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Colin Purdew donates item to Coconuts

4/29/2021

Colin Purdew

Colin is a lifelong U’s fan, currently based out at Mildenhall and he contacted Coconuts a couple of months ago. Colin and his partner were in the throes of relocating and basically having a bit of a clear out and essentially downsizing the amount of ‘stuff’ they had to take with them. Colin grew up in Chesterton , not quite in sight of the floodlights but not far away. His Grandparents lived on Newmarket Road(and in turn his Dad) just doors up from the Abbey in what were known as ‘Gasworks Houses’ given their ownership by the firm several hundred yards more centrally up the main road.

He then moved to Sawston a couple of years before Utd got in to the League. He then journeyed through various Cambs villages before pitching up in Mildenhall for the first time in the 1990s. A two year ‘distraction’ down in Surrey followed before returning to Mildenhall where he has been for the past 25 years.

Colin has always been a huge collector of Utd memorabilia and in fact was an original member of the Cambridge United Collectors’ Club (headed by Denis Cooper, son of Arthur, esteemed landlord of the Royal Standard in Romsey) which met regularly in the early 90s.

I did know Colin’s name vaguely from his renowned metal pin badge collection which is available to see on the worldwide web and in fact it’s fair to say he inspired me to take up my obsession with the so-called “United in Endeavour” badge, the gold and white circular coffer item, featured as a badge of course on the recent much vaunted 50th anniversary shirt.(see below)

Colin was very keen to donate certain items to Coconuts and our museum and on the strict understanding that nothing would ultimately fall into private hands. And I gave assurances to him they would not. In early March we met in the salubrious surroundings of the car park at Tesco in Newmarket, right by the car wash, and Colin handed over two plastic crates of gear comprising everything from t-shirts, figurines, season ticket booklets, scarves, Marvin the moose dressed as Sooty(!), a signed football, a half and half(guess which), a raft of pen pics and stickers through to Colin’s much lauded collection of pennants going back to 1970 and a CEN Light Blue scrapbook to boot.

When I last spoke to Colin it seems they had settled on a property in Grantham, they had been looking as far north as Sheffield, and he was happy that excursions to the Abbey were still doable from there, whether by car or train, so we haven’t lost him yet! Let’s hope we can all share Colin’s donations on show in “The Story of the U’s” in time to come and, who knows, in League One too.
AF

Click here and follow the link to see more collectables we have photgraphed

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MEMORIES DOWN CUT THROAT LANE WAY - 2020/21 season - Port Vale match 20/10/2020

4/28/2021

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MEMORIES DOWN CUT THROAT LANE WAY

Evening, Happy Harry here. Port Vale then. A curious bunch of opponents in a way in that we have only met 20 times since 1970. And in the future what may the statisticians make of us only meeting once in the 2019/20 season, eh…..lest we forget. Personally I have always been a little dubious of sides wearing white and black but that might be a Cambridge City thing going back to the 1960s. A mate did tell me that Vale’s third colour is amber so not all bad.

20 October is actually worth mining down Cut Throat Lane for. In terms of our league history we first saw action in 1971, our second season in D4. if you come away from the north west wilds of Borough Park and Workington then a 1-0 victory would have always seemed the sweeter. We have been in home action eight times on this day, the most recent being v the Hatters back in 2012, not a happy day. With local derbies in mind we’re concentrating on 1972 and another set of U’s who were disposed of comfortably 3-0. A Bobby Noble own goal set us on our way and John Collins and Bobby Ross finished things off in front of 4,465. Given the trauma inflicted upon us by Col U in our early days of D4 life then a welcome about turn.

Finally, fancy a bit of trainspotting some time? Well be grateful for Danny Boyle. He’s 64 on the 20th. Raise a flag!

Bye for now,
Harry

Click on the link below to read The Beautiful
History of Workington

https://thebeautifulhistory.wordpress.com/clubs/workington/

Below see Peter Phillips who scored the winner against Workington in 1971. Click on the photo to read his story

The match day programme below is here for your indulgence. Click on the cover and re-visit 1973

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MEMORIES DOWN CUT THROAT LANE WAY 2020/2021 season Newport County AFC - 10/10/20 Programme

4/15/2021

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Greetings from Coconuts! Just remember if we won every game it would get boring…..

This weekend we welcome our visitors from Gwent. Ahh, the black & ambers v the black and ambers, doesn’t happen very happen, does it? Fair dues to Newport, they have been pretty constant with their shade of amber over the years, if we were honest better than us as I don’t recall them playing in primrose which we have been guilty of over the years. I did suggest to an Exile fan once that actually they played more in tangerine in their halcyon days of the late 70s and early 80s (a la Dundee Utd) but he wouldn’t have it.

The photo below is 1981. hat do you think? Amber or Tangerine?

I’ve been back down Cut Throat Lane to check out our form on this date, 10 October. A few interesting fixtures, a 2-2 draw at Fleetwood in 2010 saw a certain R Willmott get a brace for us and Magno Vieira popped one in for the Cods. Five years later Pompey were in town for an eventful fixture which saw two red cards, the U’s take the lead after five minutes but somehow we conspired to lose 1-3. We did only have 42% possession mind, apparently. It would be churlish though not to highlight this day in 1987 when we stuffed this weekend’s visitors 4-0 in front of a meagre 1,847 crowd. David Crown, Wolfie, Mr Beck and Neil Horwood scored that day. An up and down season saw us finish the campaign in 15th, Newport bless them were bottom, 19 points adrift. The programme for that day is attached for your indulgence and indeed memory, if you’re old enough!

Bye for now,
Harry

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MEMORIES DOWN CUT THROAT LANE WAY 2020/2021 season Tranmere Programme

4/12/2021

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Greetings from Coconuts! What a start! Can we finish the season now?

Hope you enjoyed the first digital programme offering, lots of positive feedback so far. Somebody said last week it was a hundred days to Christmas so with that in mind, if you weren't one of the 200 people to buy The Moose that Roared, volume 4 of Celery & Coconuts, then we are hoping to print some more copies, if not for you then dad or grandad even (eek)so get your pre-order in on the CFU website as soon as you can.

Last time round we delved down Cut Throat Lane for historic fixtures on that day. 26 September is probably a bit more interesting and living memory records show we have played nine competitive fixtures going back to 1959 when we entertained Trowbridge Town in the Southern Football League. And yes it was 0-0. Bit of a mixed bag overall, a 1-0 win v Worcester in 1964, 2-1 v the Shaymen in 1987 and who could forget our first non-league encounter v Luton Town in 2009, although I have tried to.

Today we are concentrating, again, on our inaugural season in the Football League in 1970/71. Hartlepool Utd were the visitors, managed by a certain John Simpson who the following year joined the U's as trainer/physio and oversaw two promotions in 1973 and 1977. The programme that day is linked below for your indulgence. Oh and we won by the way, 2-0 with goals from John McKinven and Ron Howell in front of a very healthy 5,225, our fourth league victory of that campaign. Neither McKinven nor Howell scored again for the U’s and by 1971 had moved on to pastures new.

Is there an opposite to a bogey team? Well Hartlepool were one such for us. We were unbeaten for 14 games from 1970, the run coming to an end at the Victoria Ground(as was) on a very dank January afternoon in 1986. Which probably felt a lot danker come 5pm.

Bye for now,

Harry

Click here to read the Light Blue from the 26th September 1970

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Rex Brimicombe MBE

4/9/2021

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100yearsofcoconuts was recently contacted by the family of .Rex Brimicombe MBE

Rex had been a supporter of the club for many years and the family have kindly donated two badges to the group to be displayed within the Coconuts museum sited in the Cambridge United Supporters Club

Colin Proctor who knew Rex for over fifty years gives his memories below

I first met Rex in the Supporters Club around 1967, he was a member of the S/C and lived in Ditton Walk.

When the VPC was formed in 1969 he was one of the original members joining the original of fourteen. I joined in 1970.

Rex served in the RAF for over 38 years and became a WO2 looking after the special functions that took place in his last 10 years of service.

He was with Douglas Barder for many years although not as a pilot. He was also present at a few very dignified functions attended by the Queen Mum.

Rex along with his wife Helga were members of the Joint Service Club in Barnwell Rd and was in charge of running same for many years.

When we went to Wembley for the 1990 play offs against Chesterfield, Rex purchased the football for £500 and it was hung in the Vice Presidents Club for many years.

Every November 11th, Rex would head the march of ex-servicemen parading at the Unknown Soldier in Hills Road

I travelled away watching Cambridge United with Rex for many years until his last two years but he still listened on the radio.

When Rex was unable to watch his club any longer. I would go sit with him and explain how we got on home and away.

Rex passed away on Monday 18th April 2016, aged 89 years

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100 years of coconuts recognise goal scoring exploits past and present

4/7/2021

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100 years of coconuts recently organised for a presentation between David Crown & Paul Mullin to commemorate Paul Mullin beating David Crowns League goals record scored in a season.

Paul Mullin recently beat David Crowns record of 24 league goals in a season, that has stood for 35 years!.

Both David Crown & Paul Mullin enjoyed coming together & talking about football & scoring goals.

They now plan to play together a round of golf later this year.

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Colin Purdew donates item to Coconuts

Click here and follow the link to see more collectables we have photgraphed

MEMORIES DOWN CUT THROAT LANE WAY - 2020/21 season - Port Vale match 20/10/2020

MEMORIES DOWN CUT THROAT LANE WAY 2020/2021 season Newport County AFC - 10/10/20 Programme

MEMORIES DOWN CUT THROAT LANE WAY 2020/2021 season Tranmere Programme

Click here to read the Light Blue from the 26th September 1970

Rex Brimicombe MBE

100 years of coconuts recognise goal scoring exploits past and present

Happy Harry's blog

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