The answer is of course yes, but lets dig a little deeper.  The above table shows the 8 teams still in the race for the 7th place finish.  There is still all to play for with undoubted twists to come.  The first match of interest is Carlisle at home to Hartlepool tomorrow.  

I am sure some of you will be working out the permutations, but I believe we still need to get over 70 points to have a chance.  If we are still in the race come 30th April then our last home match of the season against Plymouth will definitely be a "must win".  They were our first opponents when we rejoined the league and I'd settle for the same result again (1-0 home win).

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The March edition of Amber News is now available free on the Cambridge Fans United website.  Another great issue and well worth a read.

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The latest edition of Amber News is now available on the CFU website.  This edition is another great read with many articles and there is definitely something for everyone.  If you haven't previously read an edition of Amber News then why not make this your first.  All the previous copies of Amber News are online for you to peruse or download.

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CFU have collated a league table of all results since Shaun Derry officially took over for the Oxford United game on 14th November.  This shows the transformation he has brought to the team in such a short period of time.  The table speaks for itself and needs few additional words apart from well done to the players, Shaun and the remaining staff.  Long may it continue.

The attached table shows the current Sky Bet League 2 table at the half way stage of the season.  It also shows the results gained against each team.  This highlights the outstanding results gained against Northampton and Plymouth, given their current league position.

The last column shows what effect a 1 goal swing to the U's has on each result compared to the reverse fixture.

The U's gained a total of 33 points from the first half of the season.  A 1 goal swing in each game would mean they gain 50 points from the second half of the season.  This would give a total of 83 points and be enough for the Amber Army to dream of Automatic Promotion well into the second half of April.

After 23 Sky Bet League 2 fixtures the U's are:
This season - 11th place with 33 points
Last season - 14th place with 29 points

Last season (Final standings)
85 points - Automatic promotion 
71 points - Play Offs
41 points - Relegation

This seasons forecast
90 points - Automatic promotion
80 points - Play Offs
26 points - Relegation

Assuming current form continues the U's will complete the season on 66 points.  This would be an improvement of 15 points from the 2014/15 season.

Automatic Promotion
Current form implies the U's will finish between 19 and 24 points away from the Automatic Promotion places.
The U's require a further 52-57 points to achieve Automatic Promotion.

Play Offs
Current form implies the U's will finish between 5 and 14 points away from the Play Off places.
The U's require a further 38-47 points to achieve the Play Offs.

Relegation
Current form implies the U's will finish between 25 and 40 points above the relegation places.
The U's require a further 0-8 points to avoid relegation.

Performance so far
Scored (36) - Ranked joint 8th (+1 on week)
Conceded (33) - Ranked joint 12th (no change on week)

The U's have now played 11 games against teams that currently place in the top half.  Our results against these teams are W 2, D 3, L 6, F 14, A 21.

The U's have also played 12 games against teams that currently place in the bottom half.  Our results against these teams are W 7, D 3, L 2, F 22, A 12.

See the full Fixture List (including attendance, scorers, your MoM)
See the full Sky Bet League 2 Table.

Cambridge Fans United are seeking your views on United Player HD.  Please take a few minutes to complete the short survey.  We are seeking responses from those that currently subscribe as well as those that do not.

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​After 21 Sky Bet League 2 fixtures the U's are:
This season - 12th place with 29 points
Last season - 12th place with 29 points

Last season (Final standings)
85 points - Automatic promotion 
71 points - Play Offs
41 points - Relegation

This seasons forecast
90 points - Automatic promotion
75 points - Play Offs
27 points - Relegation

Assuming current form continues the U's will complete the season on 62 points.  This would be an improvement of 11 points from the 2014/15 season.

Automatic Promotion
Current form implies the U's will finish between 23 and 28 points away from the Automatic Promotion places.
The U's require a further 56-61 points to acheive Automatic Promotion.

Play Offs
Current form implies the U's will finish between 9 and 13 points away from the Play Off places.
The U's require a further 42-46 points to acheive the Play Offs.

Relegation
Current form implies the U's will finish between 21 and 35 points above the relegation places.
The U's require a further 0-12 points to avoid relegation.

Performance so far
Scored (32) - Ranked joint 9th (+1 on week)
Conceded (32) - Ranked 12th (+4 on week)

The U's have now played 10 games against teams that currently place in the top half.  Our results against these teams are W 2, D 2, L 6, F 13, A 18.

The U's have also played 11 games against teams that currently place in the bottom half.  Our results against these teams are W 6, D 3, L 2, F 19, A 14.

See the full Fixture List (including attendance, scorers, your MoM)
See the full Sky Bet League 2 Table.

[The U's will reach the half way stage of the season on Boxing Day and will have played every team once.  A slightly different league table is being prepared for this milestone.]

Check out the November edition of Amber News available exclusively to the CFU website.  You can also find our extensive back catalogue of Amber News.

If you wish to contribute, or just pass on your gratitude, then please feel free to contact Andrew.  His details can be found within the Amber News.

Why not treat yourself for Christmas and become a member of CFU, or join the CUFC Lottery.  See the links to these and others below.

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Back to back league wins cause a positive update to the 2015/2016 season forecast ...

After 20 Sky Bet League 2 fixtures
This season - 14th place with 26 points
Last season - 12th place with 28 points

Last season (Final standings)
85 points - Automatic promotion 
71 points - Play Offs
41 points - Relegation

This season forecast
92 points - Automatic promotion
76 points - Play Offs
28 points - Relegation

Assuming current form continues the U's will complete the season on 59 points.  This would be an improvement of 8 points from the 2014/15 season.

Automatic Promotion
Current form implies the U's will finish between 26 and 33 points away from the Automatic Promotion places.
The U's require a further 59-66 points to achieve Automatic Promotion.

Play Offs
Current form implies the U's will finish between 12 and 17 points away from the Play Off places.
The U's require a further 45-50 points to achieve the Play Offs.

Relegation
Current form implies the U's will finish between 18 and 31 points above the relegation places.
The U's require a further 2-15 points to avoid relegation.

Performance so far
Longest sequence without loss - 3 games (1 win, 2 draws)
Longest sequence without win - 6 games (3 draws, 3 defeats)
Scored (30) - Ranked joint 10th
Conceded (31) - Ranked 16th

The U's have now played 10 games against teams that currently place in the top half.  Our results against these teams are W 2, D 2, L 6, F 13, A 18.

The U's have also played 10 games against teams that currently place in the bottom half.  Our results against these teams are W 5, D 3, L 2, F 17, A 13.

See the full Fixture List (including attendance, scorers, your MoM)
See the full Sky Bet League 2 Table.

[The U's will reach the half way stage of the season on Boxing Day and will have played every team once.  A slightly different league table is being prepared for this milestone.]

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After 19 Sky Bet League 2 fixtures the U's sit in 17th place with 23 points.  See the full Sky Bet League 2 table here.

At the same juncture last season the U's sat in 10th place with 27 points.

Assuming our current form continues we will complete the season on 55 points.  This would be 16 points away from the final Play Off place and 14 points above the relegation zone.  It would be an improvement of 4 points from the 2014/15 season.

The final Play Off place last season was occupied with 71 points.  This means the U's would require 48 points from 27 games to reach this. (13 wins, 9 draws, 5 defeats ... plausible?)

The final Automatic promotion place last season was occupied with 85 points.  This means the U's would require 62 points from 27 games to reach this. (19 wins, 5 draws, 3 defeats ... still plausible?)

The U's longest undefeated run this season is 3 games (1 win, 2 draws).  The U's longest sequence without a win is 6 games (3 draws, 3 defeats)

The U's have now played 10 games against teams that currently place in the top half.  Our results against these teams are W 2, D 2, L 6, F 13, A 19.

The U's have also played 9 games against teams that currently place in the bottom half.  Our results against these teams are W 4, D 3, L 2, F 14, A 11.

The U's will reach the half way stage of the season on Boxing Day and will have played every team once.  A slightly different league table is being prepared for this milestone

See the full fixture list for the U's here.  This page also includes attendance and scorer information as well as who you have voted Man of the Match.

We all know it has been a tough start to the season but everyone always comments on the amazing support from the Amber Army.  Are they right to?  Do the statistics back up this judgement?

The U's have played 8 home Sky Bet League 2 games with total support of 44,633.  This averages 5,579 for each league game at the Abbey Stadium.

The U's have played 9 away Sky Bet League 2 games with total support of 35,743.  This averages 3,971 for each away league game.

I would conclude from these numbers that they are emphatically correct.  The U's average 1,600 more supporters for home games as compared to their away games.

Please review the Fixture/Results page for a more detailed breakdown of the attendance statistics, along with other information.  [We are trying to add the away support as well to this page to give a better picture, so if anyone can fill in any of the gaps then please leave a comment.  Thanks.]

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After 15 Sky Bet League 2 fixtures the U's sit in 14th place with 20 points.  See the full Sky Bet League 2 table here.

At the same juncture last season the U's sat in 13th place with 21 points.

Assuming our current form continues we will complete the season on 61 points.  This would be 10 points away from the final Play Off place and 20 points above the relegation zone.  It would also be a 10 point improvement from last seasons finishing total of 51 points.

Achieving 9 points from our next 3 games will improve this forecast to 74 points, which according to last seasons table would place us 6th (the 3rd Play Off place).

The U's have now played 7 games against teams that currently place in the top half.  Our results against these teams are W 2, D 2, L 3, F 10, A 12.

The U's have also played 8 games against teams that currently place in the bottom half.  Our results against these teams are W 3, D 3, L 2, F 10, A 10.

See the full fixture list for the U's here.  This page also includes attendance and scorer information as well as who you have voted Man of the Match.

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After 13 Sky Bet League 2 fixtures the U's sit in 14th place with 17 points.  See the full Sky Bet League 2 table here.

At the same juncture last season the U's sat in 11th place with 18 points.

Assuming our current form continues we will complete the season on 60 points, which according to last seasons final table would place us 14th.  This would be 11 points away from the final Play Off place and 19 points above the relegation zone.

Achieving 9 points from our next 3 games will improve this forecast to 74 points, which according to last seasons table would place us 6th (the 3rd Play Off place).

The U's have now played 6 games against teams that currently place in the top half.  Our results against these teams are W 1, D 2, L 3, F 9, A 13.

The U's have also played 7 games against teams that currently place in the bottom half.  Our results against these teams are W 3, D 3, L 1, F 8, A 6.

The U's have fallen foul of 3 red cards this season.  We were in a winning position in 1 and drawing in the remaining 2 at the point of the dismissals.  Subsequent to the 3 red cards we have conceded 6 goals and dropped a potential 5 points.

See the full fixture list for the U's here.  This page also includes attendance and scorer information as well as who you have voted Man of the Match.

Here are a few statistics for our upcoming game against Stevenage on 26th September 2015.

Last comparable meeting (Sky Bet League 2 - 14th March 2015)
Result 1-1 (Simpson 90+4)
Attendance 5503

Cambridge Home Record (2015/16 season)
Played 4, Won 1, Drawn 1, Lost 2
Scored 5, Conceded 7

Stevenage Away Record (2015/16 season)
Played 4, Won 0, Drawn 2, Lost 2
Scored 5, Conceded 9

After 8 games in 2014/15 we had 11 points with a goal difference of +4.  After 8 games this season we have 10 points with a goal difference of -1.

Secure your tickets for this game here.

[Home and Away records only include Sky Bet League 2 results.]

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Cambridge United have now played 8 home games at the Abbey this season, including 3 friendlies, 1 JPT and 4 League fixtures.  A total of 33650 supporters have attended these 8 matches, with 22600 attending the 4 League fixtures.  This averages 5650 for the 4 league fixtures.

There have been 7 away games, including 3 friendlies, 1 League Cup and 3 League fixtures. A total of 23147 supporters have attended these 7 matches, with 12874 attending the 3 League fixtures.  This averages 4291 for the 3 League fixtures.

You all know the NRE chant, but to summarise, we are right.  Support on average is 1359 more for our home games than our away games.

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The first away trip trip of the season is also one of the longest for supporters to undertake. It could also be a difficult encounter for the U's with Carlisle drawing against Mansfield away last week and a home cup win against Chesterfield.

Carlisle United look set to be a different beast tomorrow to when they played Cambridge United last season.

They were thumped 5-0 at the Abbey last August, which led to manager Graham Kavanagh being sacked, and succumbed to a solitary Liam Hughes strike in January's return fixture at Brunton Park.

But, after beating the drop last season, Carlisle have started this campaign with a 1-1 draw at Mansfield in the league and a 3-1 success against Chesterfield in the Capital One Cup.

Read more here : 

For more information getting to Carlisle. You can plan your trip by clicking here 

Key information for supporters:

Travel: 
By Road - 
Brunton Park is easy to find from the M6. 
Leave the motorway at Junction 43 and take the first exit off the roundabout.
The blue roof of Pioneer Foods Stand can be seen on the right hand side,  soon after leaving the roundabout. 
Go  straight ahead along Warwick Road (A69). 
After third set of traffic lights the club shop (Blues Store) and Hughie McIlmoyle statue marks the main entrance to the ground.

Watch Liam Hughes winning goal from last season below

With the second season syndrome successfully negotiated we move into our third season in League 2 with many changes to face up to. The loss of our Chairman, Les Scadding has been a blow and it has meant that austerity has come to Rodney Parade, the playing budget has been reduced and new boss Terry Butcher will have his work cut out since only retaining a handful of last year’s squad.

It’s long since dawned on me that the heights of our ninth placed finish last campaign is unlikely to be repeated, however the new Gaffer is building a new squad largely sourced from the Conference and it is hoped that they bring a new hunger for success to the club that only the step up from a Semi-Professional league to a Professional league can bring.

However some key players do remain from last season, stopper Joe Day may expect to be a little busier this season but is one of the top goalkeepers in the division and Irish midfielder Mark Byrne is the Duracell bunny that covers every blade of the Rodney Parade turf. Local defenders Andrew Hughes and Regan Poole have also been on the radar of bigger clubs and can be expected to do well this season also.

Who will be the main challengers to the U’s promotion bid this season? 

Favourites must be Portsmouth who have the support and financial backing to ensure they are near the top, however the same was said last year and they found the league difficult. In Paul Cook they have an experienced manager who has during the summer revitalised the squad by bringing in new players. One of these being Jayden Stockley who was on loan at the Abbey last year.

Oxford are another team that have re-built during the summer.  It will be interesting to see if the Eastleigh Chairman Stewart Donald becomes more involved at the club having bought a 10 per cent holding during the summer. Manager Michael Appleton is asking for a strong start and much will depend on them doing that. The goals of Ryan Taylor signed from Portsmouth in pre-season will be critical for the club to progress.

Plymouth like Portsmouth are a team that probably should have done better last season than reaching the Play Offs. They have the resources but do they have ability to change from a team that has underachieved to promotion chasers. Their new manager is Derek Adams who led Ross County to the Scottish Premier League. He may have the a similar affect as Alex Neil at Norwich. Wycombe who beat them in the Plays Offs will have had their chance. Bristol Rovers are on a high having won promotion and if they start the season well could be an outsider for a promotion spot. Luton on paper should do well. They have signed a proven goal scorer in ex Scottish International Craig Mackail-Smith, however will they end up beating themselves with their own expectancies and if results don’t go to plan turn upon themselves.

Teams who will struggle

Accrington and Carlisle will again be among the strugglers. Outsider for relegation is Morecombe who started so well last season and then faded.

Relegated from League One last season Yeovil could go either way. Will they continue to struggle having been relegated twice in successive seasons. Stopping that slide could be a difficult one since it may have set in. 

It won’t be until next May we can find out what happens.

Who do you think will be promotion challengers?

Who do you think will be relegation favourites?

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Supporters Direct June column – It’s great to see goodwill

THERE has been a theme running through the clubs that SD Club Development has worked with this year – at every meeting or launch there always seems to be a tale from the top table or the crowd of an unlikely gesture or show of goodwill from a fierce rival. Read more below

http://www.thenonleaguefootballpaper.com/features/12907/supporters-direct-june-column-its-great-to-see-goodwill/

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Listen to Dave Matthew-Jones (Cambridge Fans United Chairman) talking with Julian Clover on Cambridge 105 about recent announcements.  A very informative interview about the history of Cambridge United and how 100yearsofcoconuts.co.uk has an exciting future following the Heritage Lottery Funding announcement.  Their interview also discusses players, the proposals for the Abbey Stadium and much more.

A great insight to what CFU is all about.  Hear the full interview with Dave Matthew-Jones here.

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