Cambridge finish the campaign once again sitting in mid-table and having no impact at all in the race for promotion. It has become the norm for this big club to struggle to match its appeal and size to the performances on the pitch in recent seasons and it is difficult to see it changing given the lack of investment in the squad. Jez George stayed on as manager after a relatively successful previous season and he was aiming for greater heights in pre-season. The signing of Tom Elliott up front was an exciting one but the lack of new additions in midfield meant that the U's did not have the flying start they were hoping for. They may have started the season unbeaten in the first four games but soon went nine games without a win and siting in the lower regions of the table. They were served up some humiliating beatings during this horrid few weeks as Wrexham and Kidderminster beat them on their ground comprehensively. George admitted that he may have to consider his position as a result and indeed the experienced Richard Money took over as his replacement in early October. He was off to a flyer as Mansfield were thrashed 4:1 but the honeymoon period was soon over as it became clear that this is a team lacking in genuinely good players for this level. They remained prone to shockers at the back as Newport County scored six goals past them in November. However, that loss prompted Money to change the way his team defend and overall play when under pressure and the results were superb. The U's did not lose a league game again until mid-January, claiming six wins out of the next nine games. Michael Gash was superb up front while the general momentum in the team was encouraging. That run prompted a talk of a play-off challenge but any such hopes were ended rather prematurely in early February when Cambridge suffered four defeats in a row. Injuries to key personnel and the overall lack of desire and hunger in the team proved the reason for that dispiriting sequence. With the incentive of a play-off spot gone, the club decided to off-loaded Gash to promotion-chasing Kidderminster and the rest of the season was basically an exercise in squad-building for the next season. The players showed some good displays but Money was keen to experiment and he is fully adamant that the U's are capable of having a better campaign next year even though the fans will take some persuasion to really buy into that.
