Cambridge City manager Robbie Nightingale confident club is ‘building in the right direction’

Boss Robbie Nightingale believes that Saturday’s 2-1 win at Sporting Khalsa is further evidence that Cambridge City are ‘building in the right direction’.

The victory moved the Lilywhites up to 13th with 10 points from as many outings in what is shaping up to be a highly competitive Pitching In Northern League Midlands Division campaign.

Most weekends Nightingale’s men are coming up against sides with extremely healthy budgets, while City are juggling the funding of a brand new stadium with trying to be competitive out on the field.

It is a tough balancing act, but Nightingale feels that good progress is being made.

“The league is more difficult than last season,” he said. “We lost teams we were put in the league with like Histon, Soham and Wisbech and they were replaced with promoted sides with big budgets that are used to winning.

“It’s become more a northern league, it’s more competitive and there are no games where there is a big expectancy you’re going to win because everyone has top players.

“It’s challenging on two fronts because we’re setting up at Sawston and that is massive for the future of the football club.

“But with the costs it means we have to cut our cloth accordingly and work with the players we’ve got.

“We’ve shown in our two away wins what we’re capable of because not many sides are going to win at Coleshill and Khalsa this season.

“It’s something we need to start showing more of against the teams around us but it’s one defeat in six so we’re building in the right direction and we’re definitely looking up rather than down.”

City fell behind early on to a goal from Jon McKenzie at the weekend but Jake Battersby’s 40th-minute effort sent them into the break level.

The win was sealed after the break by young winger Ben Nolan, who has impressed Nightingale since arriving from lower-league Mildenhall Town in the summer.

Nightingale said: “Ben has been brilliant for us. He actually had a bit of a disrupted pre-season because he caught Covid and suffered with shin splints so we had to look after him.

“I watched Ben probably seven or eight times over the last year and so I was well aware of what he could do.

“He carries the ball brilliantly, he takes people on and he’s one of those players that excites you.

“Due to a few injuries he’s probably played more than we planned because we had thought about drip feeding him into the level but he’s done well.

“The challenge is can we add to his game? The last thing you want as a defender when you’re tired is a lad like Ben spinning, changing pace and getting at you. He can do all that and I feel he can also be someone that can get 10 to 15 goals a season as well.

“We see a lot in him and we’ll look after him because he’s got a bright future.”

City host Harborough Town on Saturday (October 15).