Two in form sides meet at the Abbey Stadium tomorrow when United host Forest Green Rovers.
While Gary Brabin and his squad will be in confident mood after five successive wins, Forest Green are likely to be awkward opponents, having lost just one of their last 14 league games.
The fact that Jim Harvey's side are still not safe from relegation (they are 17th in the table, four points from the drop zone) belies the fact that they have drawn too many games, especially on the road.
Rovers have the chance to pick up some silverware next week when they host Telford in the Setanta Shield final, and with such a glamorous(!) tie on the horizon, Harvey will have to make sure his players' minds are focused on league business tomorrow.
The self-styled "little club on the hill" have been fixtures in the Conference since winning promotion from the Southern League in 1998. Stalwart manager Frank Gregan was the driving force behind this success, and two subsequent FA Trophy final appearances, but since he was sacked in 2001, after seven years at the helm, Rovers have changed managers seven times, with the likes of Nigel Spink, Colin Addison, and ex-U Alan Lewer all spending short spells in the hot seat.
Former player Gary Owers took up the reins in 2005 and could only steer his side to fourth from bottom in the 05/06 season, a position that would usually spell relegation. However, league restructuring meant they received a reprieved, and the following October Owers was gone, to be replaced by a more experienced head in the shape of Jim Harvey.
Taking over a side who were rock bottom of the table, Harvey picked up a point in his first game by securing a 1-1 draw with United (a rare goal from Danny Carey-Bertram rescuing a last minute point for the U's). With the help of several astute signings, he guided his side away from trouble to a 14th place finish.
Harvey's arrival coincided with a move to a new stadium as Rovers left the Lawn, their home since 1926, to the imaginatively named New Lawn, 500 metres down the road.
Last summer Harvey was again active in the transfer market and picked up a gem in the shape of Stuart Fleetwood, who signed for Forest Green on a free after being released by Hereford.
Fleetwood had lost his way a bit after a tough season with the Bulls, but Harvey's renowned man management skills got him back on track, and he formed a prolific partnership with Mark Beesley (above in FGR colours) to propel FGR up the table.
Fleetwood had 27 league strikes by the turn of the year, but after Beesley's departure to United the goals began to dry up, and Rovers slipped down the league.
They ended the season in 8th, just outside the play offs, and when Fleetwood inevitably departed for bigger and better things (joining Charlton Athletic) Harvey was faced with another rebuilding job.
The Squad
Aside from Fleetwood, a string of other players, including captain Michael Brough and our very own Anthony Tonkin (below) left the New Lawn in the summer.
Harvey can still call on his keepers from last season, Ryan Robinson and Terry Burton. Burton, who joined Rovers after leaving the army, currently possesses the number one shirt.
Rovers recently lost the services of club captain John Hardiker, who resigned from his contract at the New Lawn, while player/assistant manager Jerry Gill is out for the rest of the season after fracturing his cheek bone in a recent match with Oxford.
Chris Preece and Darren Jones are the regular centre backs, although Jones has been pressed into service at right back lately, while Curtis Macdonald, whose career has taken the unusual path from Cardiff to the Forest of Dean via Poland, is an option on the left, along with youngster Ben Ashford. Former Kidderminster player Lee Ayres is a recent addition to the squad.
Harvey's small squad was also depleted by the departure of Simon Clist to Oxford, so in the centre of midfield tomorrow will probably be Alex Lawless and Lee Fowler. Fowler is combative former Newport County and Burton man, while Lawless provides a goal threat after netting several long range strikes this term. Kaid Mohamed and Paul Stonehouse are tricky wingers, while Paul Lloyd, who like many of his colleagues worked with Harvey at Morecambe, joined the side recently. Another former Shrimp, Jonathan Smith, has had a good season and scored eight times.
Up front Andy Mangan has been filling Stuart Fleetwood's shoes with distinction, scoring 22 times including a recent hat-trick against Lewes. Veteran front man David Brown joined from Barrow in January and provides guile to compliment Mangan's pace. Youngsters Conal Platt and Michael Symons are also in the squad.
This Season
Forest Green certainly made hay while the sun shone, and despite picking up just one point in their first two games (a draw at Kettering and a defeat to Salisbury) they led the table by the end of August. Four straight wins and just one goal conceded took them to the Blue Square Premier summit, including impressive 1-0 wins over Crawley and Histon.
However, their form soon slumped, and Harvey's men only managed three more wins prior to Christmas. They enjoyed a better time in the FA Cup, beating Ashford and League Two high fliers Rochdale to set up a dream date with Derby County at the New Lawn in the third round. Rovers twice led their championship opponents, but their defensive frailties came back to haunt them in the closing stages and the Rams triumphed 4-3 courtesy of a late penalty.
Since then draws have been the order of the day, with Rovers often taking the lead only to be pegged back. If Rovers could add some steel to their undoubted flair, they would surely be challenging at the other end of the table.
They have found the net nine times in their last two games, coming from 2-0 down to thrash Altrincham 5-2, and brushing aside already relegated Lewes 4-1 on Tuesday night. Phil Bolland, Wayne Hatswell, and co will have to be on their mettle tomorrow if they are to keep another clean sheet.
Last Time
Forest Green have yet to beat United at the Abbey since we were relegated to the Conference, drawing on their first two visits to Cambridge then going down 2-0 last season.
Our encounter last term was the first game after Scott Rendell's departure to Peterborough, meaning Jimmy Quinn began the match with a new forward pairing of Lee Boylan and Lee McEvilly.
However, it was a defender, Wayne Hatswell, who broke the deadlock with a stunning 40-yard free kick that caught Rovers keeper Ryan Robinson unawares. The game was made safe in the second period when McEvilly chased a long ball and forced defender Mark Preece to chest the ball past his own keeper into the net to make the final score 2-0.
Matt Gooding
The views expressed on this page are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cambridge United Football Club or the webmaster.
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