Andrew Bennett continues his comprehensive review of last season, moving into the month of December 2007.

Back at the Abbey, United fans were able to purchase a splendid DVD entitled '2-1, 2-1,' on which they could enjoy the victories over Stevenage and Aldershot. Compulsive viewing.

Saturday 1st December: U's 1-0 Weymouth (FA Cup) [att: 4,552, away 355]

In the only all-non-League tie of the Second Round, the club chose to tempt fate a little by issuing priority vouchers to be used in the event of a plum Third Round draw. The Magic of the Cup ® was very much in evidence as kick-off was put back to 3.15 due to the crowds, and the South Habbin was opened specially to ease the overflow.

On the pitch, Pitt replaced Convery and Hoyte was back in for Albrighton, whose stitches had opened up again at Burton. United dominated the early stages and took a deserved lead on 26 when Rendell drew a foul from Justin Roberts in the area and calmly converted the resultant penalty himself. From there on in the U's sat back and coasted as if sat upon a giant toboggan sliding down the slopes of the Matterhorn, and in an increasingly dull contest, Weymouth simply lacked the quality to do anything about it. JQ was happy to admit that his team had "won ugly" and was duly rewarded by a Third Round draw away at Wolves. Man of the Match: Gavin Hoyte

The next week saw contract extension talks with Michael Morrison break down; his current deal due to expire at the end of the season. The still-teenage defender said diplomatically that he had decided to concentrate on the present for now with a lot of matches coming up, while JQ stated, "Michael has aspirations to play at a higher level and obviously his agent will be on the case. Whether something happens in the transfer window we'll have to wait and see..." By an amazing coincidence, Morrison was rested for Thursday's live TV game...

Thursday 6th December: Kidderminster Harriers 1-0 U's [att: 1,341, away 134]

Another bogey ground (no win since 1959), another horrendous journey due to all manner of traffic problems on a filthy, wet evening which made both team and supporters late, although it didn't help that the original team coach didn't turn up. LFW replaced Boylan, Knights came in for Pitt and Josh Coulson was favoured over Morrison, but as on previous occasions United's late arrival seemed to affect their start on the pitch and Creighton rattled the bar for the hosts with a header from a corner in the second minute. In slippery conditions the U's had trouble finding their feet in every conceivable way and only a brilliant goal-line Coulson clearance stopped Penn from giving Kiddie a tap-in lead on 35.

Having clung on grimly in the first half, it was a more familiar and purposeful U's who emerged after the break, enjoying an impressive spell of prolonged pressure almost from the off. Wolleaston slid just wide with only keeper Bevan to beat on 47, but eleven minutes later United were caught out by a Harriers free-kick, Iyseden Christie looking distinctly offside when he scored. They went on to pull the hosts to pieces with some glorious football in their build-up but just could not find a finish, Peters seeing a goalward prod on 73 scrambled off the line and big Rhino cannoning a shot off the bar a minute later. Still the amber pressure came, Bevan tipping a Wolleaston blaster behind in between a whirlwind of crosses, but somehow it was not United's night. They had enjoyed 62% possession and 19 shots to Kiddie's 8, and would probably never play better while losing. Man of the Match: Mark Peters

JQ was rightly 'proud' of his players after a scintillating but remarkably unrewarded second half display, while home boss Mark Yates was also fulsome in his praise: "Cambridge are by far the best side we have played this season by some way. You hear constantly that Cambridge are strong, big and direct, but tonight showed just what a superb footballing side they are."

With a nine-day fixture void until the next game, amber eyes looked to the future. The Wolves game was brought forward to 2pm because the Cup had brought some of football's most notorious 'fans' to the same part of the world on the same day, with Millwall at Walsall, Cardiff at Chasetown and Manchester United at Aston Villa. At least the upheaval was minor this time. Tickets for the Abbey Boxing Day derby with Histon had almost sold out from the Main Stand so the South Stand was also to be made available to home supporters; well let's face it, the village people were never going to sell it out.

Chilli was back in training but "a bit off the pace at the moment" and he was loaned to struggling St Albans for a month, while young Coulson was rewarded for some tremendously cool performances with a contract until 2010.

Saturday 15th December: U's 5-0 King's Lynn (FA Trophy) [att: 2,311, away 711]

Southern League leaders Lynn lived up to their sleeping giant tag by bringing what turned out to be the largest away following of the season to the Abbey for the First Round of the Trophy, putting the 316 that Histon 'attracted' for the visit of Retford firmly in perspective. Scott Howie and John Turner started for the Linnets while JQ rang the changes, Danny Brown returning to replace Knights, Boylan in for Rendell, Convery for Wolleaston and Pitt in place of the suspended Reed. It promised to be tough, but United were ahead inside seven minutes, Hoyte firing home after a free kick was not cleared properly.

Lynn played some nice football but lacked any cutting edge in the final third; in fact they were more dangerous at the other end, Dean West crashing an extraordinary diving header against his own bar on 34, but somehow Pitt headed the rebound wide of an open goal from two yards out.

It was soon 2-0, however, Pitt's 36th minute corner not dealt with and Hoyte flicking on to LFW to lash home from twelve yards. The third came on 65, another Pitt corner headed home by Rendell past a fumbling Howie, and two late goals past a tiring Lynn side sealed it, Rendell volleying home on 87 and Boylan rounding it off with an excellent diving header in added time. The visitors, a decent side, had been taught a salutary lesson in finishing by a ruthless, professional U's team which had gained the club its first FA Trophy win since January 1970. Stevenage, embarrassingly, lost to Conference South strugglers Dorchester, conquerors of United in the same competition two years ago. Man of the Match: Josh Coulson

The draw for the next round of the Trophy saw United sentenced to a trip to - oh joy - Histon, so the clubs would be playing each other three times in eighteen days between Boxing Day and 12th January. You can have too much of a good thing, you know. Knights returned to Yeovil on the expiry of his loan with our good wishes, JQ expressing a desire to give other squad members a chance now that almost everyone was fit again.

Wolves tickets went on sale on the 18th - great Christmas present - and all but fifty of the initial allocation of 3,138 sold out in two days. The Promotion Fund now topped £35,000, while two players were rewarded for their form with contract extensions, Boylan with a further year to 2009 and Potter an extra year to 2010. 'Tis the season.

Morrison had yet to sign any extension, and Lee Power stated forthrightly if ungrammatically, "I think it will be best for both parties if he found another club because we've offered him a fantastic deal and he's turned it down." Robbie Willmott, though, was happy to sign his first professional contract, until 2009.

Marvin Robinson was discharged from hospital, although still on crutches, and would be visiting Lilleshall for rehabilitation in the New Year. Paul Carden was recalled from loan by Accrington and would be missed after some coolly impressive appearances in the United engine room.

Friday 21st December: U's 0-1 Rushden & Diamonds (Setanta Shield) [att: 1,309, away 102]

In every fixture list there is a runt of the litter, and this season it was the Setanta Shield. Not the greatest attraction with a Final venue not even decided, the Conference North and South clubs had the first three rounds to themselves until the big boys came in, with rules in place to persuade them not to put out complete reserve sides. United slashed admission prices and moved the fixture to Friday evening to avoid the festive shoppers, sorry, give the players more time to prepare for the holiday period, but the attendance figure on a chilly, misty night told its own story.

JQ rang the changes, Albrighton, Rendell, Wolleaston, Reed, Willmott and Hyem (above) starting, but United nonetheless drifted at half-pace through the fog and went one down on the half-hour, Tom Shaw driving a twenty-yarder low in off the post. Hoyte missed United's best chance on 46, shinning wide from five yards at a corner, and the team that wanted it most won against desultory hosts. JQ kindly described his side as "below par." Man of the Match: Danny Potter

Wednesday 26th December: U's 1-0 Histon [att: 7,125, away 645]

Boxing Day brought a local derby which had last been played as a league meeting 63 years ago. A huge crowd, largest for a league game since 2000, gathered to see United play a Histon side which had acclimatised seamlessly to its first season at this level and lay three points behind the U's with the division's second-best away record. Peters, Morrison, Boylan and Pitt were restored against a Stutes team which played in a strangely familiar but effective style, packing the six-yard box for their frequent set pieces, and the visitors started the better as United took half an hour to get going. The first half saw few chances at either end and finished goalless.

A tight contest exploded into life like a Christmas cracker after the interval. The towering Danny Wright saw his shot come off the inside of the post within two minutes of the restart, but it was the hosts who took the lead on 54: Reed's corner was nodded on by Peters, and there was Albrighton in the corner of the box, sending a scything volley screaming into the top corner for the goal of a lifetime. Histon stuck to their game plan, as one would expect, with United matching them tackle for tackle, although by no means at their best.

Craig Pope got away with a punch at LFW and twice in the last ten minutes Wright came close to equalising, first foiled by a breathtaking Potter save from a header, pawing it off the line and round the post, then nodded another cross off the top of the bar. JQ was philosophical: "It's not about a good performance, it's about getting the points on the board." Steve Fallon thought his team were "by far the better side... we were magnificent." Man of the Match: Danny Potter

The real row came after the match as Fallon took humourless umbrage at Neil Cole's gently tongue-in-cheek player profiles in the programme, while admitting that his players had not: "I just thought it was disrespectful and didn't find it funny at all. Their players are at the same level as us, so I don't understand the need for something like this. Our lads had heard about it before the game and had a bit of a laugh, but I just found it very disappointing. You just don't do that." Merry Christmas, Fal.

Saturday 29th December: U's 0-0 Burton Albion [att: 3,382, away 263]

Away from all the local points-scoring, Saturday saw the unstoppable force versus the immovable object as the league's last unbeaten home team came up against its last undefeated away side. The outcome was an entirely predictable stalemate, Andy Corbett hitting the post early on for the visitors but the teams cancelling each other out from there on in.

A splendid sixty-yard run from Pitt on 65 culminated in across headed wide by LFW, and as the teams fought each other to a standstill, United had their best chance with almost the last kick of the game, Wolleaston's eight-yard shot looking goalbound until heroically blocked by a flying Darren Stride. Man of the Match: Courtney Pitt

End of month position: 4th

Andrew Bennett

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