Colchester United Player of the Year Chris Fry has reportedly had talks with Cambridge United about a potential transfer. Fry is claiming a free transfer as the new contract on offer by Colchester is worth less than his current deal. However, the Coluweb webmaster suggests that Fry will probably favour a move to Exeter City as both he and his wife's family are in that area. Fry is equally comfortable at right back and on the wing and other clubs reported to be interested in Fry are Torquay and Brighton. Colchester manager Steve Wignall has said that if things don't work out Fry will be welcomed back.

Danny Granville earned his second England Under-21 cap tonight in the 1-1 draw against Poland.

Danny Granville

Teletext reports that Danny Granville is set for his first England Under-21 start in Poland tomorrow. England Under-21 boss Peter Taylor believes the former Cambridge United defender is destined for success and the youngster can prove it in tomorrow's clash in Katowice.

"As long as he keeps his feet on the floor I'm sure he will have a great future" said Taylor.

Granville made his Under-21 debut when he came on at half-time against Georgia last month, and made a great impression with the likes of Taylor and Ray Wilkins.

Still on a high ten weeks after his move to FA Cup winners Chelsea and five Premiership appearances, Danny admits that his life has been a whirl: "It's all been a bit of a surprise, and probably more than I could've hoped for. I hadn't signed a new contract at Cambridge because I heard there was some interest and when Chelsea came in there was no way I was going to jeopardise the chance of moving there and being part of what is going on."

He adds: "I couldn't believe it the first day I went for training at Chelsea. I looked round the dressing room and there were so many stars there, so many class players. But they've made me feel at home, and Ruud Gullit wished me all the best for the under-21s as well. I'll be really proud if I can start for the first time tomorrow."

Gullit has taken pains to praise Granville since introducing him to the Premiership, even though he has signed Nigerian Celestine Babayaro, another natural left-sided wing-back. Granville is not unhappy, except for one thing: "I was disappointed because I was Cup-tied when I joined the club, so I missed Wembley. But there's always next year, and that's how we're thinking as a club. Signing the quality of players we have already this summer has got to be good for the club. It means there's more competition, but with Europe as well we'll have even more games and that means we'll need a big squad."

Taylor also rates Granville highly. "Danny's got a lot of talent and he can only improve from being at a club like Chelsea," said the England Under-21 coach.

The short-term is on Granville's mind now, after the goalless draw with the Georgians. He says. "We've got to get a result out there, and we all know that. But I can't see why we shouldn't. We've had a few injuries, and lost a few players, but the spirit has been really good in the last three days and we're going out full of confidence."

The divisional promotion play-offs were settled over the weekend with Northampton Town, Crewe Alexandra and Crystal Palace the victorious teams. Northampton's triumph is all the more galling for U's as, apart from being local rivals, they failed to beat us this season! Where they did better than United was in getting their form and momentum right at the end of the season and making an irresistible late run up the table.

Roy McFarland freely admits that he was against the play-off system when it was first introduced, believing that the teams that finished in the top places in the table were the ones entitled to promotion. Nowadays however he has a different perspective.

"I'm for them. Like the majority of managers I was against them at first, but it does keep the season going for longer. It does become a bit of a lottery but the added bonus is the final at Wembley."

McFarland will be awaiting the results of further talks with the six players whose contracts are due to expire - Matt Joseph, Jody Craddock, Micah Hyde, Paul Raynor, Tony Richards and Scott Barrett - before he can start to reshape the squad. If any of the first three move on it should bring in substantial fees and with the bank overdraft at its lowest for some time another cash injection may - just may - result in some funds being available to the manager. After six months at the helm he will know the type of player he wants to bring in and will be looking for experienced recruits for another assault on the promotion slopes next season.

Voting closed yesterday in the U's Net End of Season poll and the results of the "Player of the Season", "Best Game" and "Worst Game" votes can be seen in The Fans section, where the Polls page gives results of all U's Net polls to date. Thanks for your votes.

BBC Radio Cambridgeshire reported this evening that Roy McFarland is visiting Denmark on a scouting trip, and they confirmed that talks with the six soon-to-be out of contract players are on-going.

Randall Butt, football correspondent for the Cambridge Evening News, was named runner-up in the Sports Journalist of the Year section of the prestigious BT national awards for regional press and broadcasters for 1996.

Peterboring's Soham-based goalkeeper Jon Sheffield could be offered a route back to the Abbey Stadium this summer. The experienced ex-United man could be a target for Roy McFarland when he starts to rebuild the side after next month's anticipated departures. The Cambridge Evening News reports that the P*sh currently have three senior 'keepers and the 28-year-old could be on the move from London Road as Barry Fry trims the size of his squad.

Sheff made the £100,000 move from the Abbey Stadium two years ago, when he could not agree terms with United, but after being an ever-present for Posh in his first season, he lost his place midway through the last campaign.

His replacement at United, Scott Barrett, is refusing to renew a contract which runs out next month, and is widely expected to join up again with his former boss Tommy Taylor at Leyton Orient.

Roy McFarland is playing his cards close to his chest, as can be expected, but he said, "Jonathan Sheffield is a player we would be interested in if he was available, but I think it's only fair to say all the stories about him being on the move seem to be speculation at the moment."

The manager held talks this week with Barrett and the five other players whose contracts run out at the end of June. He has said previously that he did not expect to change any of their minds, but at the Player of the Season Dance earlier this month he indicated that two or three of them may decide to stay after all. We will probably not learn any more for a few weeks as the contracts do not expire until the end of next month.

News service Teamtalk report that Coventry manager Gordon Strachan has released half a dozen reserve team players and pin-pointed three new signings from the lower divisions, including United captain Micah Hyde. They also comment that Micah is a known target for Chelsea so it appears the 22-year-old midfielder could have his pick of two Premiership clubs this summer.

Teamtalk did not mention defender Matt Joseph but there are strong rumours that City are also interested in our Player of the Season. Both players will be out of contract at the end of next month unless Roy McFarland can persude them to accept new deals.

Former star Danny Granville watched his new Chelsea teammates win the F.A. Cup on Saturday and has now departed for the Far East on the Blues' end of season tour. As reported here yesterday, the deal which took him to Stamford Bridge in March has yielded a further £25,000 to United's coffers, as the cup win sees the London club qualify for the European Cup Winners' Cup.

Club secretary Steve Greenall said: "I should think we were all cheering Chelsea on at United. It was agreed we would get the money if Chelsea got into Europe. At the time we thought they might get into the UEFA Cup by finishing high enough in the Premiership."

It is not known if Roy McFarland will be given any of the money to help with his team rebuilding.

Roy McFarland has expressed his disappointment at not being able to hold onto Danny Granville and build on this season's team. Danny moved on to Premiership club Chelsea in March in a deal worth an initial £300,000, rising to £500,000 on appearances.

"I thought at the time it was touch and go between the back three and at that time Danny was just about heading it," McFarland told the Abbey Update.

Granville has gone on to record several first team appearances for Chelsea and won his first England Under-21 cap last month against Georgia. Echoing the thoughts of many supporters the manager commented, "It was disappointing that Danny was not called up while he was here.

"Matt Joseph and Jody Craddock played their part in that back three, but it was a good move for Danny and good financially for the club. I'm just sad we couldn't build on the team."

McFarland will have his work cut out this summer to prepare a squad for next season, as with six players as yet uncommitted to the club for next season he will not know which positions he needs to fill until next month. He will then have just four weeks to bring in replacements before the players return for pre-season training. Hopefully Scunthorpe left back Paul Wilson will secure a free transfer and agree terms to make a permanent move to United after a successful loan spell.

Looking back on his first season in Division Three, the former Derby and Bolton boss said he thought the standard was quite good and he was not surprised at the teams who won automatic promotion.

"The top three were the strongest and most skillful teams, and they also had the most money to spend," he pointed out. "Possibly all teams in the top seven had more experience than we did. The experience will have helped them," he added, giving a clear indication of his priority for the summer signings.

United's bank balance will shortly benefit to the tune of £25,000, thanks to Roberto di Matteo and Eddie Newton. Their goals secured the F.A. Cup for Chelsea on Saturday and along with it a place in the European Cup Winners Cup next season. One of the clauses in Danny Granville's transfer triggered an extra payment if Chelsea qualified for European competition in the next three seasons.

Graham Taylor has resumed control of team affairs at Watford and immediately granted free transfers to six players, including Colin Foster. The towering centre-half became an instant favourite among Cambridge United supporters during his recent loan spell and was voted U's Net Player of Month for April. He missed the final game of the season after returning to Watford with an injury suffered against Rochdale.

The former Nottingham Forest and West Ham defender is sure to attract interest from Division Two and Three clubs after his dominant displays for Cambridge, but his expectations over terms could be a barrier to any permanent move to the Abbey.

Defender Matt Joseph was voted Player of the Year by the supporters and received the award last night at the Supporters Club event, just a week after the Cambridge Evening News also named him as their Player of the Year. The awards cap a fine season for Matty in which he was only denied an ever-present record by the groin injury that forced him out of the final two games.

In his speech Roy McFarland said he believes that up to three players of the six whose contracts expire shortly will re-sign, and he announced that he is in negotiations with a "well-known" striker. This sort of optimistic news is just what the supporters need to hear after an ultimately disappointing season, and if the manager can persuade one or two of the highly-rated players to stay and bring in an effective goal-scorer we can enjoy the summer!

Former United star Danny Granville was included in the England Under-21 squad named yesterday for the European Championship qualifier in Poland on May 30. Danny, who currently just leads the voting for the "U's Net" Player of the Season, made an impressive half-time international debut last month against Georgia, just six weeks after leaving the Abbey Stadium for Chelsea.

The first legs of the Play-off semi-finals take place tomorrow, with the second legs on Wednesday night. Cardiff City face Northampton Town and Chester entertain Swansea City ... just for those of you who care in the slightest!

The 72 League club chairman met today in London to consider the the proposals to regionalise Division Three. The overwhelming opinion was against the proposals and they have been scrapped.

League chairman David Sheepshanks said this evening, "We will not be proceeding with regionalisation plans. People did not feel there would be a significant improvement to income in the way that Deloitte and Touche have presented it." The Ipswich Town chairman added, "They were very sceptical and there was a lot of concern about it. I want to make it clear that today was a day for debate and discussion and not a day for railroading anything through."

Manager Roy McFarland faces his own "Mission Impossible" between now and the end of next month. Six players will be out of contract at the end of June and the manager will have talks with them over the next fortnight, but he admits he has no real hope of persuading any of them to extend their contracts.

The players in question are Matt Joseph, Jody Craddock, captain Micah Hyde, Paul Raynor, Scott Barrett and Tony Richards, and they have all so far turned down the terms on offer. It could be that the players were biding their time until they knew which division Cambridge United would be playing in next season, but McFarland is not expecting any early answers.

"I should think they will choose to keep their options open at this stage," said McFarland. "That's what usually happens with players who do not agree new contracts before the end of the season. I'll be talking to them to get some idea of their intentions, but in cases like this you might not know what has happened to a player until the club is contacted by the League about a tribunal."

United will still obtain transfer fees if the players move on, either by agreement with their new clubs or a fee will be set by a League tribunal if there is deadlock over a valuation.

Hyde, Craddock and Joseph are ambitious to play at a higher level in the League and United's failure to win promotion this season has probably rubber-stamped their departures. Craddock and Hyde have both been watched by Premiership clubs this season, while Barrett, Richards and Raynor have all been linked with former manager Tommy Taylor at Leyton Orient.

Defenders Colin Vowden and Lee Palmer, and midfielder Lenny Pack were told they would be released on free transfers in February, although Vowden featured twice in the first team since then and may have hoped for a reprieve. Pack's season was curtailed by a hernia operation but United will continue to help him medically, despite cancelling his contract.

Left-back Paul Wilson, who spent the last six weeks of the season at the Abbey on loan from Scunthorpe, is hopeful of securing a permanent move. He wants to move closer to his family home in Northampton and put in some impressive displays, looking a natural replacement for Danny Granville. 28-year-old Wilson has also made a good impression with the supporters and was runner-up in the "U's Net" Player of the Month poll for April. Poll winner Colin Foster made an early return to Watford after picking up an injury at Rochdale, and his First Division-level wages are likely to prevent any permanent transfer.

Tomorrow night sees the Supporters' Club Player of the Year event in the marquee at the Abbey Stadium, and it could well be the last chance for the supporters to see some of their favourites.

In common with many of his Division Three counterparts, Chairman Reg Smart has said he has yet to be convinced of the merits of regionalising the division. All 72 League chairmen meet tomorrow to discuss the proposals.

At half-time on Saturday Shaun Marshall received the Young Player of the Season award (picture below).

The award was voted for by the young players themselves and caps a fine season for Shaun in which he made his first League appearance and caught the eye of other clubs, including Arsenal.

The announcement that the Football League are considering plans to restructure Division Three has caused heated debate among supporters of the clubs and speculation about the long-term effects. The plans have been drawn up by consultants Deloitte Touche, who were commissioned by the League in January to look into the working and structure of the competition.

The proposal is for the re-introduction of Third Division North and Third Division South. Sixteen new teams would join from the Vauxhall Conference, expanding the League to 88 clubs. and producing four divisions of 22 clubs. Early signs from the clubs indicate that many see this as the way ahead but others have pointed out that with crowds up for the 11th season in succession throughout the League, there is no point in making sweeping changes.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph Cambridge United secretary Steve Greenall said: "There are a lot of arguments from a financial point of view but would it be a north-south split or should it be east-west? There is little doubt that a game between Cambridge and Stevenage would enjoy big crowds home and away, rather than a game between ourselves and Hartlepool, so we would welcome any debate on the idea."

To the C.E.N. he added, "It's easy to see some of the benefits. It would make more sense for Cambridge United to be playing Stevenage and Kettering, rather than Hartlepool and Rochdale. You would get more derby matches, better crowds, and cut down on travelling costs. But is is only a discussion document at this stage. And you would have to consider the effect on the quality of the League."

Of our near neighbours, Lincoln chairman John Reames said: "I can't believe the clubs from the Third Division would support this proposal. It does not make sense either in footballing or economic terms."

Colchester's Gordon Parker added: "If restructuring is based on a north-south divide I don't know if it would make that much difference to us. And would it mean the League would have to lower its standards on ground specifications?"

Alan Mullery, director of football at Barnet, issued a stark warning to those who doubt the need for change. "Something has to be done because the financial situation of most clubs at our level is absolutely diabolical. If the domestic transfer system collapses in the Bosman way, clubs will have to go part-time or die. We struggle like mad just to exist. It's like the Premier League in Division Three, in that the top five or so have all the money. If this move will be beneficial financially, I would have to be in favour."

58 of the 72 League clubs are believed to be operating at a loss and League chairman David Sheepshanks wants to see the League on a more commercial footing.

BBC Ceefax reported yesterday:

It was clarified today that any changes in the divisional structure would not take effect until the 1998-99 season, so Hereford will have to spend at least one season in the Conference.

United chairman Reg Smart and the 71 other League club chairmen will discuss the proposal on Thursday.

This was the match that neatly summed up the story of our season: good, neat approach work but a distinct lack of threat where it really mattered and although we deserved a point we finished empty-handed.

Roy McFarland made several changes to the starting line-up today, with Marc Joseph replacing the injured Colin Foster in defence, and Colin Vowden replacing Ian Ashbee in Matt Joseph's number 2 shirt. Paul Wilson and Micah Hyde returned from suspensions and Trevor Benjamin, who has been in fine form for the reserves, was preferred to John Taylor up front.

More than 4,000 visiting supporters came to celebrate promotion and a possible championship and they created a hostile atmosphere right from when the players were warming up. They out-numbered and out-sang the home support and the U's made a nervous start, taking a while to settle. After a few tame early half-chances Fulham capitalised on on a defensive mistake which left Scott Barrett stranded on the edge of his area as Darren Freeman slipped by to tuck home the simplest of chances after 14 minutes. Cue triumphant chanting from the South Terrace, the packed Habbin and even one central area of the Main Stand, much to the annoyance of the locals.

Michael Kyd's excellent curling shot a few minutes later forced a one-handed save from Mark Walton.

In such an atmosphere and with some lax refereeing by Mr Heilbron it was no surprise that the match quickly degenerated into a bad-tempered affair and Paul Wilson's two-footed tackle sparked a mass brawl in front of the benches on the half-hour. Quite why Raynor and Craddock were the only two penalised at that stage is anyone's guess as Fulham were by far the more physical side.

Both teams were pushing up and squeezing play into the central third making for a sterile first half. Fulham's main threat came from a ball over the top of our defence, precisely the tactic that led to the goal, while United tried to play the ball through the middle but ran into a mass of Fulham bodies. Michael Kyd's running and pace provided a threat but Trevor Benjamin was closely marked and was beaten to most headers by his markers, although he made his presence felt and turned well on the edge of the area to fire over. Paul Raynor saw his free-kick skim the bar.

We came out after the break looking much more purposeful and dominated the play as Fulham were clearly content to sit back and rely on the occasional break from defence. Paul Wanless and Billy Beall battled and ran tirelessly in the heat, and Paul Raynor, Michael Kyd, Micah Hyde and Jody Craddock all had chances but were either high or wide of the target. 20 minutes from time Kyd and Benjamin were taken off for the fresh legs of John Taylor and Jamie Barnwell and Barnwell scooped a shot from the edge of the area only to see it go over the bar.

At the final whistle some Fulham fans jumped on to the pitch to celebrate and the impending promotion celebration confined the United player's 'lap of honour' to two corners of the ground. They applauded the North Terrace and the Main Stand before slipping almost unnoticed from their own pitch while the visitors took over.

In the story of our season, once again we had dominated a game for long periods without finding the killer touch and a striker is undoubtedly at the top of Roy McFarland's summer shopping list. Fulham were denied the third division championship by Wigan's win against Mansfield, and Swansea, Northampton, Cardiff and Chester will contest the play-offs.

Cambridge Utd: Barrett, Vowden, Wilson, Beall, Craddock, Raynor, Wanless, Hyde, Benjamin (Taylor 70), Kyd (Barnwell 70), Joseph.
Sub not used: Ashbee.
Booked: Raynor 17 (foul), Craddock 17 (ungentlemanly conduct?), Benjamin 34 (foul), Kyd 61 (dissent), Wanless 75 (foul).
Referee: T Heilbron (Newton Aycliffe).

Colin Foster will not feature in tomorrow's final game of the season due to an injury which forced him to miss the second half of last weekend's game at Rochdale. He has returned to Watford but U's fans will be hoping he can be persuaded to return on a permanent basis after some composed and impressive displays during his loan spell. His half-time replacement last week, Marc Joseph, is standing by for only his sixth start of the campaign.

Matt Joseph, the Cambridge Evening News player of the season, lost his ever-present record last weekend through a groin strain and is very doubtful for tomorrow's game when championship-chasing Fulham are the visitors. Micah Hyde, Jamie Barnwell and on-loan Paul Wilson are all eligible after completing suspensions last weekend.

Saturday's game at the Abbey Stadium is all-ticket and there are a few tickets remaining, but you are advised to contact the club for availability and not to arrive without one.

Roy McFarland has admitted that his players have nothing but pride to play for when championship-chasing Fulham and a legion of their fans are the visitors on Saturday.

"We played for pride in the second half against Rochdale and gained a little back. We're playing for pride against Fulham and we owe it to the fans who were there to show something. It's an important game for us as we want to finish as high as we can. It's an important game for Fulham with the championship to play for."

There will be a bumper gate at the Abbey with Fulham supporters being allocated the Habbin Stand, and McFarland hopes the locals will come along to support United in the final game of the season.

He also spoke to the Abbey Update about the players who will be out of contract in the summer, and gave the clearest indication yet that we can expect to see our brighter stars move on.

"The contract situation has been well documented. Sadly we will possibly lose one or two of our better young players and that's a shame. It will probably continue as there are all sorts of rulings likely to come in over the next few seasons."

Micah Hyde has been linked to Chelsea this week and Coventry City are keeping close tabs on him too. Jody Craddock has attracted interest all season with Crystal Palace the latest club rumoured to be watching him. Of the other players out of contract. Matt Joseph is also likely to have caught the eye this season, while Paul Raynor, Scott Barrett and Tony Richards are currently keeping their options open.

Looking ahead to Saturday, McFarland said, "Fulham are unknown territory for me. We've had them watched several times and they are a very good team. I hope we are doing next season what they have done this season, and if we can't get one of the automatic places then that means qualifying for the play-offs. Hopefully we can build on this season and get out of this division."