Book review: Season That Nearly Was, by Andrew Stephen

The Season That Nearly Was, by Andrew Stephen; published by Hickathrift Press; price: £17.99 (£15 at club shop)

Chronicling a relegation season isn’t easy, but writer and poet Andrew Stephen still gets to the heart of what following Cambridge United is all about.

An avid fan of the U’s for half a century, he covers the ups and down – mainly downs – of the 2024-25 season in all their glory.

There are pre-match articles and match reports (not blow-by-blow), some written by his brother Richard, to take us through the season step by step. The optimism of the summer and how the U’s would fare soon fades away to bleaker fortunes, but the fans’ backing remains.

However, the book – despite the name – includes a lot more than a run through of one campaign’s matches and this is what gives it that extra sparkle.

There’s an excellent foreword by Cambridge United co-owner Mark Green before the author tells us about his early football watching days and visiting the Abbey Stadium with his grandmother.

“Now, as then, the sight of the Abbey bathed in the glow of the floodlights was magical,” he says.

Stephen takes us on a quickfire journey through his Cambridge United-supporting days, including that superb win at Newcastle in the FA Cup in 2022. After the season’s tales are over, there’s a chapter on 25 years of Cambridge Fans United and their efforts to help keep the club alive, and another on the club’s importance to the surrounding community.

Cleverly, Stephen has also asked other U’s fans to share their stories about following the club in another chapter and that makes for riveting reading. Throw in a piece on his ten favourite United games as well and there’s plenty to enjoy.

The book gets to the heart of what following a lower league club is all about and covers the past as well as the present.

Like many a loyal fan, he says: “There’s no team like ours – and there never will be!”.

John Lyons

Rating: 7/10