Enjoy a quick preview of this weekend’s Amber Rambler with a sneak peek at the special feature with former United Manager, Ron Atkinson!
The Amber Rambler will be available to buy around the ground, from the CFU Van, and in the club shop for just £3. Tickets for tomorrow’s fixture are still available online here, and will also be available in the ticket office on match day until kick off at 3:00pm.
This week, 100 Years of Coconuts have caught up with ex-U’s boss Ron Atkinson, who led the Club to promotion and the fourth division title in the late 70s.
Programme Preview:
On arrival at the abbey, after joining the Club from Kettering to take over as manager what were your first impressions of the Football Club?
I knew a lot about Cambridge United, my brother Graham had been on loan a few years before. Reg 'Curly' smart was mates with my brother and they played cards together. Mr. Smart was instrumental in me coming to the Club and had phoned me at Kettering. Cambridge I found was a similar club to when I played at Oxford.
What was your single fondest memory of your time at Cambridge United over the three-year period you were manager?
We more or less got promotion after Christmas, and we celebrated every week in the Club that we were a step closer to becoming champions that year. The one thing I could not get at Cambridge was a winger; I used to play three up front at Cambridge. Alan Biley, Tom Finney and in the fourth division Jim Hall, Jim was a revelation, we got to Christmas and I thought were going to win this league, but we need to make sure we score goals at home and I signed Jim Hall.
Who was your best signing during your time at the Abbey?
We had a great bunch of lads. One of the luckiest things I ever had was I signed three guys in Biley, Fallon and Spriggs for the statutory 250 pound signing on fee for each player at that time. They formed the nucleus of the team. Dave Stringer then came in and he was the icing on the cake for that team. Even without a winger, we were the leading scorers in the country that season. I could not pick one pivotal signing but those three that made the nucleus were good. I also recall Brendan Batson telling me to look at Malcolm Webster as a goalkeeper and after one trial game I decided to take him on and he was another good signing.
ALSO IN THIS WEEKEND’S EDITION:
FROM THE CEO - Ian Mather
MARK BONNER – Interim Head Coach
CARLISLE UNITED - Away profile
THE CAPTAIN’S LOG – Greg Taylor
THE BOYS ARE BACK – Leigh Edwards
COCONUTS CHRONICLES - Every Picture Tells a Story
ELEVEN TO TACKLE – Quiz
MIND MATCH DAY – Mental Health Charity
LIFE’S A PITCH – Ian Darler
FROM THE SLO - Dave Matthew-Jones
CLUB CAMBRIDGE LEGEND – Bobby Shinton
CAMBRIDGE UNITED WFC – Ben Yeomans
AROUND THE DIVISION - Owen Mizon
MARVIN'S MESSAGE - Junior U's
HOT OFF THE HABBIN - Andrew Stephen