Andrew Stephen’s Hot Off The Habbin article in the match programme for the CUFC v Barrow AFC match on 25th April 2026.
“Courage is grace under pressure.”
Ernest Hemingway
The last home game of an eventful season has come round incredibly quickly and, as Neil Harris would undoubtedly say, we would have cheerfully accepted this position before the season started. Irrespective of how we got on against Grimsby Town and today’s result, the transformation since last season has been astounding. We have seen a radical change in culture, great togetherness and fantastic support from the fans. This is a team which is so easy to identify with, quick, skilful and entertaining. Any team with Knight, Mayor, KaiKai and Brophy in it is going to be easy on the eye and frighten defences. We’ve had a few disappointing results but now we’re down to the wire, everyone needs to be at their best. We have a mean defence and quality and experience in midfield. We could grumble about the absence of Lavery and Kouassi but, compared with last season, we’ve had a pretty good squad to choose from. It’s possible that today could see us promoted and I think we would deserve that. Bromley have done really well this season but I think it’s clear that we are by far the best footballing side.
It’s been quite a different season for the Bluebirds, tucked away in relative obscurity on the Cumbrian coast. Things have not gone well for them and former player Sam Foley is their fifth manager this season. That tells its own story really. They’ve had some well-known managers in the past, including Brian Kidd and Ron Yeats and they are a club with pedigree too. In 1958 they were a founder member of Division Four and spent time in Division Three for a while. They were actually top for 24 hours! They featured in the Football Results long before we did. In 1972, following a few lean years, they were voted out of the Football League and struggled for many years before eventually being promoted ,as Champions, back to the Football League six years ago. Their form has been up and down since then but their form has been pretty miserable this season. They are winless in their last ten away games and playing a team which hasn’t been defeated very often. We have won six of our last seven games against them and drawn the other. The bookies, if nobody else, would have this down as a straightforward home win.
We know that football is not like this though. If it were, it wouldn’t be worth some of us turning up for a lot of games. There is so much to play for today. Any two from Harrogate, Crawley, Tranmere, Newport or Barrow could go down. Barrow play Newport next week so they will be playing for their lives today and fighting for every ball. I’m sure that we will match that as we try to put last season’s nightmare to bed. Each game now is a test of character and skill. Fortunately we have more resolve and experience in the team than this time last year and I would expect Mpanzu and Korey Smith to exercise a telling influence. It would be great to see Ben Knight’s finishing reach the same standard as the rest of his game. The support will be deafening. The ground will be buzzing. The Habbin expects!
Andrew Stephen