Cambridge United boss Mark Bonner is expecting Sky Bet League One relegation places to ‘chop and change’

Cambridge United head coach Mark Bonner is expecting plenty of movement in and out of the Sky Bet League One relegation places over the next few weeks.

With their home clash against Morecambe postponed last weekend due to structural damage at the Abbey Stadium, results elsewhere saw United drop into the bottom four for the first time since they were promoted to the third tier of English football at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.

However, with plenty more points left to play for between now and the end of the season, Bonner is not getting fixated on his side’s current position.

“I don’t really get wrapped up in the drama of that,” he said. “It’s taken 60-something games for us to be in the bottom four in this league when everyone said we’d never get out of it from day one, so I guess it’s a good reflection of where we’ve been.

“At the same time we don’t want to be there but I don’t think it matters so much now – in 21 games it does.

“When you look at the bottom eight teams in the league at the moment – it’s like a few other leagues and the Premier League – it’s so condensed down there.

“I’m pretty sure over the next six to eight weeks those positions are going to chop and change every single weekend. If you start getting obsessed by are we above the line, below the line, 17th, 18th, 20th or 21st it will drive you crazy.

“The challenge doesn’t change at all. We’ve got to win more games, we’ve got to get more points and have a target of what we’re aiming for and that’s where we’ve got to get to 21 games. It’s not so much about where we are now and more about where we are going to get to.

“There is nothing we can do about that other than influence our own performances on the pitch. Of course other teams’ results will play a part in what happens, but fundamentally it will be us that drives that.

“And while it’s the opposite end of the table to our promotion year, the fear is exactly the same. Whether we were fourth, fifth, sixth or third at any point everyone overreacts to it but it doesn’t really matter. It’s the result that matters at the end.”

The U’s head to Shrewsbury Town on Saturday looking to record their first win since they defeated Steve Cotterill’s men in the reverse fixture on Boxing Day.

And Bonner is hopeful that the quick turnaround will help his players to be extra prepared for the challenge that lies ahead at New Meadow.

“Having waited so long to play a team we’re now playing them quite quickly again,” he added.

“Neither team has changed too much in the last couple of weeks and both have had similar runs of form since.

“We’ve got them fairly fresh in our mind of what to expect and I went to watch their game at Burton on Saturday (4-0 win) to see where they were and other than Killian Phillips, the young lad from Crystal Palace they’ve signed in attacking midfield, they’re pretty much the same as when we played them previously.

“That helps because we can remind the players a little bit of that and what went well for us on the day and where we need to do better.

“They’ll be buoyed by their result last week for sure, a 4-0 away win is an excellent one, but we’re well prepared going into the game and looking forward to it.

“Hopefully we can put together a really good performance, knowing that when we go through the video work, I think the players will be able to remember that game quite quickly.

“One because we obviously won the game and got a positive result, but also because it’s fresh enough in the mind that you can have a reminder of what the opposition look like.”

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