WEMBLEY fever has gripped Cambridge as United prepare for this weekend s playoff showdown with Exeter City. After three years in the Blue Square Premier, United will return to the league if they beat the Grecians in Sunday s season finale at the national

WEMBLEY fever has gripped Cambridge as United prepare for this weekend's playoff showdown with Exeter City.

After three years in the Blue Square Premier, United will return to the league if they beat the Grecians in Sunday's season finale at the national stadium.

The club has been allocated 21,000 tickets, and more than17,000 have already been snapped up as U's fans from far and wide congregate for what is one of the biggest matches in the club's history.

United have only played at Wembley once before, in 1990.

On that occasion, Dion Dublin scored the only goal as John Beck's charges beat Chesterfield 1-0 in the fourth division play off final.

Jimmy Quinn will be hoping for a similar result this time around, and is backing his experienced players to stand up and be counted.

He said: "We've got a lot experience in our team, and if my experienced players have a good game we won't be too far away.

"I've done my homework and got players in who have been there and experienced it, and this may be a last opportunity for some of them to play in a Wembley final.

"So we really do need to go out, enjoy it, and make sure that we've got something to hold on to."

Exeter, who beat rivals Torquay 5-3 on aggregate to reach the final, are the only top-five team United failed to beat during the regular season, and Quinn is keeping his cards close to his chest with regards to team selection.

His biggest dilemma is probably who starts up front, with Lee McEvilly, Lee Boylan, Mark Beesley, Magno Vieira, and the evergreen Leo Fortune-West at his disposal.