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Thread | Creepy Crawley Crushed By Cowley's Crew
by RSCOSWORTH at 15:09 23 Dec 2025
Merry Christmas U’s fans!
Boxing Day in proper football leagues means football matches and the U’s face one of their shortest trips of the season as they venture across the Thames to face creepy Crawley. Crawley’s “stadium” is one of the few grounds I’ve gone away with the U’s (the 3-1 League Cup win back in 2019) and it felt like a ground that should be in the National League South but Crawley have been established in the football league since 2011 with two promotions to League One during that time which is impressive given the relative size of the club. We don’t have a huge history against Crawley Town, with just 24 meetings to date of which Crawley have won 11. In fact since that memorable League Cup win we hadn’t managed to beat Crawley until the, not as memorable but probably more important, 3-2 away win towards the end of the 2023/24 season that went a long way to helping us stay in this division.
Unless we have any new injury or illness worries I can’t see Danny making any changes to the starting XI that dismantled Newport County so comfortably on Saturday so I’m expecting the U’s to line up as follows:
Macey
Vincent Young Tucker Araujo Iandolo
Bishop Read
Lisbie Anderson
Mbick
Tovide
Subs
Smith Hunt Goodwin Payne Edwards Terry Williams (Gordon if not fit)
Payne and Edwards did their case for a starting spot no harm with their performances on Saturday and Akande must be close to making the matchday 18 too.
Crawley somehow made it into League One the season before last but their stay was short-lived and they haven’t hit the ground running on their return to League Two with Scott Lindsay back at the helm after a disappointing spell at MK. They currently sit a point above the bottom two and haven’t won since they beat Fleetwood on November 8th. They have had a tough run of games though with trips to Swindon, Bromley and somewhat unbelievably also led 3-2 at Salford before conceding two late goals to lose 4-3. They were also by far the better team against Swindon but didn’t take their chances and lost to a second half penalty, the kind of stuff that happens when you’re at the wrong end of the table.
Not sure there’s anyone in the current Crawley squad that has ever featured for the U’s and I can’t think of too many players that have played for both clubs. Luke Gambin is the only one that comes to mind. A player we signed from Luton in 2019 who had spent the previous season on loan at Crawley with his only goal for the U's being the third goal in the 3-1 victory against Crawley. I’m sure there must be others though.
The weather at the Broadfield Stadium is set to be dry and sunny with a moderate breeze and a high of just six degrees after overnight frosts. Wrap up warm U’s fans, it’s going to be a chilly one! I feel this may prove to be a trickier challenge than their league position suggests but these are the games we need to be winning if we want to climb up the table so I’m going for a hard fought 2-1 victory with goals from Mbick and Read.
Up the U’s! |
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Thread | Xmas Quiz 2025.
by bwildered at 09:30 23 Dec 2025
Nine questions this year, with correct answer when rearranged will give a U’s player.
Another U’s player first, who did we sign from and who did we sell to ?
Like last year answer to be published around New Year’s Day.
Just to give everyone a chance , please feel free to message me with to confirm answer, and a list of solvers will be issued.
Q1 - Recently moved club, but girls remain, that have never played U’s in the league ?
First letter of club .
Q2 - Irish goalkeeper / coach who had ten clean sheets for the U’s ?
First letter of Christian name .
Q3 - Hogan who played for U’s ?
First letter of surname .
Q4 - Andy Boothroyd first permanent signing ?
First letter of Surname .
Q5 - Sir Bruce Forsyth brother in law who played for U’S ?
First letter of Christian name
Q6 - U’s opposition for Richard Wilkins Testimonial game ?
First letter of club .
Q7 - U’s player who replaced Sam Stockley in warm up for debut ?
First letter of surname.
Q8 - Father, son and son played for U’s ?
First letter of surname .
Q9 - Star man Adam, scored one goal for U’s ?
First letter of surname .
Best of luck all .
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Thread | Agree and proceed
by bwildered at 09:58 22 Dec 2025
Anyone else having trouble accessing or even finding the Usual site ?
Not being a computer geek , but the last couple of weeks the search engine does not take me directly to this site, but numerous agree and proceed buttons to negotiate.
Any advice to overcome ?? |
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Thread | Happy League 2025/26 Week 22 (of 38) - Deadline Monday 29th December 18.00
by mfb_cufc at 20:39 20 Dec 2025
Week 21 results
CHARLTON ATHLETIC 1 OXFORD UNITED 0
A Charlie Kelman goal gave Charlton a much-needed victory to end their six-match winless run in the Championship. 4 got this spot-on, and a further 18 had the outcome, with 13 going for a 2-1 in what was the weeks most predicted score.
DERBY COUNTY 1 PORTSMOUTH 1
Portsmouth were denied only their second away win of the Championship season as a Hayden Matthews own goal gave Derby an equaliser. Well done to unitedwhites for being the only one to have this spot-on, and nobody got the outcome. 21 predicted a win for Derby with 12 going for a 2-1.
PORT VALE 0 PETERBOROUGH 1
Peterborough made it three wins on the bounce in League One after a hard-fought victory at bottom side Port Vale. Only mfb_cufc and BFG got this spot-on, and another 9 had the outcome.
ROTHERHAM UNITED 1 HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 3
Huddersfield produced a fine first-half display to earn this win, and ease the pressure on rookie manager Lee Grant. Nobody had this spot-on, but 11 did get the outcome.
WYCOMBE WANDERERS 2 BOLTON WANDERERS 1
Wycombe ended a run of five games without a win in all competitions as they came from behind to defeat Bolton. Only 2 durham_exile and burnsieespana got this spot-on, and only mfb_cufc and basher2010 had the outcome.
SHREWSBURY TOWN 0 CHESTERFIELD 1
Chesterfield moved into the League Two play-off places following this battling win. A sublime 5 had this spot-on, and a further 8 got the outcome.
After the last three weeks had produced a number of hard to predict results when looking for 3 pointers, this week was more like it, and we got 14 in total. They were shared out with only mfb_cufc getting two, the 1-0 wins for Charlton and Peterborough, and the Wycombe outcome, to make him the weeks top scorer for the second week running, with a useful 7 points. Best of those to have one 3 pointer were ghughes11, who got the Charlton 1-0, and basher2010, who had the Chesterfield 1-0. They each also got three outcomes, to give them both a decent 6 points.
U'sual Champions League With just one 10 game week to go before we know who this seasons qualifiers are, the member in that important eleventh qualifying spot is mfb_cufc with his 93 points.
In the Premier With only 6 points separating the the top six, and just 10 points separating 2nd to 10th, this has to be the most competitive Premier we have had. At the top four outcomes enabled concordman to increase his lead by a point. With the top five scoring 3 or 4 there was no change, but the decent week for ghughes11 moved him closer to them. The only changes came in the bottom half, with the top scoring performance from mfb_cufc moving him up a place, and a solid week for unitedwhites, that included getting that good Derby 1-1, also moved him up place. But he remains in the bottom three that is now 7 points from safety.
In Division One After going three weeks without a 3 pointer, noah4x4 was back on track this week by getting the Charlton 1-0 spot-on. That enabled him to mantain his 29 point lead over Tropical_Us, who had the Chesterfield 1-0 spot-on to remain in the other automatic spot. Going 2-1 all games kept durham_exile in third, and getting the Chesterfield win spot-on kept Blue4U2 in fourth. Three outcomes for gerry_us, and he remains fifth. The only change in this league has the decent week for basher2010 moving him up a couple of places, and back into the play-offs again.
THE TABLES (150 out of 280 played)
(Tie-breaker: Most 3 pointers, and then the first to post)
Week 22 Fixtures 10 games picked by this weeks guest thrillseeker. In what could be a Happy League first, as all games are being played in the evening with 19.45 kick-offs, except for the deadline fixture at Coventry starting at 18.00.
COVENTRY CITY v IPSWICH TOWN (18.00)
LEICESTER CITY v DERBY COUNTY
MIDDLESBROUGH v HULL CITY
MILLWALL v BRISTOL CITY
WREXHAM v PRESTON NORTH END
CARDIFF CITY v STEVENAGE
BRISTOL ROVERS v BARNET
CHELTENHAM TOWN v SWINDON TOWN
CHESTERFIELD v CAMBRIDGE UNITED
MILTON KEYNES DONS v NOTTS COUNTY
Good luck and a Happy New Year everybody. |
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Thread | Terriers
by bwildered at 07:22 20 Dec 2025
Bedlington Terriers have folded with immediate effect . |
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Thread | Exiles to be sent back in exile on Saturday
by wessex_exile at 16:23 19 Dec 2025
And so, Danny and Nicky enter their second century of games managing the U’s, at home to struggling Newport – let’s hope it starts a bit better than the first century finished. There won’t be many games we score three and lose, trouble is there’ll be even fewer where we concede four and win. That being said, I couldn’t fault the first hour of the Salford game, with the U’s in control of a game against good opposition, and on a typically heavy pitch. Then we kind of fell apart, certainly defensively, helped in no small part by a masterclass from ex-U’s Luke Garbutt (how is he only in League 2?). Credit must also go to 250+ of the faithful, a long trip starting at stupid o’clock – they deserved more than that for their support.
Now to the Exiles on Saturday. Newport were one of the earlier managerial merry-go-round entrants this season, sacking David Hughes back in mid-November with his side rooted at the bottom of the table with just three wins from 16 games. His replacement was somewhat of a surprise, former Leicester City (and Austria) defender Christian Fuchs. A very good footballer in his day, but other than assistant coaching at MLS side Charlotte FC, virtually no managerial experience to speak of. Results seem to bear out that concern as well, with still only three wins this season, but from 20 games now. Mind you, they do have a reputation for grinding out results away from home where needed (2-2 at Crewe on their last trip a good example), so I hope our defence has taken on board the learning from Moor Lane.
There are three League 2 games tonight, none of which involve teams that can overtake us in 12th place, although Grimsby (one of the 1230 kick-offs tomorrow) can leapfrog us temporarily if they win at the League 2 surprise package Bromley. A welcome return to a 3pm kick-off for us, and though we can’t quite reach the play-offs from this game, wouldn’t it be lovely sitting down for Christmas dinner knowing the U’s were within a point or two of doing so ahead of our Boxing Day visit to the Creepy Crawlies.
As to the line-up for Saturday, a tough one to call given Jack Payne was back in the matchday squad last Saturday, and assuming Lisbie has recovered from his shoulder injury. I also haven’t heard any news on Macey’s facial injury, but I would have thought that was something more superficial. I’m going to take a punt on Lisbie starting, Payne on the bench but coming on for the last 20-30 minutes, and why else recall him from loan, Frankie Terry on the bench. Hunt to keep his starting XI slot, KVY on the bench as well.
They’re all must-win games, not sure why people even say that, but after a hard-fought draw against a very physical Gillingham, and the disappointment of letting a two goal lead slip, this really is a must-win game if we want to cement our place as genuine play-off/ promotion challengers. Someone is going to have to suffer the backlash from Salford, and I reckon it’ll be the Exiles – 5-0 to the U’s, with a long overdue opener from Samson.
The weather forecast for tomorrow looks very fair, sunny intervals with a slim chance of a few scattered showers during the afternoon, and the temperature at about 8-9 degrees, though in a gentle breeze from the south east, it’ll feel a few degrees cooler.
And as this is the last game before festivities begin, Merry Christmas everyone!
Up the U’s! |
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Thread | January 2025 Transfer Window
by Daniel at 09:03 16 Dec 2025
As per the previous two windows, Danny has said players will have to leave before players come in.
https://www.gazette-news.co.uk
So who would we like to see leave?
According to Coludata, all but six players are out of contract next summer - Akande, Lisbie, Perry, Terry, Tucker, Williams.
I really hope we have options on the likes of Macey, Bishop and Payne - we need them and I don't want us to cash in now.
Right now I'd offload JK Gordon and take any money for Edwards and Tovide. |
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Thread | Happy League 2025/26 Week 21 (of 38) - Deadline Saturday 20th December 15.00
by mfb_cufc at 22:30 13 Dec 2025
Week 20 results
LIVERPOOL 2 BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION 0
Mohamed Salah marked his eagerly awaited Liverpool return with an assist as his side beat Brighton thanks to a Hugo Ekitike double. A magnificent 7 got this spot-on, and a further 12 had the outcome.
BURNLEY 2 FULHAM 3
Harry Wilson set up two Fulham goals before scoring their third as they inflicted a seventh straight Premier League defeat on Burnley. Nodody had this spot-on, but 11 did get the outcome.
NORWICH CITY 2 SOUTHAMPTON 1
Jovon Makama's controversial winner stopped in-form Southampton in their tracks and gave Norwich a vital leg-up in their Championship relegation fight. 3 got this spot-on, and nobody had the outcome.
LEICESTER CITY 3 IPSWICH TOWN 1
Abdul Fatawu scored a sensational goal from inside his own half as Leicester downed high-flying Ipswich to register only their second Championship home win since 29th August. Again nobody had this spot-on, but 7 (all going 2-1) got the outcome.
BARNSLEY 3 LEYTON ORIENT 2
Barnsley came from behind to win. Another game with no 3 pointer, though 21 did have the outcome, with 12 going for a 2-1 in what was the weeks most predicted score.
CARDIFF CITY 4 DONCASTER ROVERS 3
Joel Bagan scored a dramatic winning goal in the 99th minute as Cardiff edged out Doncaster in a chaotic and captivating seven-goal thriller to stay four points clear at the top of League One. Everyone predicted a win for Cardiff, but not surprising nobody got it spot-on.
STOCKPORT COUNTY 1 STEVENAGE 3
Chem Campbell scored a superb curling goal as Stevenage climbed to fifth in League One with this win. Yet another game with no 3 pointer, and only Jorash63 and Sector4 had the outcome.
SALFORD CITY 4 COLCHESTER UNITED 3
Ex-U's loanee Luke Garbutt's 92nd minute strike secured Salford a thrilling win having been 3-1 behind. Not surprising nobody had this spot-on, though 5 did get the outcome.
ACCRINGTON STANLEY 0 BROMLEY 1
Deji Elerewe headed home an 89th-minute winner to keep Bromley's promotion charge on track with this narrow win. Only mfb_cufc and Tropical_Us got this spot-on, and another 9 had the outcome.
TRANMERE ROVERS 1 CREWE ALEXANDRA 4
Max Sanders scored a first-half brace as Crewe ended their four-game winless run with a dominant League Two victory. A final game this week with no 3 pointer, but 5 did get the outcome.
This weeks guest Jorash63 said he had some headscratchers there with the 10 fixtures he picked. Well, for the third week running there were certainly headsratchers with the results when it came to finding those important 3 pointers. It lead to seven games failing to have a 3 pointer. Thanks mainly to the Liverpool 2-0 the other three produced 12 in total, and with a decent total of 97 outcomes it was a respectable week overall. Only one member did well to have two 3 pointers, that was blueeagle, who had the wins for Liverpool and Norwich, and three outcomes, to give him an excellent 9 points. That was enough to give him a share of being the weeks top scorer with mfb_cufc, who was best of those to get one 3 pointer, as he had six outcomes to go with the Bromley 1-0.
U'sual Champions League Just two weeks and 16 games to go before we find out who the qualifiers are for this seasons competition. Current holder Sector4 qualifies automatically, and then the 11 highest scorers over the two divisions will join him. The member currently in the important eleventh place is bwildered with his 86 points. But with seven members within 6 points of that total, there is still a lot to play for.
In the Premier For the third week running it is outcomes that dominate proceedings, and five were enough for concordman to maintain his run at the top, but a good six outcomes for Jorash63 reduced that lead by a point again. A decent week for Sector4, that included having the Liverpool 2-0 spot-on, moved him up a place to fourth. Last seasons runner-up blueeagle continues to improve, and his top scoring performance moved him up a couple of places to fourth. His highest position since Week 6 when he was third. With only 9 points separating the top seven this is the closest Premier League in years. At the bottom RSCOSWORTH finally moved up a place, after being in the 11th place for the last eleven weeks.
In Division One Only outcomes for the third week in a row for noah4x4, but nothing to worry about, as his healthy lead remains virtually intact. A decent week for Tropical_Us with the Bromley 1-0 spot-on, keeps him in the other automatic spot. Going 2-1 all games continues to be profitable for durham_exile, and he moves up another place to third. This means Blue4U2 drops a place to fourth. Having the Liverpool win spot-on keeps gerry_us in fifth, and the final play-off place is taken once again by wessex_exile, after he also had the Liverpool 2-0 spot-on to move up a couple of places. A decent week for oxfcolu, who was another to have the Liverpool win spot-on, moved him up three places to a season high seventh. Only losing out on the top six due to the most 3 pointer rule. Two dropped places for basher2010 and NME_cufc, but they remain within 2 points of the play-offs.
THE TABLES (144 out of 280 played)
(Tie-breaker: Most 3 pointers, and then the first to post)
Week 21 Fixtures 
CHARLTON ATHLETIC v OXFORD UNITED
DERBY COUNTY v PORTSMOUTH
PORT VALE v PETERBOROUGH
ROTHERHAM UNITED v HUDDERSFIELD TOWN
WYCOMBE WANDERERS v BOLTON WANDERERS
SHREWSBURY TOWN v CHESTERFIELD
Good luck and a Merry Christmas everybody. |
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Thread | Jammy Draw For Ammies In Danny's 100th Game
by RSCOSWORTH at 12:50 12 Dec 2025
It's two 12:30 kick offs in as many Saturdays for the U’s as they make the trip up to Salford on the back of a battling goalless draw against Gillingham and an unfortunate midweek defeat by West Ham U21’s in the Vertu Trophy. Danny Cowley was announced as the League Two Manager of the Month this morning and I’m hoping the dreaded Manager of the Month curse doesn’t raise it’s ugly head tomorrow. Although I think I remember someone completely disproving the theory that there is any kind of curse.
With no one from Tuesday night really pushing their case for starting spot I’m expecting the U’s to line up as follows:
Macey
Vincent Young Tucker Araujo Iandolo
Bishop Read
Lisbie Anderson
Mbick
Tovide
Subs
Smith Hunt Goodwin Gape Edwards Williams Kuffour Jr. (Terry if Araujo injured)
This means there’s no place in the squad for Oni, Gordon or Powell. With Payne, Baldwin, Perry, Akande and Flanagan all still unavailable due to injury.
Araujo looked in a fair bit of discomfort towards the end of the Gillingham game, I was surprised he managed to carry on at the time, but he did seem to be moving better by full time. I did think it may be cramp but the fact that he didn’t figure against West Ham U21’s, possibly cup-tied, and that we’ve recalled Terry from Braintree makes me worried that it’s a more serious issue. If Araujo is unavailable the obvious replacement, with Flanagan and Baldwin both being out, is Kuffour Jr., who has looked decent in the Vertu Trophy games. Another option would be to bring Hunt into the back four but that might lead to other positional changes.
Despite sitting three places and two points above us in the table Salford’s recent league form has been patchy to say the least with two wins, two defeats and two draws in their last six matches. They’ve also had two high scoring cup games recently, a 4-0 victory over Leyton Orient last Friday and a 7-2 defeat by Rotherham a few days previous, both at home. Our record against Salford is a positive one with six wins and three draws from 12 previous meetings however they were the only team in League Two last season that we didn’t take at least a point off. There are a few former U’s in the Salford squad with Ossama Ashley, Luke Garbutt and Dan Chesters all currently in their squad although I’m only expecting Garbutt, who is their captain, to figure tomorrow. On the subject of Garbutt I remember when he first signed on loan for us thinking how good he looked and that he was playing at a level far beneath his ability. It seems that injuries prevented him having the career many expected him to have (he was capped by England at U16 to U21 level) and he only made five appearances for Everton in between loan spells at Cheltenham, us, Fulham, Wigan, Oxford and Ipswich before joining Blackpool, where he spent three seasons, and he’s now in his third season at Salford.
Tomorrow will be the Danny and Nicky’s 100th game in charge of the U’s. No mean feat in the world of modern football and although it’s not always been smooth sailing I, for one, am so glad we’ve stuck with them. They really have transformed the club both on and off the pitch, which was never going to be easy given we were in a pretty dark place back in January 2024. I feel like we now have a team and a club that we believe in and can get behind and that’s all you really want as a supporter. Since Williams left in 2008 we’ve had 14 permanent managers and only three of them (Ward, McGreal and Cowley) managed the 100 game milestone. I expect Cowley to surpass Ward but he’ll have to go some to overtake McGreal who took charge for over 200 games!
The weather at the Peninsula Stadium tomorrow is, surprisingly, set to be dry and sunny with light winds and a high of 10 degrees. Pretty decent footballing conditions, especially for December. As it’s Danny's 100th game in charge I feel a 1-1 draw would be somewhat fitting and I’m backing Mbick to get our goal.
Up the U’s! |
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Thread | The Hammers to get hammered by The U’s!
by ghughes11 at 19:42 8 Dec 2025
My dislike for West Ham comes from when I was a lad at school supporting Col U when some of the other (shall we call them ‘cooler’) boys in school decided to change the team they support from Arsenal and Man Utd to their local team! Now bearing in mind that they all lived, and I assume were born in Colchester, I thought that we might have had one or two extra Col U fans to populate Layer Road – nope, I was wrong they plumbed for that other “local” team approx. 60 miles away in East London! Then as I got older there were neighbours and work colleagues that supported West Ham for no other reason than being the local “big Team in Essex!?!?” 
Anyway, moving on and it sounds like lots of other Colchester/Clacton/Witham/Braintree based West Ham fans will be descending on the Jobserve Community Stadium to join Robbie and maybe Danny in the away end (approx. 1,500 at last guess) having not read the script about the boycott surrounding this tournament. 
Ah yes, this tournament. At the time of writing the EFL Trophy is currently known as the Vertue Trophy. I say at the time writing because sponsorship of the Associate Members' Cup (renamed the Football League Trophy in 1992) has had 10 different sponsors in 40 odd years with 4 in the last 10 years (Checkatrade.com, Leasing.com, Papa John’s and now Vertu Motors). However, many Col U fans will remember fondly that this trophy was once known as the Auto Windscreens Shield (1994-2000), and in April 1997 a young Karl Duguid missed the 4th Col U penalty, leaving it to soon-to-be Col U player Warren Aspinall to score his. After Peter Cawley saw his penalty and Col U’s 5th saved, Carlisle captain Steve Hayward scored his to win the penalty shootout for Carlisle. 
Onto Tuesday’s match with “them” down the road and Danny Cowley has admitted that he was disappointed with the EFL for approving the change of date of this match from December 2nd to December 9th having planned for some of The U’s youngsters to feature in the match, before heading out on loan.
Cowley said: “Everything had been planned for us to play West Ham, on December 2.
“But unfortunately, we got on the wrong side of a big club, which sometimes you do.
“West Ham put another fixture on that day and have played strong teams, in this competition to that point.
“I think they have a first team game on December 4 [at Manchester United], so they weren’t keen to play it on that date.
“It’s not ideal for us, because we’d prepared to play it that week and we’ve got some young ones who we really want to go out on loan, but we don’t want them to go out, until they’ve played in this game, because it’s a great game for them and an important part of their development.
“It’s going to move their fixture closer to the run of games that we already have over the Christmas period and after the 9th, we’re away for an early kick-off, against Salford.
“We’re pretty disappointed with the league, because we thought it was an EFL competition and we’re an EFL team.
“I’m a bit perplexed and disappointed that they haven’t supported us in that.
“We’re now going to have to play a West Ham team who already in this competition have played first-team players in Tomas Soucek and have incredible kids, players that won the FA Youth Cup three years ago.
“They’ve got boys like George Earthy who was in the Championship Team of the Year and [Freddie] Potts has already played in this competition as well.
“It’s life changing money for us as a football club – it can really make a difference and we’d just like to have a fair crack at it but it doesn’t look like we’ve been given it, so I think we just have to accept it.”
So, Danny C is getting his excuses in all ready it seems. However, West Ham Utd U21 have lost to Reading 3-1 back in Sept with Soucek playing the full 90 minutes, so we should show no fear! 
As for our starting line-up, I would go:
GK: Smith
RB: Hunt
CB: Kuffour Jr
CB: Araujo (swap for Tucker at half time)
LB: Powell
RM: Gordon
CM: Gape (swap for Oni at half time
CM: Bishop (swap for Read at half time)
LM: Edwards
CF: Willaims
CF: Goodwin
Subs: Chamberlain, Tucker, Oni, Read, Kaion Lisbie, Kyreece Lisbie, Tovide
I’m sure there will some rules and regulations that means this team cannot start, but I cannot be bothered to work it out 
Weather: Light rain, 13oc, Precipitation: 20%, Humidity: 87%, Wind: 26 km/h
Score prediction: 3-2 Col U! 
Up the ‘Wembley here we come’ U’s!  |
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Thread | World Cup 2026
by wessex_exile at 12:37 8 Dec 2025
I'm sure everyone noticed the draw for the 2026 World Cup group stage was made last week, with England drawn in Group L alongside Croatia, Ghana and Panama. Obviously Croatia should be our strongest opposition (on paper), but it's going to be very hot, perhaps better suited for teams like Ghana and Panama?
Meanwhile, the World Cup Willies had their customary draw, and are in Group C alongside Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Italy, Spain and Brazil (again). Well, Brazil at least, but 2022 semi-finalists Morocco are no slouches, so their advancement may well come down to how they perform against Haiti (another team infinitely better suited to the conditions). I suppose in their favour, given the new format of 48 teams at the group stage with 32 to qualify for the knock-out stage, 3rd place should be enough - all they have to do is beat Haiti and not get completely battered in the other two games.
There are still six places to fill from the play-offs, with Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland all in with a shout of joining England and Scotland.
Other takeaways from Friday's draw - if anyone was wondering what level of influence Trump is going to have over the World Cup next year - there was your answer. Or indeed, the level of corruption in FIFA for that matter, with their hastily arranged 'inaugural' FIFA Peace Award going to none other than Trump himself. Trump is still smarting from being overlooked for the actual Nobel Peace Prize, and I would wager a pound to a penny actually demanded FIFA create a Peace Award for him to soothe his fragile ego.
In other news, now the draw has been made, the predetermined "Pride Match" in support of LGBTQ rights on June 26 in Seattle will be between...Egypt and Iran.
Honestly, who says satire is dead  |
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Thread | Happy Cup 2025/26 2nd Round Replay - Deadline Saturday 13th December 15.00
by mfb_cufc at 22:21 6 Dec 2025
The 2nd Round games produced two replays. The tie-break rules will apply for these replays.
NME_cufc v Jorash63
RSCOSWORTH v BFG
2nd Round Replay Fixtures 10 games from Saturday 13th December league programme. If any of these fixtures are called off for any reason, it will be decided on the games left. No more than four predictions the same as your opponent please.
CHELSEA v EVERTON
BIRMINGHAM CITY v CHARLTON ATHLETIC
MIDDLESBROUGH v QUEENS PARK RANGERS
MILLWALL v HULL CITY
BLACKPOOL v LINCOLN CITY
BURTON ALBION v WYCOMBE WANDERERS
PLYMOUTH ARGYLE v ROTHERHAM UNITED
CHELTENHAM TOWN v HARROGATE TOWN
GILLINGHAM v BARROW
NEWPORT COUNTY v FLEETWOOD TOWN
Good luck everybody. |
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Thread | Happy League 2025/26 Week 20 (of 38) - Deadline Saturday 13th December 12.30
by mfb_cufc at 22:07 6 Dec 2025
Week 19 results
EVERTON 3 NOTTINGHAM FOREST 0
Thierno Barry ended his long wait for a first Everton goal as the Toffees moved up to fifth in the Premier League. Nobody got this spot-on, but 15 did have the outcome.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 2 BRENTFORD 0
Tottenham eased the pressure on manager Thomas Frank with a convincing win against his former club. Only thrillseeker and bwildered had it spot-on, and a further 12 got the outcome, with 11 going for a 2-1 in what was equally the weeks most predicted score.
LEEDS UNITED 3 LIVERPOOL 3
Ao Tanaka scored a 96th minute equaliser for Leeds, as they came from behind to draw after a dramatic second half produced all six goals. Another game with no 3 pointer, though 5 did have the outcome.
IPSWICH TOWN 3 COVENTRY CITY 0
Ipswich inflicted just a second league defeat of the season on the runaway Championship leaders with a superb performance. Yet another game with no 3 pointer, but 5 did get the outcome.
SHEFFIELD UNITED 4 STOKE CITY 0
United continued their excellent resurgence in the Championship by thumping out-of-form Stoke. A final game this week with no 3 pointer, though 13 did have the outcome.
SOUTHAMPTON 3 BIRMINGHAM CITY 1
A win for Southampton in Tonda Eckert's first Championship game as permanent Saints boss. Well done to BFG for being the only one to have this spot-on, and another 15 got the outcome, with 11 going for a 2-1 in what was the weeks other most predicted score.
Another incredible week, that was almost a replica of last week, with virtually no chance of getting a 3 pointer. Last week there was only 2 spot-ons, and 71 outcomes. This week 3 spot-ons, and 65 outcomes. The recipients of those 3 pointers are mentioned above, and two of them thrillseeker and bwildered were among this weeks top scorers, with a solid 5 points. Along with Tropical_Us, who had a goood five outcomes, only failing to get the Ipswich win to give him a full house, and durham_exile and burnsieespana, whose 2-1 all games also got them five outcomes.
As we are at the half-way stage of the season, I thought it it is time to see how it has gone so far. The 134 games have produced 75 (55.97%) homes, 34 (25.37%) aways, and 25 (18.66%) draws. These are amazing figures, as home wins always run at about 40% every season. This means we have had about 20 more than usual at this stage. The 1-0 is the top result with 16. Nio surprise there, but what is surprising the 3-0 and the 3-1 are joint second with 12. Both those results usually average about 10 over a whole season. Next it is the 2-0 and the 2-1 with 11 each. Best result for an away win is the 1-2 also with 11. The 0-1 has been disappointing with only 6. And the biggest disappointment has been the 1-1 with just 10, well down on previous seasons. It will be interesting to see if these anomalies continue for the rest of the season.
In the Premier Another week where virtually everyone only got outcomes, there is little change again. At the top concordman took his run there to seven weeks, but Jorash63 did cut his lead by a point. The top scoring performance from thrillseeker moved him up a place to third. The only other change had blueeagle moving up a place and back into the top half again. The top scoring performance for bwildered helped to move him further away from the bottom three.
In Division One Three outcomes for noah4x4 took his lead to a nice round 30 points. The bookies have already paid out on him being Division One champ. The top scoring performance from Tropical_Us moved him up two places and into the other automatic spot, but only on the most 3 pointer rule from Blue4U2, who had a 7 point cushion in that 2nd spot three weeks ago. But only 5 points since then, has seen that advantage erode away. The top scoring performance from durham_exile has moved him up two places to fourth, but only on the most 3 pointer rule from gerry_us. Two outcomes for basher2010 was enough for him to take the final play-off place. The only other changes had NME_cufc and BFG both moving up a place.
THE TABLES (134 out of 280 played)
(Tie-breaker: Most 3 pointers, and then the first to post)
Week 20 Fixtures 10 games picked by this weeks guest Jorash63. Don't forget it is an early start with the deadline 12.30.
LIVERPOOL v BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION
BURNLEY v FULHAM (17.30)
NORWICH CITY v SOUTHAMPTON (12.30)
LEICESTER CITY v IPSWICH TOWN
BARNSLEY v LEYTON ORIENT
CARDIFF CITY v DONCASTER ROVERS
STOCKPORT COUNTY v STEVENAGE
SALFORD CITY v COLCHESTER UNITED (12.30)
ACCRINGTON STANLEY v BROMLEY
TRANMERE ROVERS v CREWE ALEXANDRA
Good luck everybody. |
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Thread | What’s happened to Leadbelly?
by noah4x4 at 23:47 5 Dec 2025
Any ideas folks. I’ve not seen him at football or pub since before Covid.
He was in a relationship with a lovely lady that was a member of my table tennis club. She’s gone too. I suspect they have moved away, but thought I might ask. |
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Thread | U's on Sky Sports+
by Daniel at 16:18 5 Dec 2025
With only one fixture out of the next eight being at 3pm on a Saturday, I believe we'll be on Sky Sports+ seven times in the next month!
Sat 6 Dec 12:30 Gillingham H
Tue 9 Dec 19:45 West Ham United U21 (EFLT Round of 32) H
Sat 13 Dec 12:30 Salford City A
Fri 26 Dec 15:00 Crawley Town A
Mon 29 Dec 19:45 Gillingham A
Thu 1 Jan 15:00 MK Dons H
Sun 4 Jan 15:00 Accrington Stanley H
If you don't have Sky Sports+, you can get a one month Now TV pass for £35 and stream the games. |
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Thread | U's Vs Gills - Preview and Match Chat
by Daniel at 11:15 5 Dec 2025
(Sorry, I’ve thought hard about a cheesy thread title to honour Durham, but nothing is coming to mind – we can’t clip the Gills wings, can we?)
Colchester versus Gillingham; the most common fixture in the U's history. This will be the 111th competitive meeting between the two clubs, with past results being fairly even - 40 wins, 32 draws, 38 defeats (according to coludata).
Originally this game was due to be played this coming Tuesday night, but one positive of being out of the FA Cup means both clubs have a free weekend, allowing this to be brought forward and hopefully encouraging a sizable crowd. The 12:30pm kick off time also means it'll still be on Sky Sports+ and ifollow.
We go into this game in great form and I don't expect DC to make any changes to the line-up unless they're forced. Aside from all of the long term injuries, Kyreece Lisbie is probably the only doubt, having picked up a shoulder injury against Cheltenham last week. There's been no news on his fitness, so I assume it'll be the same XI.
Macey
KVY Tucker Araujo Inadolo
Hunt (solid last week out of position) Read
Lisbie Mbick Anderson
Tovide
I'll be honest, I've not paid much attention to Gillingham this season. We beat them 2-1 in the car sales cup (aka EFL/Vertu Trophy) in October, but you can't read much into that. Looking at their season so far, they started well going 11 games unbeaten, but have then won once in their last 12. They're eighth in the league with one point more than us.
Their recent form is three draws on the bounce and their last win and clean sheet was at Bristol Rovers in early November.
Last 5
Shrewsbury (away) D 3-3
Barnet (home) D 1-1
Crawley (home) D 2-2
Wycombe (home - Vertu Trophy) L 0-3
Bristol Rovers (away) W 1-0
I don't expect this to be an easy game, but form is very much in our favour, so I'm going to predict a narrow 2-1 win with goals from Jack Tucker (either a header or strike from outside the box) and Harry Anderson (just because he’s on fire).
Played for both
Joe Dunne is the obvious one here. He started his career at Gillingham and is currently their youth team manager. His ColU career should need no introduction but covers most of the time between his spells at Gillingham! 188 appearances over two spells as a player, youth team manager, coach, assistant manager, caretaker manager and manager (99 games) - he'd done it all. Hopefully the BWA Joe Dunne flag will be flying proud tomorrow.
Of the current Gillingham team, Jake Turner is the only player to have played for both - 13 appearances for the U's while on loan from Newcastle and 76 appearances for the Gills so far. He'll likely be in goal against us.
Of the current U's squad, Jack Tucker and Ellis Iandolo came through youth ranks at Gillingham, Tucker went on to make 137 appearances for the first team. Tom Flanagan played 14 games on loan from MK Dons in 2012/13.
Memories
The stand-out game for me is the 1-0 win on the opening day of the 2013/14 season. I don't really remember much about the game, just Andy Bond scoring an 89th minute winner, sending the faithful wild in the ‘temporary’ stand at Priestfield.
More recently is the promising 3-0 win under Ben Garner in August 2023, or the new year's day defeat in 2024, which signalled the end of Matt Etherington's short reign and the beginning of the Cowley era (all in the same season!).
Weather
The forecast keeps changing - the Met Office currently says cloudy with a 50% chance of rain, 11 degrees (feels like 8), and a mild northerly wind.
Up the U's! |
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Thread | Happy League 2025/26 Week 19 (of 38) - Deadline Saturday 6th December 15.00
by mfb_cufc at 20:42 29 Nov 2025
Week 18 results
SUNDERLAND 3 AFC BOURNEMOUTH 2
A fired-up Sunderland came from two goals down to go fourth in the Premier League. Nobody goi this spot-on, but 9 did have the outcome.
NORWICH CITY 3 QUEENS PARK RANGERS 1
Philippe Clement secured his first victory as Norwich manager as they ended a 13-game winless run with a first home win this season. Again nobody had this spot-on, though 8 did get the outcome.
WEST BROMWICH ALBION 3 SWANSEA CITY 2
West Brom recovered from the shock of conceding after only 12 seconds as they came from 2-0 down to claim a thrilling victory. Another game with no 3 pointer, but 21 did have the outcome.
WREXHAM 1 BLACKBURN ROVERS 1
Max Cleworth netted in the 95th minute as Wrexham salvaged a point to extend their unbeaten Championship run to eight matches. Well done to bwildered for being the only one to have this spot-on, and only Madeira163 got the outcome. 20 predicted a win for Wrexham with 10 going for a 2-1 in what was the weeks most predicted score.
PLYMOUTH ARGYLE 0 NORTHAMPTON TOWN 3
Northampton substitute Elliott List scored within seconds of his 75th-minute introduction as they beat 10-man Plymouth. Yet another game with no 3 pointer, though 7 did have the outcome.
WIGAN ATHLETIC 0 STEVENAGE 0
Stevenage slipped from top spot to second place in League One after being held to this bore draw. Well done to Madeira163 for being the only one to have this spot-on, and a further 4 got the outcome.
SALFORD CITY 4 CRAWLEY TOWN 3
Substitute Kallum Cesay scored a dramatic late winner as Salford edged this 7-goal thriller. A final game this week with no 3 pointer, but 21 did have the outcome
As you have probably seen in the excellent wessex_exile preview of the Cheltenham game, there is more sad news to report with the passing of burnsieespana. He was a member of the Happy League since the 2015/16 season, and along with durham_exile I will honour their memory by giving them both 2-1 all games for the rest of the season.
What an incredible week this was, with teams winning from 2 goals down, a seven goal thriller, a team winning at home for the first time this season, a first 0-3 result this season, and a total of 26 goals in the seven games. The problem with so many goals being scored it is going to make 3 pointers hard to find, and that was the case with only two spot-ons this week. At least the 71 total outcomes made sure this was not one of the worst weeks this season. Not surprisingly it was one of the members who had a 3 pointer who is the weeks top scorer, as Madeira163 got four outcomes to go with his good Wigan 0-0 prediction, to give him a decent 7 points. A solid 5 points for bwildered in being the other to have a 3 pointer, by also getting two outcomes. A special mention for blueeagle for having a good five outcomes.
Happy Cup Just a reminder to those who have yet to post their predictions, the 2nd Round deadline for this competition is Saturday 6th December 15.00.
In the Premier On a week of outcomes. the only change involved the member to get a 3 pointer, as bwildered moved up a place. At the top concordman took his run there to six weeks, and increased his lead by 2 points. The only other thing to say is, with just four weeks to go before we know who this seasons U'sual Champions League qualifiers are, the current cut-off is 76 points, so those from blueeagle upwards are looking good at the moment.
In Division One Four outcomes for noah4x4 enabled him to increase his lead to an ever growing 29 points, as just the one outcome for Blue4U2 has in turn reduced his advantage in the other automatic spot. The only change in this league had durham_exile and NME_cufc exchanging places, as the former moved back into the play-off places again. The top scoring perforrnance from Madeira163 gave him his first 3 pointer since Week 4, and gives him hope of still making the play-offs with still over half the seaon to go.
THE TABLES (128 out of 280 played)
(Tie-breaker: Most 3 pointers, and then the first to post)
Week 19 Fixtures
EVERTON v NOTTINGHAM FOREST
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR v BRENTFORD
LEEDS UNITED v LIVERPOOL (17.30)
IPSWICH TOWN v COVENTRY CITY
SHEFFIELD UNITED v STOKE CITY
SOUTHAMPTON v BIRMINGHAM CITY
Good luck everybody. |
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Thread | The Robins to be plucked by Danny's banditos
by wessex_exile at 18:10 27 Nov 2025
So, before I get into the match preview, and I suppose appropriately considering the context of why we’re doing this, two more sad pieces of information to share. After a bit of investigative work and online research, I am sorry to let you know that we believe both pwrightsknees and burnsieespana are sadly no longer with us.
It would appear PWK (real name Bob Olley), one of our more senior members, passed away in July last year, and there is a link to his obituary below. I never met PWK, but we shared a passion for history (military history in particular in his case), and liaised via e-mail on a couple of projects. Many of you will no doubt recall his contributions to several of my matchday blogs. I will share one memory with you though – he was always amused that the only match his mother attended was part of the record attendance against Reading, called off at half time for fog. She never gave it another go.
https://www.gazette-news.co.uk
Burnsieespana’s passing (real name Tony Burns) is much more recent I’m afraid. mfb_cufc last received a message from him on the 11th October relating to being in hospital, and a short while later there was an announcement in the Essex County Standard that a Tony Burns passed away on the 14th October after a short battle with cancer. I think I met Tony once, up at Cheltenham, when he was on a rare trip back to England, but he was always a regular contributor to the U’sual, and avid Prediction Leaguer. His tribute page includes a photo of Tony captioned “Enjoying life in Spain”. There is a donations link on the tribute, with proceeds going to Sarcoma UK, the bone and soft tissue cancer charity, if people wish to make a donation.
https://www.gwinnell.co.uk/tri
So, back to the matter in hand, TooT talked of whether the Walsall win could be the start of something special – well I guess after a dominant performance against a good Notts County side on Saturday, I’m going to ask the same question.
I must admit, after losing out on my trip to Walsall thanks to Storm Claudia, as much as I enjoyed watching on line, I thought “there goes my dream away day for this season”. I couldn’t have been more wrong. An uneventful journey brought me promptly to Nottingham, in time to get to Meadow Lane for a pre-match pint, forgoing the dubious ‘delights’ of Hooters en route. It was also great to bump into Gerry in the stand, amongst a vociferous crowd of 600 faithful, loud and proud throughout, so we enjoyed the game and chatted fondly about Durham together.
As for the game, pretty comprehensive really, not much more can be said. It was unfortunate to concede the own goal so early, but even at that point I wasn’t overly concerned, we were more than a match for Notts County. It didn’t surprise me at all when Anderson equalised, though it was amusing to see a player finally do so as soon as the crowd called “SHOOT”. Looking back at the highlights, Roos’ sudden rush of blood to his head was equally amusing, but that wasn’t quite as obvious at the time.
Halftime came and went with the U’s continuing to threaten at will, soaking up what little Notts County had to offer with ease, and breaking with pace whenever opportunity knocked. A sublime through ball from Lisbie set up Mbick for the second, and although Gerry called Goodwin’s offside immediately, there was no doubt about his second attempt to make it 3-1. Almost a perfect awayday – beer, mates, trouble-free travel – the only downer, seeing Flanagan carried off in considerable discomfort. I fear we won’t see him back for some time to come.
And so on to the visit of Cheltenham Town on Saturday under bandito hunter Steve Cotterill. The Robins have had a somewhat dodgy start to the season, but after back-to-back defeats managed to get a 1-0 win against equally dodgy Bristol Rovers last Saturday in the West Country derby. That being said, the Gas dominated possession and attempts on goal, even hit the woodwork once, so maybe Cheltenham Town haven’t quite turned the corner. Saturday will also be a chance to say hello to Ben Stevenson (what’s the betting he’ll score?) and fellow Colcestrian and son of legend Mark, Liam Kinsella.
As for my team prediction, the injury to Flanagan will probably mean we stick with the 4-4-2 that finished the Notts County game, assuming there are no other knocks or bumps to influence selection, so I’ll go with:
Macey
Vincent-Young Hunt Araujo Iandolo
Lisbie Tucker Read Anderson
Mbick Tovide
Subs: Smith, Powell, Edwards, Gordon, Goodwin, Oni, Williams
On paper, compared to the last two away games, this ought to be a piece of cake, which is exactly why I’m more nervous about this game than the previous two. If we want to mount a credible promotion challenge, we simply have to win this game. I’m reasonably confident that Danny and Nicky will have the team up for this, so I’m going for a suitably Durhamesque upbeat 3-0 to the U’s, with Samson getting us off the mark in the first half, followed by Tucker and Mbick in the second to wrap things up.
Expect it to be wet on Saturday, with a gentle breeze from the south west chilling the air to a brisk 7 degrees.
Up the U’s |
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Thread | Sparkfilms TV
by gerry_us at 18:34 25 Nov 2025
Congratulations on achieving almost 1,000 posts and approaching 0.25 million views...
BUT, posts and views are virtually all you. Give us a break guy. This is a board valued by genuine U's supporters to discuss U's matters and matches. You are taking up space on the board for unrelated rubbish. |
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