Cambridge City manager Jamie Cureton confident fans will enjoy watching his new-look side
There will be few – if any – clubs across the entire country that have recruited more players this summer than Cambridge City.
When former professional footballer Jamie Cureton was appointed the new Lilywhites boss in May, he had two choices: Cast an eye over the players that ended the previous campaign under former manager Robbie Nightingale, or sweep the decks and start with a ‘clean slate’.
Several factors went into the 48-year-old’s thinking, but ultimately with City having only preserved their Step 4 status last term by virtue of goal difference, he went with the latter.
As a result, the incomings have been thick and fast, with last week’s arrival of Malawi international Takondwa Maosa taking the tally of new signings well into double figures.
And while Cureton fully understands that there may well be some apprehension among the fanbase, he is confident that the new faces will soon win them over.
“I had in my head when I got the job that I wanted to get players in that knew me and how I work,” said the former Norwich City, Reading and Bristol Rovers frontman, who saw his side thrash lower-league Lakenheath 5-1 in the extra preliminary round of the FA Cup on Sunday.
“Obviously I didn’t know a lot of the players from last season, but from the outside looking in it was a tough season for them as a group. I spoke to a few people that knew the players, had plenty of conversations and ultimately it was decided to have a clean slate and start from scratch.
“It’s difficult for fans – I understand that. Some of those players will have been at the club for a long time, they’ll be good players and supporters will have their favourites. They’ll naturally be disappointed to see them go.
“But I’m confident the players that have come in will turn heads once they show what they can do. People seem pleased with what they’ve seen from them throughout pre-season.
“It’s absolutely nothing against the players that were at the club last year, we just made the decision to make a change. I trust the group we’ve got and they know how I want to do it.”
Ordinarily, the arrival of such a high number of players would lead to legitimate questions as to how long it will take for the team that takes to the pitch each weekend to become a cohesive unit.
In some senses City will be not immune from that, yet it is worth noting that most of the squad have played together before at either of Cureton’s former clubs Maldon & Tiptree or Enfield.
And as a result, Cureton is hopeful that the transition will be smoother than some anticipate.
“It will take a little bit of time but I don’t think it will be as much as normal,” he added. “I know this group and they know me – so that gives us an advantage. There are not many in the group that don’t know at least two or three of the other lads as well, which means some of the understandings you need are already there.
“I don’t think it’s going to take as long to come together as the outside world might think.
“I’m happy with where we are going into the start of the season and I’m really pleased with how the group has taken everything on board.”
After their lateral switch earlier this summer, City will play their first Pitching In Isthmian League North Division fixture since the abandoned 2020/21 campaign on Saturday (10 August) when they travel over the Essex border to face Heybridge Swifts.
Where the next few months will take the club only time will tell – and Cureton believes that the picture will become clearer after the first 10 games.
He said: “It’s a new league for the club – and a tough league as well. It’s a hard one to gauge right now.
“A lot of sides look strong from the outside and I think we do as well.
“It’s our ambition to be up there but it’s difficult to set targets. We’ll certainly be ambitious and look to win plenty of games, but I think we’ll all know a bit more after 10 games or so.”
