Josh Coulson is one of the success stories of this season, having emerged from the terraces and the youth set-up at the Abbey Stadium to break into the first team and earn an extended professional contract.

A local lad through and through - born at Addenbrooke's Hospital and raised in Cherry Hinton - Josh was spotted playing for Cherry Hinton Lions and joined Cambridge City's youth scheme under Jez George at under-15s level.

"I've known Jez for a long time," says Josh. "When I was at primary school in year 6 he was the manager of my school team, so I've known him for quite a long time and he has been a major influence on my career so far, along with my Dad - they've helped me out a lot."

He earned a two-year scholarship with Cambridge City when he left school, and when City's youth scheme closed and transferred to United a year later in the summer of 2006, Josh found himself on the books of the club he and his Dad had supported for years.

"It was great to come here and meet Rob Newman and Tony Spearing and be part of a bigger club and the better facilities, especially for me as I'd been coming here for years anyway with my Dad," he adds.

"I used to go either in the top corner of the Main Stand with my Dad or behind the goals with my friends, so to be playing out there on the pitch now is a big privilege."

Still playing in the Ridgeon's League Premier Division, but now under the banner of 'CRC' rather than Cambridge City Reserves, Josh gained a further year's experience of playing against men's teams on Saturdays whilst training in the mornings and continuing his studies at Cambridge Regional College for the National Sports Diploma in the afternoons.

Looking back now, the towering centre half, who turned 19 at the end of January, feels the experience of playing in the Ridgeon's League for two seasons has helped him with the step up into Conference football.

"When I first started playing in the Ridgeon's League I was a bit worried and I wondered if it was helping me," he admits, "but as you get going you realise you learn more and quicker when you're playing against men because it's a lot more physical.

"We were all 17 and 18 - even some 16-year-olds - playing against men and it's a good standard in that league too, you get a lot of ex-professionals playing against you, and it helped me a lot."

As a change from the challenge of league football, Josh enjoyed playing against players of his own age in the FA Youth Cup. Last season he was part of Cambridge United's cup run to the fourth round, where they were knocked out at Cardiff City, and in the previous year he was part of the Cambridge City side that knocked the young U's out of the same competition.

"I've had two really good years in the FA Youth Cup," he agrees. "In the first year at Cambridge City we knocked United out - Michael Morrison played for United that day - and we went on to lose to Nottingham Forest at home, and obviously last year was a great experience beating Tranmere and Crewe at the Abbey and then going to Cardiff."

At the end of last season - his first with United but his second as a scholar - Josh, Jordan Collins and Michael Hyem were offered pro contracts by manager Jimmy Quinn and gladly accepted.

By then Josh was already spending some time training with the first team and learning from the likes of Mark Peters, who also played a few games for CRC last season to help the youngsters.

He speaks highly of the veteran defender, saying, "He's helped me out a lot; he's very good to play alongside because he's a very experienced player and he'll tell you if you're doing things wrong and what you could be doing better. He also encourages me and he gets my confidence going, and of course this season we've got Mark Albrighton here and now Wayne Hatswell and they're always helping me to try to improve my game too.

"They've been there and done it and they're good people to learn from - you know that if you want to do things right you listen to them and get on with it."

Josh started out in youth football as a midfielder but was converted to a defender as he started growing his 6ft 3ins frame, and he names Sol Campbell as a player he has always admired and tried to partly model himself on.

"My Dad's a big Spurs fan as well as a Cambridge fan so I like Spurs too and I've always liked to watch Sol Campbell; he's a great defender."

Josh started the season training with the first team and playing for CRC, and he still goes along to watch the youngsters when they have mid-week home matches, but he was soon drafted exclusively into the first team squad and made his first team debut in October, coming off the bench in the 2-2 home draw against Halifax.

"It came as a surprise," he recalls. "I was on the bench that day and I hadn't been getting on the bench a lot so I was a bit nervous when I went on, but it was a great experience and I got through it and felt really good afterwards.

"It was special to make my debut at home too; I've always wanted to play for the first team at the Abbey so to make my debut here was even better. We've struggled for the last few years so to come into the team now when things are going so much better is fantastic; it's great to see the club doing so well and getting back on track.

"To me, Cambridge United has always been a League club with a great fanbase and we shouldn't be in the Conference."

Josh's first start followed in December's televised match at Kidderminster, and although it ended in a 1-0 defeat the scoreline doesn't begin to tell the story of a game dominated by United throughout and in which the home goalkeeper Scott Bevan was named 'man of the match'.

"I can't believe we didn't win that game," he smiles. "People asked me if it bothered me that it was on the telly but it didn't really affect me. I was a bit nervous because it was my first game but the TV didn't get to me."

Josh made a memorable clearance in that game, when Russell Penn was inches away from connecting with Iyseden Christie's cross before Josh cleared the ball with a dramatic full-length diving header near the post.

"I've seen it a few times since because my Dad recorded that game and he liked that one!" he laughs.

A few days later he signed a contract to 2010 and admits that he was delighted to commit his future to his local club: "I live here and this is the club I've supported since I was a youngster so when the Gaffer called me in and offered me an extra two years I was delighted to sign."

Many of the players have revealed in these interviews that they set themselves targets at the start of the season and Josh reveals that the season has already exceeded his hopes.

"At the beginning of the season I spoke to my Dad and we agreed that if I got a regular spot on the bench before the end of the season I would have had a good year, so to play this many games is really good and more than I expected."

One of Josh's eight starts so far came in the FA Cup third round tie against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux Stadium in January, and although the game ended in a narrow 2-1 defeat, with Wolves' winner coming two minutes from time, he admits it is an experience that will stay long in his memory.

"It was a great experience and it was good of the Gaffer to have faith in me and throw me in because I didn't play in the previous game, but he trusted me and that gave me more confidence. It was a great day even though the result didn't go our way, and I very much enjoyed it.

"We went 1-0 up with Scotty (Rendell) scoring a penalty and I thought we were very unlucky to get knocked out on the day. Obviously they're a Championship side and they knocked the ball around a lot, and towards the end we tried to hang on to the draw but they got their second goal.

"That was heartbreaking but it was a good experience to play at their ground in front of that many fans; that's what football is all about and that's the level we all want to get to. It's good to set your sights high and to realise what you want to achieve."

Josh also has great memories of the support given by almost 4,000 U's fans that day, and he compares it with another memorable cup game: "I was in the United supporters at Nottingham Forest that night when we played them in the cup and lost in the penalty shoot-out, and to go out on the pitch at Wolves and see that many Cambridge United fans there was absolutely amazing - it's definitely the best experience of my career so far."

Closing with his hopes for the rest of this season, this assured and personable teenager concludes, "I would like us to win the league, obviously, but if we can't do that then to play at Wembley and win the play-off final would be a dream come true, especially to play at the new Wembley with Cambridge United.

"I'd love it for the fans too, because they've been brilliant this year and playing in front of them really is like a twelfth man. I know everyone's been going on about it but it really does help to see the fans there and to hear them cheering us on."

Andrea Thrussell
web@cambridge-united.co.uk

*A shorter version of this interview was originally published in the programme for the match against Weymouth on 22nd March, 2008.

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