Courtney Pitt
A fixture in the side for the last two seasons, Courtney Pitt is currently enjoying a key role in the resurgent U's side at left wingback.
Courtney's career began at Chelsea after being spotted playing for his county side at the age of 14 and invited for a trial, which was so successful that he signed schoolboy forms the same day and subsequently earned a two-year YTS.
Current Chelsea and England captain John Terry was his youth team captain, West Ham striker Carlton Cole joined on YTS terms when Courtney was a first year pro, and U's team-mate Rob Wolleaston was two years ahead of him at Stamford Bridge. But of the lads in his year, he is only aware of Blackpool goalkeeper Rhys Evans still being in the professional game.
It underlines how competitive the modern game is, but the 25-year-old adds, "It was a brilliant place and you couldn't ask for a better education of football. They always want you to try to play football properly and get it down and pass it, and they just want you to play to the best of your ability and fulfil your potential, like all clubs do."
Courtney confirms the stories that Barcelona scouted him when he was 18, which leaked into the media at the time and he regards as a huge compliment, but his first taste of senior football came after Graham Rix took him to Portsmouth at the age of 19.
"He was first team coach at Chelsea and he knew me from a young age, so when he left to take over at Portsmouth he asked me to go there. Chelsea offered me a three year deal but my contract was running out and I knew it would be harder to break into the first team there because of all the quality players, so I decided to leave and go to Portsmouth."
Pompey paid a tribunal-set fee of £200,000 plus add-ons and Courtney played over 40 games in his first season in Division One (now the Championship), but, as ever, a change of manager saw a change in his fortunes as new boss Harry Redknapp brought in his own players.
"The change of manager didn't help, then I got injured in pre-season of the next season and it was really hard to get back in because they were flying at the top of the league," recalls the London-born winger.
The following season included loan spells at Luton and Coventry before Graham Rix signed him again, this time for Oxford United.
"It was a big shock for me to drop down from that level to League Two," admits Courtney. "I found it difficult to adjust to that type of football because I had just come back from a cartilage injury and I was only there for seven games.
"There was less time on the ball and also if I made a run there was less quality in the other players to find the run, and also movement off the ball is better at higher levels so there are more options if you have the ball.
"Those are the main differences in the game, but the standard of refereeing changes as you go down the leagues and you get less protection," says a man who is frequently singled out for special attention from opposition defenders.
After his short spell at Oxford, Courtney decided to join Boston and he spent the 2004-05 season there. He admits it took more time adapting to that level but it was easier this time after a full pre-season campaign and after a good season he was offered a new deal.
"But I didn't get on that well with the manager so I decided to leave," he explains, "and then in the September of 2005 Tony Spearing got in touch and asked me if I wanted to come here for a little while and see what it's like, and the rest is history."
History shows that Courtney quickly earned a contract to the end of the season, but within two days of signing in October he was injured at Halifax and sidelined until Boxing Day.
"The injury made things difficult and my form suffered a bit because I had to come straight back into the side so I was trying to get my fitness back and playing games too, which was really hard work.
"But I signed another contract at the end of the season and we were all optimistic at the start of this season," he recalls.
"We thought we had enough quality in our squad to really push on and be higher in the table, but we had a disastrous start and didn't win for eight games. Everyone's confidence was shot to pieces and we're still struggling to come back from it and still lacking a bit of confidence at times.
"Everyone knows that on our day we can play well and we've shown recently just how well we can play, and we're all disappointed that we haven't done it more often."
Having played under a few different managers in his career so far, Courtney enjoyed his time at Luton under Mike Newell and adds, "Obviously Harry Redknapp is a good manager and knows what he's doing, even though I didn't get on with him too well, but he's proven himself in the Premier League."
Likewise, he has played alongside some top players and has special mentions for four of them: "The ones that really stand out are Zola at Chelsea, even though I didn't really get to play with him, just trained with him.
"I played with Robert Prosinecki at Portsmouth and he was absolutely unbelievable on the ball, one of the best I've seen. And then there's Paul Merson and Teddy Sheringham, all top players proven at the highest level."
Confidence has soared with the 4-0 win at Northwich and the 7-0 win at home to Weymouth, and Courtney adds, "We're just hoping we can win most, if not all, of our last games because we feel we're a match for anyone in this league if we play well and everything comes together.
"They're all big games and we have to keep this form going. Our home form was good last season but this season our away form has been better. It's hard to know why, but I think teams come to the Abbey wanting to play because of the stadium and the pitch and I don't know if the lads are a bit nervous in front of the home crowd, but it's all in our own hands and we can beat anyone on our day."
Courtney has played at left-wing back in recent weeks as the team has settled into a 3-5-2 formation, and although he is naturally a winger he is happy to play there to help the team.
"We've got our best results by playing that formation so I'm happy to play there," he confirms. "Ideally I'd be a bit further forward - everyone knows I'm not really a defensive-minded player - but I'm doing a job for the team and that's all that matters at the moment."
The good news from the EGM a fortnight ago has eased the financial clouds over the club, but Courtney stresses that the players' minds are primarily on their own jobs on the pitch.
"We try to concentrate on our football and don't really get into what's happening upstairs.
"We're concentrating on what we have to do to get out of the situation we're in," he says, but he admits that he would like to stay at the Abbey.
"If I'm asked, I would be delighted to stay on. It's a good club and a nice place but obviously we have to get out of this situation we're in now and that's the most important thing at the moment."
From a personal point of view, he loves playing football and wants to continue as long as possible, preferably by helping Cambridge United back into the Football League.
"I have no idea what I'd have done if I wasn't a footballer; football has been what I wanted to do since I was about seven years old, so I never gave anything else much thought," he confesses.
"I was just determined to try my best to play football and I'm lucky enough to have done it so far in my life - and long may it continue.
"Everyone wants to play at the highest level and obviously we need to get out of the position we're in and then concentrate on next season - hopefully pushing up and being more towards the top end of the league."
My Favourite Game:
"My full home debut for Portsmouth. We played Grimsby and won 4-2 and it was a really good game to play in. And my favourite game for Cambridge would be Altrincham at home last season when we won 4-0 and I scored. The boys all played well and I really enjoyed it."
Andrea Thrussell
*This interview was first published in the programme for the match against Dagenham & Redbridge on 9th April, 2007
Previous Featured Players:
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14Mar07: Shane Herbert
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28Feb07: Robbie Willmott (scholar)
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16Nov06: Robbie Simpson
02Nov06: Craig Bussens (scholar)
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25Sep06: Matt Kendrick (scholar)
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