Cambridge United striker Gassan Ahadme wins Love Cambridge Player of the Month award for March

He may have featured for just 44 minutes across the entirety of March, but that was enough for Gassan Ahadme to win the latest Love Cambridge Player of the Month award.

On the one hand, the fact that a player who made only two appearances off the bench has been able to scoop the accolade which is voted for by supporters highlights how testing a period it was for Cambridge United.

The U’s lost without scoring to Bolton Wanderers, Lincoln City and Reading – conceding 12 goals along the way – while head coach Garry Monk’s first game at the helm against Northampton Town ended in a 1-1 draw.

Yet March concluded with a somewhat surprising 2-0 victory on the road at Barnsley, during which a fit-again Ahadme scored a perfectly-placed header to double United’s advantage at a crucial stage in proceedings. And while it did not technically count towards this award, Ahadme’s brace in the 3-1 win over Wigan Athletic 72 hours after his Barnsley exploits on 1 April will have undoubtedly been fresh in the minds of the fanbase when the March voting opened.

Those three goals certainly helped to ease relegation worries and showed everyone what United have been missing during the Ipswich Town loanee’s three months on the sidelines with a foot injury.

It is, of course, a two-way street. The hope is that Ahadme will continue to add to his 12-goal haul between now and the end of the season to help ensure that United are playing Sky Bet League One football next term, while at the same time the club has provided the Barcelona-born frontman with a much-needed platform.

The 23-year-old has struggled to lay down roots since arriving in England with Norwich City in 2020. He had never previously made more than 14 appearances in a season during spells with the Canaries, Portsmouth, Burton Albion and his parent club Ipswich.

Ahadme, who picked up his prize from the Fitzwilliam Museum earlier this week, said: “I needed it. I’ve been unlucky in the past and had seasons where I’m playing well and feeling confident in myself, but for injuries and other little things, it hasn’t happened for me.

“This season was really important to get a lot of minutes – that’s why I came to Cambridge. I knew that with minutes and games, goals would come.

“It’s important to have this season, even though I’ve had injuries here as well.

“I was in a really, really good streak when that injury came (in December), but I stayed focused and tried to improve what I was doing.

“Every game I play, like I’ve done in all the games, I’ll do as much as I can to score as many goals as possible.”

As a devout Muslim, Ahadme’s recent run of eye-catching performances have been all the more impressive given that he has been observing Ramadan.

Being required to fast from all food and drink for a month between sunrise and sunset has made it tough at times, particularly for a centre-forward that relies heavily on his physical attributes.

“Ramadan is a beautiful time. I really like it because it’s a month where you get clean, especially spiritually in your own mind,” he added.

“That doesn’t mean that it isn’t hard when you have to play and train because you struggle with the intensity, but it’s part of the game and part of my life.

“And it’s not only me, all my Muslim brothers are doing the same.

“I try to prepare myself the best I can. I have a really good routine, the things I have to eat and when I have to do it to make sure I can keep performing.”

There is a saying in football that encourages supporters not to fall in love with loan players – they are, after all, not yours.

But there is no doubt that the United faithful has grown rather fond of Ahadme, who will still have one year remaining on his contract at Ipswich – with the option of a 12-month extension – come the end of the campaign.

His future is currently unknown, but one thing is for sure, there are likely to be plenty of suitors chasing his signature should Ipswich decide to sell.

“I don’t pay any attention or put any energy into thinking about what is going to happen next season,” he said.

“I’ll still be an Ipswich player next season so we’ll see what happens in the summer.

“We’ll see how I finish the season and (take it from there). All I’m thinking about is the next games for Cambridge.”

What I like about Cambridge

What are your favourite things to do and visit in Cambridge?

GA: “I’ve been a couple of times to the city centre. It’s a really nice place to be. I’ve been to the Grand Arcade, I like it there.

“The place I spend the most time is David Lloyd. I train and recover there, so I’m there most days.”

What does it mean to win an award that is voted on by the club’s supporters?

GA: “It makes me feel really good to win the award. It was a tough month for the club, but the last few games have been good.

“It’s great to be back playing and to be able to make an impact. It’s a good feeling.”

Cambridge United has teamed up with Cambridge BID to give supporters the chance to vote for their Love Cambridge Player of the Month, supported by the Cambridge Independent. Sponsors Love Cambridge is part of Cambridge BID, a collaboration of 1,200 businesses working together to promote and improve the city of Cambridge.