1000 League Games At The Abbey: Your Favourite Memories
This weekend saw United play their 1000th Football League game at the Abbey. The UTAS team shared some memories of our favourite games last week, now here's a selection of yours. Thanks to everyone who wrote in!
Matt Walker: Cambridge 3-0 Grimbsy, 8 May 2021
Everyone outside the club was naturally worried after Harrogate that it wouldn’t go to plan, internally we were quite calm. Whilst I know some of the lads had sleepless nights in the lead up to Grimsby, the day itself had a feeling that everyone was just focussed on getting it done.
Liam scoring as someone who is local, worked incredibly hard at the training ground everyday, lives right, a great role model to everyone he meets and been such a positive driver of the progress under Bonz, just had a real nice touch to what eventually was cemented. His last minute rocket against Port Vale came at a crucial moment as well which shouldn’t be forgotten.
Richard Nurse: Cambridge 5-3 Scunthorpe, 28 October 1989
A near gale force wind blowing down from the allotments to the NRE. We got turned around to attack with the wind first half. Cambridge led 4-1 at half time and went on to win 5-3. That score is only half the story though. The gale force wind was the star!
The first Cambridge goal was a punt from inside the centre circle that the wind took and carried over the stranded keeper. Hilarious.
The third Cambridge goal though is one of the most fondly remembered goals in Abbey history and surely the only one scored from inside our own half! Launched into the sky by Chrissie Leadbitter with a very visible curse as he knew he’d kicked it too far.
The NRE gave the hapless Scunny keeper abuse as the ball re entered earth’s orbit and he duly panicked - flapping like an under 11 keeper as the ball dropped under the bar into the net. Total bedlam!
Stas Smith: Cambridge 7-0 Morecambe, 19 April 2016
Morecambe for the fact we Scored *Seven* (how many times has that happened?), and the smugness over mates who (quite rightly) couldn’t be bothered to make it down to see an end of season mid table clash.
Richard Nurse (again): Cambridge 3-0 Derby, 16 August 1980
Opening day of the season. My personal hero, Alan Biley, had been sold to Derby and they came to the Abbey for the opening game of the season. Biley was playing for the visitors as was future Cambridge manager, Roy MacFarland. I remember it was one of those blazing hot opening days and we stuffed them! Went home and marked us proudly top of the table on my Roy Of The Rovers wallchart. Other fans who probably didn’t have a wallchart commemorated that day in song. Altogether now “…And when we beat the Derby we topped division two”