a long, sustained and often arduous journey. But what were the biggest moments in that story that led to our success? What were the crucial turning points and the decisive moments?

Before we dive in, there’s still plenty going on at UTAS, from pieces wrapping up promotion last season to pods chatting about the latest summer news. And even a World Cup competition that Coconut Tier members can enter free of charge and be in with a chance of winning some cash prizes. Links below if you’re not a paid up member yet!

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Nick Robbins is not a name that will go down in Cambridge United folklore.

The former Ipswich Town youngster apparently turned out at right back as part of the carousel of players representing the newly relegated U’s in the 2005/06 season, as we got our first taste of Conference football and discovered the unique delights of losing to teams like Forest Green and Grays Athletic.

Perhaps Robbins’ most notable contribution in a U’s shirt was being substituted, in an away match at Halifax on October 15, 2005. His replacement was a young defender called Michael Morrison, fresh from the mean streets of Haverhill and making his U’s debut as a 17-year-old.

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(Apologies for the tech issues in the intro, it’s only 30 seconds before the main stuff begins!)

This episode is an early access one for Coconut Tier members, if you want to listen to it a few days early, access all the other premium content and join our free World Cup prediction competition (with cash prizes available), you can join here:

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Subscribe to the Coconut Tier to get:

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And you can show off to your mates that you support UTAS and you’re not a round dodger: https://www.undertheabbeystand.com/subscribe

We’re delighted to be sponsored by The Old Spring this year, and they’re offering some amazing deals for United fans:

1. Matchday Meal Deal: Before every CUFC home or away game, it’s just £15 for a burger (chicken, beef, or veggie), fish & chips, or skepasti (chicken or halloumi) + any beer.

2. Saturday Happy Hour: Every Saturday, 18:00–19:00pm, half-price beers.

3. Ticket Holder Discount: 10% off your food and drink anytime, any day of the week, with a CUFC season ticket or a match ticket for an upcoming game (cannot be used alongside Matchday Meal Deal or Saturday Happy Hour).

You can find it at The Old Spring, 1 Ferry Path, Cambridge CB4 1HB, theoldspring.co.uk.

Get in touch with the pod here:

Socials: @AbbeyStandPod and Under The Abbey Stand

Subscribe to the Coconut Tier to get:

📚At least one feature article every week

🎧Bonus podcast content every month

👕First dibs on upcoming merch drops

And you can show off to your mates that you support UTAS and you’re not a round dodger: https://www.undertheabbeystand.com/subscribe

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It’s far from the day-to-day life of EFL football that we’re used to here at UTAS. The only half-time shows we report on usually involve our beloved Tom Walker’s ability to regularly miss United goals, or potentially a review of NOasis’ performance in the NRE concourse.

But that’s not going to stop us getting involved in the World Cup!

After a few more pods and articles to wrap up the season, UTAS are going to take a break for a few weeks to recharge the batteries and come back better than ever towards the end of June/start of July, ready to go even bigger for a season reporting on the third tier.

But for all our paid subscribers, we want to offer you something in the meantime. And that something is a World Cup prediction competition, with the chance to win cash prizes.

Here are the headlines, with more specific details below:

• Predict scores for World Cup games, winning points for correct exact score or correct winning team.

• Your points will be added to a running league table alongside other Coconutters.

• At the end of the tournament, the winner will get £100, second will get £50, and third place £20.

• It’s free to enter - your Coconut Tier subscription is your entry fee!

We’ll have chat threads for our community to discuss their predictions over in the Substack Chats. We’re also going to take this moment to lock the Chat room on Substack to paid subscribers only - we’ve got plans for a similar ongoing prediction competition for Coconutters throughout next season’s League One campaign, giving you a chance to predict United games and win some cash through your subscription.

So if you’re not signed up yet, and the extra pods and articles haven’t convinced you to part with the price of a pint a month, maybe this competition or access to Chats will… Join below if you’re interested in joining the crew:

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For more details on the competition, just scroll down.

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If you want to play around with Ben’s apps and find some data darlings for yourself, this is where to head:

www.best11scouting.streamlit.app

www.football-match-reports.streamlit.app

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Happy June, everyone! With the play offs over and the runners and riders for next season in all three EFL leagues decided, we can start to put 2025/26 in the rear view mirror. The small matter of the World Cup is approaching rapidly, and slowly but surely we all start to make that transition from the weekly grind of club football to the intense month of a major international tournament.

But before our attention turns fully to the summer and next season beyond that, we’ve got a few pieces in the works to wrap up the last campaign. We’re not quite down celebrating just yet. That starts with an end of season report card of the promotion-winning squad, giving a rating to each player and their performances this season. A lot of these players have already moved on, such is the brutal world of lower-league football, but this is a chance to reflect on the contributions of each player and what went into building such a successful side in the hope that Harris, Bonner and the team can repeat the feat next season.

I’m doing these as whole numbers out of 10, even though there’s a few I was desperate to give a half number for. They’re just my personal view, and plenty will disagree I’m sure, so get in the comments with your views!

Before diving in, my reflection on doing this was that instinctively you want to give so many of these players 9s or 10s because we know that they achieved what we set out to. Fundamentally, this is the squad from a successful season. The players have all in one way or another contributed to that. But it’s all relative, and for this it’s important to put a bit of a critical eye on some performances, with the other eye already fixed on how this squad needs to ruthlessly improve and develop to tackle a higher division next season.

Anyway, let’s see how I got on…

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In the 32nd minute of Cambridge United’s 4-0 win over Notts County in April, Sullay Kaikai swung a free kick into the visitors’ box. The low delivery found the foot of James Gibbons, who controlled in an instant, killing the ball and pushing it perfectly into his stride so he could lash a shot high past County keeper James Belshaw to make it 3-0 to the U’s.

Gibbo wheeled away jubilantly, arms outstretched as he celebrated like a man possessed in front of the South Stand. It was perhaps the perfect distillation of Turbo Gibbo, the unlikely renaissance of a player who looked average at best as United sank without a trace in 2024/25 but came up clutch on so many occasions in 2025/26. After a remarkable campaign that yielded six goals, six assists, a promotion winners medal, and a player of the year trophy, the announcement earlier this week that he is leaving for a (presumably) more lucrative contract closer to his home in the north west feels a lot sadder than it would have last summer.

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Subscribe to the Coconut Tier to get:

📚At least one feature article every week

🎧Bonus podcast content every month

👕First dibs on upcoming merch drops

And you can show off to your mates that you support UTAS and you’re not a round dodger: https://www.undertheabbeystand.com/subscribe

We’re delighted to be sponsored by The Old Spring this year, and they’re offering some amazing deals for United fans:

1. Matchday Meal Deal: Before every CUFC home or away game, it’s just £15 for a burger (chicken, beef, or veggie), fish & chips, or skepasti (chicken or halloumi) + any beer.

2. Saturday Happy Hour: Every Saturday, 18:00–19:00pm, half-price beers.

3. Ticket Holder Discount: 10% off your food and drink anytime, any day of the week, with a CUFC season ticket or a match ticket for an upcoming game (cannot be used alongside Matchday Meal Deal or Saturday Happy Hour).

You can find it at The Old Spring, 1 Ferry Path, Cambridge CB4 1HB, theoldspring.co.uk.

If you’re a Coconut Tier member and you want your extra podcasts delivered straight into your preferred app, just follow these instructions that the NTT20 boys put together and it should work for UTAS too:

NTT20.COM

How to add Substack episodes to your preferred podcast app

You can listen to paid subscriber podcasts directly on your favourite podcast app…

Read more

2 years ago · 2 likes · NTT20

Subscribe to the Coconut Tier to get:

📚At least one feature article every week

🎧Bonus podcast content every month

👕First dibs on upcoming merch drops

And you can show off to your mates that you support UTAS and you’re not a round dodger: https://www.undertheabbeystand.com/subscribe

We’re delighted to be sponsored by The Old Spring this year, and they’re offering some amazing deals for United fans:

1. Matchday Meal Deal: Before every CUFC home or away game, it’s just £15 for a burger (chicken, beef, or veggie), fish & chips, or skepasti (chicken or halloumi) + any beer.

2. Saturday Happy Hour: Every Saturday, 18:00–19:00pm, half-price beers.

3. Ticket Holder Discount: 10% off your food and drink anytime, any day of the week, with a CUFC season ticket or a match ticket for an upcoming game (cannot be used alongside Matchday Meal Deal or Saturday Happy Hour).

You can find it at The Old Spring, 1 Ferry Path, Cambridge CB4 1HB, theoldspring.co.uk.

Read more

Thanks for being Coconut Tier subscribers, we’ve got plenty more pods over the next few weeks including interviews with people at the club, so stay tuned!

Subscribe to the Coconut Tier to get:

📚At least one feature article every week

🎧Bonus podcast content every month

👕First dibs on upcoming merch drops

And you can show off to your mates that you support UTAS and you’re not a round dodger: https://www.undertheabbeystand.com/subscribe

We’re delighted to be sponsored by The Old Spring this year, and they’re offering some amazing deals for United fans:

1. Matchday Meal Deal: Before every CUFC home or away game, it’s just £15 for a burger (chicken, beef, or veggie), fish & chips, or skepasti (chicken or halloumi) + any beer.

2. Saturday Happy Hour: Every Saturday, 5:30–6:30pm, half-price beers.

3. Ticket Holder Discount: 10% off your food and drink anytime, any day of the week, with a CUFC season ticket or a match ticket for an upcoming game (cannot be used alongside Matchday Meal Deal or Saturday Happy Hour).

You can find it at The Old Spring, 1 Ferry Path, Cambridge CB4 1HB, theoldspring.co.uk.

Read more

For the final GYSR of the season, I’ve looked back over the season’s worth of data and compiled a few interesting data points from looking back at the journey. Thanks for reading this season, and all being well we’ll be back again for a bunch more League One data pieces next season!

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Make sure to do your own team and let us know where you ended up over on the Chat:

This episode is available exclusively for Coconut Tier subscribers. For less than the price of a pint a month, you can unlock this and other regular extra pods, alongside our website content including match previews and reviews for every league game. You’ll also get the full back catalogue from this season.

If you want these extra Coconut Tier podcasts delivered straight into your preferred app, just follow these instructions that the NTT20 boys put together and it should work for your UTAS pods too:

NTT20.COM

How to add Substack episodes to your preferred podcast app

You can listen to paid subscriber podcasts directly on your favourite podcast app…

Read more

2 years ago · 2 likes · NTT20

Subscribe to the Coconut Tier to get:

📚At least one feature article every week

🎧Bonus podcast content every month

👕First dibs on upcoming merch drops

And you can show off to your mates that you support UTAS and you’re not a round dodger: https://www.undertheabbeystand.com/subscribe

We’re delighted to be sponsored by The Old Spring this year, and they’re offering some amazing deals for United fans:

1. Matchday Meal Deal: Before every CUFC home or away game, it’s just £15 for a burger (chicken, beef, or veggie), fish & chips, or skepasti (chicken or halloumi) + any beer.

2. Saturday Happy Hour: Every Saturday, 18:00–19:00pm, half-price beers.

3. Ticket Holder Discount: 10% off your food and drink anytime, any day of the week, with a CUFC season ticket or a match ticket for an upcoming game (cannot be used alongside Matchday Meal Deal or Saturday Happy Hour).

You can find it at The Old Spring, 1 Ferry Path, Cambridge CB4 1HB, theoldspring.co.uk.

Get in touch with the pod here:

Socials: @AbbeyStandPod and Under The Abbey Stand

Read more

If you’re a Coconut Tier member and you want your extra podcasts delivered straight into your preferred app, just follow these instructions that the NTT20 boys put together and it should work for UTAS too:

NTT20.COM

How to add Substack episodes to your preferred podcast app

You can listen to paid subscriber podcasts directly on your favourite podcast app…

Read more

2 years ago · 2 likes · NTT20

Subscribe to the Coconut Tier to get:

📚At least one feature article every week

🎧Bonus podcast content every month

👕First dibs on upcoming merch drops

And you can show off to your mates that you support UTAS and you’re not a round dodger: https://www.undertheabbeystand.com/subscribe

We’re delighted to be sponsored by The Old Spring this year, and they’re offering some amazing deals for United fans:

1. Matchday Meal Deal: Before every CUFC home or away game, it’s just £15 for a burger (chicken, beef, or veggie), fish & chips, or skepasti (chicken or halloumi) + any beer.

2. Saturday Happy Hour: Every Saturday, 18:00–19:00pm, half-price beers.

3. Ticket Holder Discount: 10% off your food and drink anytime, any day of the week, with a CUFC season ticket or a match ticket for an upcoming game (cannot be used alongside Matchday Meal Deal or Saturday Happy Hour).

You can find it at The Old Spring, 1 Ferry Path, Cambridge CB4 1HB, theoldspring.co.uk.

There will be plenty of pods over the next month, especially for Coconut Tier members so just scroll down to sign up if you want access to the best promotion content around. Thanks for listening over the season and enjoy the summer!

Subscribe to the Coconut Tier to get:

📚At least one feature article every week

🎧Bonus podcast content every month

👕First dibs on upcoming merch drops

And you can show off to your mates that you support UTAS and you’re not a round dodger: https://www.undertheabbeystand.com/subscribe

We’re delighted to be sponsored by The Old Spring this year, and they’re offering some amazing deals for United fans:

1. Matchday Meal Deal: Before every CUFC home or away game, it’s just £15 for a burger (chicken, beef, or veggie), fish & chips, or skepasti (chicken or halloumi) + any beer.

2. Saturday Happy Hour: Every Saturday, 18:00–19:00pm, half-price beers.

3. Ticket Holder Discount: 10% off your food and drink anytime, any day of the week, with a CUFC season ticket or a match ticket for an upcoming game (cannot be used alongside Matchday Meal Deal or Saturday Happy Hour).

You can find it at The Old Spring, 1 Ferry Path, Cambridge CB4 1HB, theoldspring.co.uk.

Get in touch with the pod here:

Socials: @AbbeyStandPod and Under The Abbey Stand

Subscribe now

Read more

Subscribe to the Coconut Tier to get:

📚At least one feature article every week

🎧Bonus podcast content every month

👕First dibs on upcoming merch drops

And you can show off to your mates that you support UTAS and you’re not a round dodger: https://www.undertheabbeystand.com/subscribe

We’re delighted to be sponsored by The Old Spring this year, and they’re offering some amazing deals for United fans:

1. Matchday Meal Deal: Before every CUFC home or away game, it’s just £15 for a burger (chicken, beef, or veggie), fish & chips, or skepasti (chicken or halloumi) + any beer.

2. Saturday Happy Hour: Every Saturday, 18:00–19:00pm, half-price beers.

3. Ticket Holder Discount: 10% off your food and drink anytime, any day of the week, with a CUFC season ticket or a match ticket for an upcoming game (cannot be used alongside Matchday Meal Deal or Saturday Happy Hour).

You can find it at The Old Spring, 1 Ferry Path, Cambridge CB4 1HB, theoldspring.co.uk.

Get in touch with the pod here:

Socials: @AbbeyStandPod and Under The Abbey Stand

It’s 6pm on the day of Cambridge United’s (hopefully) last home match of the season. A warm sun is out, the mood is relaxed, spirits are high, some of the players are on the pitch mingling with relatives and having kickabouts with their children.

If there are similar scenes this coming Saturday, people of a U’s persuasion being on the pitch at Gresty Road following the conclusion of the final game of the regular season, rather than everyone hastily heading home and starting preparations for a playoff campaign, then we are in for a famous day ahead.

For Cambridge United and over 2,300 of their fans will head to Crewe this weekend knowing that victory will secure promotion and an immediate return to the third tier, to which they were last promoted five years ago when the closest fans could get to the action was the outside of the Abbey due to the season being played behind pandemic-induced closed doors.

Had Tuesday night’s game against Grimsby gone the other way, Saturday’s 3-0 stroll against Barrow would have been a promotion clincher, rendering the Crewe game unimportant. Had Grimsby not snatched a winner in injury time, only a draw at Crewe would be enough to clinch third thanks to a vastly superior goal difference to Salford.

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