Club News

🔎 The Opposition: Cambridge United

17th November

Exeter City face Cambridge United on Tuesday night in an Emirates FA Cup first round replay at St James Park.

The winner of the clash will go on to play Hartlepool United at home in the second round.

Here’s everything you need to know about Exeter’s opponents...

Founded: 1912
Nickname: The U’s
Honours: Football League One champions: 1990/92. Football League Two champions: 1976/77. FA Trophy: 2013/14

Cambridge spent their formative years outside the Football League and it was not until 1970 that the club finally emerged from dark into the fourth tier of English football.

That fateful year of promotion earmarked a fruitful and sustained period in the Football League, consolidating their position for the preceding thirty-five seasons before relegation in 2005.

In that time period the U’s won the Third Division in 1990/91 and then went so close to promotion to the Premier League, before coming up short in the play-off semi-finals.

The late 80’s and early 90’s were the most exciting times in the club’s history as they reached back-to-back FA Cup quarter-finals in 1989/90 and 1990/91, as well as the quarter-finals of the League Cup in 1992/93.

Cambridge bounced back from a nine year hiatus in the Conference in 2014 and have since retained their position in League Two.

The manager

Colin Calderwood

Having accrued over an astonishing 600 appearances during his playing days, the level of pedigree Colin Calderwood possesses in undeniable.

The Scot’s remarkable career includes over 300 games for Swindon Town, while he has also represented English giants Tottenham Hotspur and turned out for country on 36 occasions.

COlin Calderwood.jpg

Calderwood’s pedigree on the pitch has been replicated off it, with managerial stints at Northampton Town, Nottingham Forest and Hibernian. The defender’s also been an adept number two at Newcastle United, Birmingham City, Norwich City, Brighton and Aston Villa.

Calderwood only took the reigns at Cambridge in late December with the club embroiled in the relegation mire but managed to save them.

The ground

Name: Abbey Stadium
Capacity: 8,127
Year opened: 1932
Address: Cambridge United, The Abbey Stadium, Newmarket Road, Cambridge, CB5 8LN

After playing at several stadiums for the first twenty years of their history, Cambridge United moved into the Abbey Stadium in 1932, christening their first ever match with a victory against Cambridge University Press in a friendly.

Coincidentally, their record attendance also came in a friendly when 14,000 converged to watch the visit of Chelsea in 1970.

Despite the club enjoying deep cup runs in the late 80’s and early 90’s, as well as marginally missing out on the promise land of the Premier League in 1992, that record attendance remains intact to this day.

One to watch

Sam Smith

Striker Sam Smith joined the U's on-loan from Championship side Reading in the summer and hit the ground running .

The 21-year-old has already scored 7 goals for Cambridge, including the equaliser against the Grecians in the first round of the Emirates FA Cup

Most recent meetings

Cambridge United 1 Exeter City 1 | November 9 - Emirates FA Cup R1

A last-minute goal from Sam Smith denied Exeter a victory at The Abbey in the first round of the FA Cup away at Cambridge United on November 9.

Cambridge United 4 Exeter City 0 | October 19 - EFL Sky Bet League Two

Exeter City fell to a heavy defeat away at Cambridge United as they were beaten by four goals to nil at the Abbey Stadium.

Exeter City 1 Cambridge United 0 | January 26 - EFL Sky Bet League Two

A late winner from Nicky Law gave Exeter City all three ppints at home to an in-form Cambridge United side. Despite considerable pressure United managed to hold out until the 82nd minute when Nicky Law appeared down the left before seeing his effort take a deflection and end up in the back of the net.