Cureton Aims for Turnaround at Cambridge City’s New Home

Jamie Cureton, who joined Cambridge City after a period as player-coach at Maldon & Tiptree, stated that the club bears the responsibility of providing supporters with an incentive to continue attending matches, particularly after their initial game at a new stadium. Over 1,450 spectators attended as The Lilywhites played Tilbury at the FWD/IP Community Stadium in Sawston. This event occurred slightly more than 11 years after the team departed their previous Milton Road ground within the city. The turnout surpassed that of their preceding home fixture by 1,300, yet despite scoring first, Cambridge City ultimately lost 2-1. Cureton, a former striker for Norwich City, Bristol Rovers, and Colchester United, was appointed in May, having extended his playing career into his fifth decade. Speaking to BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, he remarked, “There’s going to be plenty of games played here, plenty of wins, plenty of losses and we have to dust ourselves down and go again.” He added, “All my life in football, playing in front of big crowds was something I really enjoyed and we have to put performances in, we have to keep winning matches to keep this sort of crowd coming back.” He concluded, “It was a great occasion and we want as many fans through the door as possible.” Prior to relocating to Sawston, Cambridge City shared grounds with St Ives and Histon. This outcome positioned City, established 116 years ago, at 16th place in Isthmian League North. Nevertheless, Cureton – who netted over 350 goals during a career that commenced with Norwich in the early 1990s and included stints at Rovers, Reading, QPR, Colchester, Exeter, and Cheltenham – expresses confidence that they can overcome an 11-point deficit to qualify for the end-of-season play-offs. Their next fixture is against Waltham Abbey on Tuesday. He stated, “By next pre-season, the inside (of the stadium) should be done, which will make it even better and we have to build a team that’s ready to get out of this division.” He continued, “I don’t like losing football matches and we need to start going on a run of games and being consistent. If we can do that, if we can get through December and January, I think we have a chance of being in and around it (the play-offs).” He concluded by noting, “Everyone beats everyone, maybe Bury (Town) will potentially run away with it, they seem to be the in-form team, and the other four spots are up for grabs. “We just have to make sure we can put ourselves in contention at the back end of the season.”