U's 1-1 Swindon: 2nd April 2026

Oh, what could have been

No team has played better against Cambridge United all season than United themselves played against Swindon Town on Thursday night. It doesn’t feel like the first time such a statement has been true during this campaign.

Ultimately it isn’t performance levels that dictate final league positions but the ability to turn good or bad days into points. The U’s display on Thursday was thrilling to watch, the three attacking midfielders high up in support of Louis Appéré took it in turns to petrify the away defence, but they didn’t win.

The “if they keep playing like that, they’ll get promoted” mantra has been recited for months. United have been playing well, aberrations at Harrogate and Barnet exceptions to the norm, borne out by the fact they are the only defeats in 27 League Two games. Any team who can provide a stat like that should expect to go up. United are not losing often but now perhaps they’re not winning enough.

Neither 1-1 draw at home to Milton Keynes Dons and Swindon are outright poor results but were disappointing considering they should have brought six points rather than two. Such failure to win may prove the difference between a place in the top three and the playoffs. Further draws in upcoming games against other challengers Notts County and Bromley would also not be bad results in isolation but would probably see United drop behind other teams seeking a place in League One.