Afternoon, folks. How’s your blood pressure? I was on medication long before the Stevenage game so you can imagine I’ve been keeping well away from the doc’s these past few days! The third bite of the cherry, eh? As somebody said the other day, just don’t concede. Well I assume that wasn’t the philosophy before the Harrogate game…..always difficult approaching a game with a clean sheet in mind, I always think. But if we could pick our opponents this week, it would be Grimsby at home, wouldn’t it? We’ll be all right.
For our final trip of nostalgia this season we have two fixtures in mind on this date in May, both testimonials(of sorts). In 2010 was organised a benefit match between CUFC and Steve Fallon’s team of ‘legends’ in recognition of Fallon’s overall contribution to football in the region. A crowd of 900 attended.
Trevor Roberts was my first U’s hero. Signed from Southend in 1970 following Bill Leivers’ controversial decision to dispense with the services of Rodney Slack, Roberts quickly established himself as the no 1 with some brave performances behind a defence coming to terms with their first season in the Football League. He fell ill before the end of 1970 and had to have an operation to remove parts of his lung. Five months later he was though remarkably back in the side and was first choice at the beginning of the 1971/2 season. His problems returned in early 1972 and lung cancer was diagnosed which quickly spread to his brain and the specialists soon advised him he had to quit pro football. On 8 May the Club organised a testimonial at the Abbey involving a combined U’s and Southend side and a visiting West ham side led by Ron Greenwood. The home side won 3-2 in front of 6,309.
Andrew Bennett’s excellent “Champagne and Corona” summed up subsequent events rather well: “ Roberts’ brave battle for life ended less than a month later, on 2 June in a Cambridge nursing home at the age of 30. He left behind his wife and a six year old son. Many tears were shed at the Abbey in memory of a brave, talented goalkeeper and a modest, unassuming but quietly heroic man. “
Bye for now and see you in August(in L1),
Harry
For our final trip of nostalgia this season we have two fixtures in mind on this date in May, both testimonials(of sorts). In 2010 was organised a benefit match between CUFC and Steve Fallon’s team of ‘legends’ in recognition of Fallon’s overall contribution to football in the region. A crowd of 900 attended.
Trevor Roberts was my first U’s hero. Signed from Southend in 1970 following Bill Leivers’ controversial decision to dispense with the services of Rodney Slack, Roberts quickly established himself as the no 1 with some brave performances behind a defence coming to terms with their first season in the Football League. He fell ill before the end of 1970 and had to have an operation to remove parts of his lung. Five months later he was though remarkably back in the side and was first choice at the beginning of the 1971/2 season. His problems returned in early 1972 and lung cancer was diagnosed which quickly spread to his brain and the specialists soon advised him he had to quit pro football. On 8 May the Club organised a testimonial at the Abbey involving a combined U’s and Southend side and a visiting West ham side led by Ron Greenwood. The home side won 3-2 in front of 6,309.
Andrew Bennett’s excellent “Champagne and Corona” summed up subsequent events rather well: “ Roberts’ brave battle for life ended less than a month later, on 2 June in a Cambridge nursing home at the age of 30. He left behind his wife and a six year old son. Many tears were shed at the Abbey in memory of a brave, talented goalkeeper and a modest, unassuming but quietly heroic man. “
Bye for now and see you in August(in L1),
Harry
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