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Don't forget your subs

12/29/2018

Get your heads round this, younger readers: United managers and coaches haven’t always been able to call on benches full of substitutes in their efforts to influence games.

The replacement of players was practised in public school matches as early as the mid-19th century, although only when those selected for a match didn’t turn up, probably because their nannies hadn’t woken them up in time.

And there was consternation at an 1889 Wales-Scotland fixture when home goalie Jim Trainer was absent without explanation. Surprised local amateur Alf Pugh was drafted in until the cavalry arrived in the form of the more experienced Sam Gillam.

Coconuts committee: no, no, no, no, yes

Substitution crept gradually into the game, but it wasn’t until the mid-1960s that the first subs in the English professional game stripped off. Before then, if a player couldn’t continue, you were either down to ten men or you soldiered on with ten and a quarter.

So it was essential to United manager Alan Moore that the eleven men he chose to play at Hereford in November 1962 were fighting fit. This fact seems to have been lost on wing half Mike Bottoms, who had been signed from QPR not long before.

We haven’t got a photograph of Bottoms, so the picture on this page depicts a recent Coconuts committee meeting discussing possible inductions to the Cambridge United Hall of Fame.

An old injury had recurred the previous week but Bottoms told anyone who would listen that he was raring to go, 110 per cent on top of his game, couldn’t wait.

The Hereford game was only a couple of minutes old when, as you have doubtless guessed, he broke down and thereafter had as much effect on the game as would Long John Silver without his crutch. His fellow U’s fought bravely but came away 2-1 losers.

Moore, not a big man but one capable of instilling fear in a fighting-drunk honey badger, was amused neither by Bottoms’ name nor by his deception.

‘I would have suspended him for a month but for the fact he has a nice family and I can’t see them go without any wages,’ he raged. ‘As it is, I have told him that he will never kick another ball for my first team.’

It transpired that U’s trainer Roy Kirk had passed on players’ fears that Bottoms might not last the 90 minutes, so Moore had called him in.

'I prodded all round the injury and there was not a peep out of the player,’ fumed the manager, ‘but within three minutes of the kick-off this old injury recurred and the team was let down.’

Bottoms’ United career was over after just 11 appearances – some of them quite short – and his contract was cancelled soon after.

Cheerio
Harry

A great man remembered

11/25/2018

Andrew Bennett's family and closest friends were the guests of honour when a plaque commemorating the U's supporter extraordinaire was unveiled on Saturday, November 24.

The club historian, author, reporter, archivist and statistician, who died in February, is now commemorated in the central tunnel of the Habbin, from whose terraces he watched countless hundreds of United matches.

The plaque's manufacture, by Ivett & Reed of Newmarket Road, was made possible by a crowdfunding campaign that was over-subscribed many times over.

The surplus moneys – boosted by royalty payments from Andrew's Celery & Coconuts history of Abbey/ Cambridge United – will fund the annual Andrew Bennett Award, the details of which will be announced at the 2019 Cambridge United Hall of Fame induction dinner in March.

After the unveiling of the slate plaque, Andrew's ashes were interred next to the Habbin-side touchline.

It was a fitting conclusion to a moving occasion, and one that will ensure Andrew's enduring presence in a place he loved.

Top, members of Andrew's family including mother Joyce (centre) gather to remember the great man. Bottom, Andrew's ashes are interred by the Habbin touchline. Photos: 100 Years of Coconuts

The gang's all here - CUFPA 2018

9/26/2018

CUFPA members line up in the Abbey Stadium centre circle, 22 September 2018. From left: Omer Riza, Derrick Christie, Tom Youngs, Soner Zumrutel, Ray Freeman, Roly Horrey, Peter Phillips, Peter Bowstead, Graham Felton, Terry Eades, John Hiner, Brian Grant (with Roly Horrey's grandson, Louis Brown), Willy Watson, Derek Haylock, Steve Fallon, Wes Maughan, Gerry Baker, Rodney Slack, Brian Greenhalgh, Tony Willson, Tom Higgins, Paul Wanless, Sam Harris, Andy Duncan, Colin Bate. All photos: Ben Phillips & Principal Studios.

Old friendships were renewed and new ones forged when members of Cambridge United Former Players' Association gathered at the Abbey Stadium on Saturday, September 22 to watch the 1-1 draw with Mansfield.

It was the first large gathering of the association, which was launched in 2015 by 100 Years of Coconuts and now has nearly 170 members.

Representatives of teams from the 1950s to the 2000s accepted the invitation of CUFPA chairman Rodney Slack and Graham Daniels, United's director of football, to attend the match.

They came from as far afield as Lancashire (Brian Greenhalgh), Oxfordshire (Paul Wanless), Lincolnshire (Derrick Christie) and Buckinghamshire (Wes Maughan).

United laid on a pre-match buffet lunch in the Abbey Arms, where 25 ex-U's, named in the top picture caption, met to swap memories over a drink.

After watching visitors Mansfield take a first-half lead, they took to the pitch at half-time to a warm reception from an appreciative Abbey crowd.

Relieved by George Maris's deserved 88th minute equaliser, they gathered in the Dion Dublin Bar to continue their reminiscences.

It was the first such gathering, but CUFPA and Cambridge United are looking forward to welcoming more members to future ex-player days.

From left, Derek Haylock, Tom Higgins and Tony Willson enjoy a beer and a chat in the Abbey Arms.

Paul Wanless preferred cider.

Brian Grant (left), Derek Haylock and Rodney Slack lead the charge to the centre circle at half-time.

Brian Grant (left), Derek Haylock and Rodney Slack lead the charge to the centre circle at half-time.

John Hiner, Ray Freeman, Peter Bowstead and Roly Horrey head back to the main stand.

John Hiner, Ray Freeman, Peter Bowstead and Roly Horrey head back to the main stand.

Celery & Coconuts volume three – order now!

9/20/2018

The third volume of Andrew Bennett’s brilliant Celery & Coconuts history of Cambridge United, relating the incredible story of the 1970s, is available to order now.

With a foreword by star 70s striker Alan Biley, Champagne & Corona tells the tale of a revolutionary decade – one that saw the club continue its irresistible rise to claim a place in English football’s second tier.

Written in Bennett’s distinctive, expressive style and containing more than 150 illustrations – as well as the vital statistics of an amazing ten-year upwards surge – it will merit a place on any football fan’s bookshelves.

Champagne & Corona will be published in November by Lovely Bunch, the publishing offshoot of CFU heritage arm 100 Years of Coconuts, in good time for Christmas.

Champagne & Corona: get your order in now

Initial orders are being taken through the CFU online store and at the CFU caravan on a match day. Email 100 Years of Coconuts if you have any questions.

Champagne & Corona: The Story of Cambridge United Football Club 1970-1980
Paperback; 360 pages
£18.99 if collected from the CFU outlet; £17.99 for CFU members
£21.98 for postal deliveries; £20.98 for CFU members

Coster living

7/20/2018

This is a revised version of an article that appeared in the Cambridge United matchday programme for the game against Cochester United on 2 September 2017.

They’re off … and as they pass the Abbey Church in Newmarket Road it’s Warren and Ellis jostling for the lead. Ellis last year’s winner, of course.

Past the brickyards, and at the Paper Mills it’s Warren making the pace. Out on the muddy Quy road it’s still Warren, looking remarkably fresh. He reaches the turn at Bottisham Swan in style, with Ellis looking good too, but trailing. My word, this is fast.

The runners are facing a stiff headwind on the return leg, but that doesn’t bother Warren.

The costermongers' barrow race, from Newmarket Road to Six Mile Bottom and return, held on Boxing Day 1913, under starter's orders

As they pass the cemetery he’s streets ahead of Ellis, who looks beaten. Warren … Warren … Warren all the way. He flies through the finishing line at Abbey Street … and look at his time: he’s smashed the course record by two minutes!

The Boxing Day costers’ barrow ‘marathon’ of 1913 was dominated by Ben Warren from gun to tape, and his one hour, 26 minutes was indeed a record for the annual event.

It was a remarkable performance in heavy going – Newmarket Road was not the free-flowing highway we know today – and he picked up £2 5s 0d for his efforts.

Along the 12-mile route the 14 competitors pushed their costermongers’ barrows past builder William Sindall’s joinery works. If the race had been run in 1932, the contenders might have encountered Abbey United supporters on their way to prepare their pitch behind the works for the following day’s friendly against Bottisham.

The 1913 race attracted a large crowd – it was by then established as one of Cambridge’s festive season highlights, having started around 1890 – and volunteer collectors gathered a goodly sum for Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

Another volunteer, the Newmarket Road shoemaker Thomas Thickpenny Cash, acted as timekeeper. His father Isaac Thickpenny Cash was active in the organisation of the race, and several other Cashes were involved.

Coconuts is very interested in the Cash families of early 20th century Barnwell. In fact, a small group of researchers has been delving into the archives in search of two family members who played for Abbey United in 1913, and may have been among the crowd cheering the barrow racers on.

The work was part of a research project run in partnership with Wolfson College and funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council. The aim was to throw some light on the everyday lives of working-class east Cambridge during World War I, and knowing what happened to the lads who played for the pre-Great War Abbey was part of that.

We know that two young men called Cash, one with the initial H, turned out for the club in a 3-2 defeat to Watts & Sons on Midsummer Common on 29 November 1913. It seems likely that 16-year-old Harry Cash was the ‘H’ in question; in 1911 he was living at 147 Newmarket Road with aunt and uncle Catherine and William Bruce.

Young Harry was killed in France in 1917, while fighting with the Cambridgeshire Regiment, but his older brother William, who was also living with the Bruces in 1911, survived the war.

Were these Cash brothers Abbey United pioneers? We need to know, and if you have any information that could help, please get in touch at 100yearsofcoconuts@gmail.com.

Meanwhile, the outcomes of the Coconuts research are nearing fulfilment: a booklet will be published in the coming months, and there will also be a display at the Museum of Cambridge.

Before I go, I should tell you who finished third in that 1913 costers’ race: a certain J Doggett.

A legend hangs up his gloves

5/13/2018

Coconuts and Cambridge United Former Players’ Association send their best wishes for a long and enjoyable retirement to Malcolm Webster, who ruled supreme between the Abbey goalposts for eight years between 1976 and 1984 and then served as manager Chris Turner’s assistant.

Malcolm, a highly respected goalkeeping coach who worked at Ipswich in two spells, retired from the game after a 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough last week. He told the Tractor Boys’ website: ‘I have had a great time over the 50 years and I’m happy with what I have achieved.’

The latter part of his career may have been spent teaching keepers the tricks of the trade – at Norwich, Colchester, Hearts, Southampton and Crystal Palace among other clubs – but it’s as a player that Malcolm is remembered at the Abbey. Dependable, brave, athletic, efficient and occasionally awe-inspiring, he played in 286 games for the U’s as they rose from the Fourth Division to the Second and stayed there for six seasons.

He kept 90 clean sheets during that time, 22 of them coming in his debut season of 1976/77, when he was ever present as United won the Fourth Division title.

Malcolm is a native of Doncaster, where he was born on 12 November 1950, but it was in north London that he made his first impression on football. He was 18 when he made his League debut for Arsenal, being thrown in at the deep end against Tottenham at Highbury when Bob Wilson broke an arm. The Gunners lost 4-3 but Malcolm kept his place until he was floored for 12 weeks by glandular fever and the club signed a replacement in Geoff Barnett.

He played around 100 times for both Fulham and Southend but fell out of favour at Roots Hall and was released in 1976. Disillusioned with football, he was working in a friend’s furniture store when he was given a month’s trial by U’s boss Ron Atkinson. His first appearance came in a behind-closed-doors pre-season friendly against Mansfield at the Abbey, won 3-1 by the visitors.

Malcolm’s United career really kicked off in the first leg of the League Cup at Oxford on 14 August 1976, when he was outstanding in a 1-0 defeat. A string of impressive performances and a couple of penalty saves earned him a permanent contract, which he signed following a 4-0 September win over promotion favourites Watford.

Quickly establishing himself as a lively presence in the dressing room, a reliable shot-stopper and – despite a previous reputation as vulnerable to crosses – commanding in the air, Malcolm made the number one spot his own and was voted player of the year by Supporters’ Club members.

That season was the start of a happy and fruitful stay at Newmarket Road that saw the club establish itself in Division Two under John Docherty. Malcolm’s last game as a U came in a 0-0 draw at Oldham on 4 February 1984, but he was back in 1986 as Chris Turner began the process of turning United’s fortunes around.

After a break from football starting in 1988, he began a coaching career that was remarkable for its longevity and successes. Malcolm was in great demand as a coach, both at club and at the goalkeeping school he ran with Fred Barber.

Malcolm Webster, we salute you. Keep ’em out, Webby!

Clockwise, from top: Malcolm Webster in action for Cambridge United in a 2-1 Division Two defeat at Crystal Palace on 29 August 1981 (photograph: Cambridge Evening News); Webster in the late 1970s; saving the day in a 2-0 Division Four win at Scunthorpe on 26 March 1977; comparing hands with a youthful Keith Branagan (photo: Cambridge Evening News); with manager Chris Turner on 9 May 1986; as goalkeeping coach at Ipswich Town, 2017.

United by memories again

5/10/2018

100 Years of Coconuts continues to work in partnership with Cambridge United Community Trust and Dementia Compass in running monthly sports cafés at the Abbey Stadium, helping people with dementia to recall the past.

The monthly sessions use memorabilia, photographs, memory cards, newspaper cuttings and other objects to help evoke memories of days gone by. This kind of activity can have a positive effect on health and wellbeing, and can also help to combat depression and loneliness. Feedback from guests and their partners and/or carers is heartening.

Over tea and biscuits, participants discuss their memories of sporting triumphs (and failures), great teams, star performers and remarkable events. Sometimes there's an extra element – a behind-the-scenes tour of the Abbey, a visit to Coconuts' mini-museum or a talk from legendary U's goalkeeper Rodney Slack.

The next sports café will take place at 2pm on Wednesday, June 13. If you know of someone who would enjoy and benefit from taking part, contact Andy Farrer (andy.farrer@cambridge-united.co.uk) or Pat Morgan (100yearsofcoconuts@gmail.com).

Goal miners' union

5/6/2018

It's been a long time coming, but it was worth the wait.

Legendary goalscorers John Taylor (left) and Alan Biley teamed up to form a formidable strike force for the latest 100 Years of Coconuts Q&A after the 5-0 win over Port Vale on Saturday, May 5.

Shaggy (104 United goals in 406 appearances) and Bye-Bye (82 goals; 188 appearances) got to know each other when they were both inducted into the Cambridge United Hall of Fame in March.

They entertained an appreciative crowd in the Abbey Arms with tales of special moments, unforgettable players and what it's really like to play and score at the Abbey (answer: a bit special).

They were joined by partners Donna Mann and Jayne Stanley and, in a nice surprise for the audience and themselves, flying winger Derrick Christie, who created quite a few goals for Alan in the 1970s.

What a striking combination they would have made.

What the U's mean to you, and you, and you

5/12/2017

Test yourself on the Abbey Stadium and Cambridge United: in what year did the ground open? How tall are the floodlight pylons? What kind of animals used to graze on the pitch? What year do we think the club was founded? What might be buried under the pitch? After whom is the long terrace along the side named? (Answers below, but no peeking until you've given the questions your best shot.)

Children from Year 5 of Abbey Meadows Community Primary School did their best to complete the Coconuts Quiz when they and their teachers visited the stadium and our mini-museum, The Story of the U's, this week. We all had a great time.

The visit was part of a four-week project, dubbed You and the U's, 100 Years of Coconuts is running with the school and with help from the Cambridge United Community Trust. In turn, it forms part of the two-year Coconuts project, funded by a generous Heritage Lottery Fund grant, that aims to spread the story of our football club far and wide. This club is your club, we're telling the children – and you can play just as big a part in its story as the supporters and players who founded Abbey United and built the ground.

In weeks two, three and four of You and the U's, we'll visit Abbey Meadows with handling boxes full of memorabilia, equipment and photographs; enjoy a walking tour of the area around the Abbey, discovering important locations in the club's history; and produce a piece of artwork pulling together what the children have learned.

Answers: 1932; 36.6 metres; sheep; 1912; the mortal remains of 12th and 13th century leprosy victims; Harry Habbin, president of Cambridge United Supporters' Club in the 1950s.

In search of lost time

4/9/2017

This article appeared in the Cambridge United matchday programme for the Leyton Orient match on Saturday, 8 April 2017.

The United youth teams of the early- to mid-1960s produced a bountiful crop of players who made their mark at the Abbey and beyond. With the likes of manager Peter Reeve and trainer Wally Warren working hard behind the scenes, players such as Alan Payne, Bert Haggis and Peter Robinson made sure the first teamers knew there were youngsters ready and able to take their places.

Several of these young men went on to play in the Football League well before United made it into the Fourth Division: Graham Felton starred on the wing for many years at Northampton and elsewhere; Peter Bowstead’s promising career at Oxford was cut short by injury; Richard Habbin and John Harley became favourites at Reading.

Another player in and around the senior team at the time was Brian Whitmore, whom we welcome, with wife Maureen and friends Sandra and Fred Marshall, to today’s game. We’re hoping a look at the ground, a visit to his old teammate Rodney Slack, a chat with his old youth team manager Peter Reeve and a butcher’s at The Story of the U’s in the Supporters’ Club will stir some memories of happy times over half a century ago.

Brian was a promising striker who made his first-team debut against Histon in the East Anglian Cup on 7 October 1963 (the U’s won 3-0). Two more appearances followed that season, in the teams that beat Soham Town Rangers to win the Lakenheath British Legion Cup and claimed the Wymondham Charity Cup by overcoming Wymondham Town.

In the run-up to the 1964/65 season Brian scored in a 2-1 friendly defeat of Colchester United. During the season proper he played four times (netting one goal) in the Midland Floodlit League, four times in the late, lamented Mithras Cup, once in the East Anglian Cup and in the teams that retained the Lakenheath British Legion and Wymondham Charity cups. The following term he played twice in the East Anglian Cup – scoring twice in the first ten minutes of a 5-2 defeat of Dagenham – and his last first-team game came on 28 October 1965 in a 3-3 Midland Floodlit League draw with Wellington Town. Having scored three times in 15 games for the U’s, he left the Abbey and went on to play for Soham and Histon.

Brian’s short-term memory has been affected by Alzheimer’s, that most cruel of diseases. Some memories of his playing days remain with him, and Maureen, Fred and Sandra hope today’s visit to his old stamping ground will stir some reminiscences. It so happens that this ties in with a project for which 100 Years of Coconuts is seeking funding. We want to use the Coconuts collection and The Story of the U’s to help older people living with dementia and/or coping with depression and loneliness.

We’ve seen at first hand the amazing effect exposure to memorabilia, photographs, documents and other objects can have on people with dementia. We want to further the work of the Sporting Memories Foundation by sharing memories and helping people to connect with others and with their past. We know how well this can reawaken positive thoughts and feelings that might otherwise stay hidden.

From top: Maureen Whitmore, Fred Marshall, Brian Whitmore and Sandra Marshall at The Story of the U's; Brian talks over old times with Coconuts committee member and volunteer Rodney Slack; Brian outside the building that housed the dressing rooms in the 1960s, with his former United youth team manager Peter Reeve; Fred and Brian in earnest football discussion in The Story of the U's.