Cambridge United working hard to come through ‘dodgy spell’ in Sky Bet League One

Cambridge United head coach Mark Bonner is refusing to get ‘wrapped up’ in his side’s recent run of negative form.

After winning five of their opening 10 Sky Bet League One games, the U’s are now on a run of having lost five of their previous six outings.

However, while Bonner spoke of the anger that followed last weekend’s 2-1 defeat at a then fourth-from-bottom Bristol Rovers, some of the other losses have been inflicted by the likes of Ipswich Town, Derby County and Barnsley – all teams that are expected to be there or thereabouts come the end of the season.

And with that in mind Bonner has stressed that there is no ‘panic’ from within the group regarding their current ‘dodgy spell’.

“It’s disappointing because nobody wants to lose but it’s just what happens,” he said ahead of Saturday’s home clash against another of the division's big clubs – Sheffield Wednesday.

“It’s a consequence of playing in a brilliant league against brilliant teams and having a bit of a spell where we haven’t been able to quite get the performances or the results.

“The big dramatic headline is what it is in terms of points but in the end it doesn’t matter. The total number of wins after 46 games is what matters.

“It’s one week of a season. It’s a bad week but crack on, we’ve got another 33 games to play. If you want to get wrapped up and expend all your energy on what’s happened (then) fine, but that won’t help in what’s coming next.

“There is no time for disappointment, there is no time for frustration – there is only time for controlling the next bit. And sometimes it can turn really quickly and sometimes it can get worse before it gets better, but we’re not ones to panic really.

“We know we’ve not turned some performances into results we could have got, but we also know that when we’re at our best we’re good and so we’ve got to put all our energy into being at our best as best we can and crack on with it.

“If this is the first time in two-and-a-half years that people are worried that we’ve had a few dodgy results I wouldn’t worry about having a dodgy spell, I would absolutely praise the Lord that we’ve had such an unbelievable spell. And if you think that lasts forever you’re just crazy. I’ve been a Cambridge fan for long enough to know that’s not how it works and I think football fans know that as well.

“In the main we just get on with it and know that things turn and the only way they turn is if you work towards making it turn.”