But the business keeps trickling in, this time with the summer’s second loan signing in young Callum Perry. He joins on a season-long loan from Coventry fresh off winning the most dramatic of all promotions with Rochdale last year. We’ve compiled a bit of info on the highly-rated defender to help get you up to speed, including a look at his data and the view from fans of his previous clubs.

Subscribe now

Read more

Thank you everyone for listening, it’s been brilliant to be able to bring people along for the ride who couldn’t make it and get some great insight into the club along the way.

If you want to join the new UTAS WhatsApp chat you need to become a Coconutter for the measly sum of £5 per month, and then you’ll find a link that you can follow to join the community – it’s only been a few days but it’s been a great place so far.

Subscribe now

Subscribe to the Coconut Tier to get:

📚At least one feature article every week

🎧Bonus podcast content every month

💬Access to UTAS Chats on WhatsApp and Substack

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

Subscribe to the Coconut Tier to get:

📚At least one feature article every week

🎧Bonus podcast content every month

💬Access to UTAS Chats, our messageboard on Substack

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

Subscribe to the Coconut Tier to get:

📚At least one feature article every week

🎧Bonus podcast content every month

💬Access to UTAS Chats, our messageboard on Substack

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

Subscribe to the Coconut Tier to get:

📚At least one feature article every week

🎧Bonus podcast content every month

💬Access to UTAS Chats, our messageboard on Substack

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

It won’t surprise you to know that for the full version of every episode you’ll need to be a Coconut Tier subscriber, it’s as simple as clicking on the link below for the price of a cerveza every month:

Subscribe now

We’re also looking for your questions to answer on our daily pods. Whether they’re about the season coming up, the summer, the signings, the trip, the beers, whatever it is, it’s all welcome.

We’ll also be speaking to a few players at training, hopefully including Watts, Pelly, Ball, Knight and the new boys Heath and Bauer. If we can get time with them, any specific questions for them are welcome too.

Send them in on Substack Chats or on X below:

Ask on X

And if you’re out in Spain, let us know and we’ll see you at the game for a beer or two!

For this special episode, Jord caught up with Gareth Daniels, the Head of Retail and Ticketing at United. He’s the man in charge of liaising with the kit partner to design the three kits for the upcoming season, and we discussed his role, the inspiration behind the 26/27 offerings and the story of how he got to the final product.

Subscribe to the Coconut Tier to get:

📚At least one feature article every week

🎧Bonus podcast content every month

💬Access to UTAS Chats, our messageboard on Substack

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

Read more

But of course, there are still some holes in the squad… and there are plenty of players looking for new clubs! For this piece, I’ve cast my net over (most of) the free agents from the EFL to see who might be interesting options.

The key positions I’ve looked for are Centre Back, Left Back, and Midfielder. Because there’s so many players here, in the interest of length I won’t go too far into detail on each of them.

Read more

The response has been incredible. So before the new se…

Read more

Enter the 6-foot 3-inch frame of centre-back Patrick Bauer. The 33-year-old joins the U’s on a one-year deal, and to find out a bit more about our new big German we’ve asked some fans of his previous clubs for some insight, and looked at some of his underlying data.

Subscribe now

Read more

United’s transfer window continued with a very different type of deal to the first two. Having signed Callum Stead and Isaac Heath on multi-year permanent deals, both players whose stock is high and rising, our third acquisition of the window is someone we know well whose current stock has a big question mark next to it after a patchy couple of seasons.

Gassan Ahadme signs for Harris’ United on a season-long loan from Charlton. Having spent last season on an unsuccessful loan at Stevenage, he will be desperate to reignite a career that has so much promise.

Even though lots of readers will remember the Gasman and know enough about him as a player already, we thought we’d refresh your memory and catch you up on where he’s been in the intervening years, asking some ex-clubs for some thoughts on him and grabbing some underlying numbers so we know what to expect from him.

Subscribe now

Read more

And not long after that, United backed it up with a second signing, adding yet more young and exciting attacking talent: welcome to the U’s, Isaac Heath.

The 21-year-old has joined on a three-year deal for what we can probably assume to be a club-record transfer fee from Everton, having spent last season on loan at Accrington Stanley in League Two.

Like we’re going to do all summer, we’ve put together an introduction to Harris’ latest recruit, taking a look at his career so far, some underlying numbers, and finding out what fans of his old clubs make of him.

Subscribe now

Read more

All our weekly summer pods are going out as an early listen for Coconut Tier subscribers, and will be out for everyone else next week. Subscribe below if you want it early, as well as access to the back catalogue of content:

Subscribe now

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.

This season’s first signing did a good job at injecting an extra dose of excitement. Probably more so than any in recent memory.

Callum Stead joins United on a free transfer from Barnet. He signs a two-year-deal at the Abbey and kicks off what will inevitably be a busy summer of business.

To help give you a full introduction to our new recruit, we’ve looked at Stead’s career so far, had a chat to a few Barnet fans, and pulled some of his underlying numbers to get a sense of what we can expect from him.

Subscribe now

Read more

This pod is going out as an early listen for Coconut Tier subscribers, and will be out for everyone else next week. Subscribe below if you want it early as well as the back catalogue of content:

Subscribe now

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.

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:

Subscribe now

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!

Subscribe now

Read more

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.

Read more

(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:

Subscribe now

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 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

Read more