It has been a season to forget, for Magnus Okuonghae, and he is not looking forward to enduring another torturous afternoon of watching his team-mates try to retain the club’s League One status for another year.

Okuonghae, who confesses to being a “bad watcher” of games, has been forced to take a back seat for virtually the whole of this campaign, after rupturing an Achilles tendon during the closing minutes of the 1-0 home defeat to Coventry on November 22.

The U’s club skipper had featured in the first 11 games of the season, during which he was sent off twice (at Charlton in the League Cup, and at Leyton Orient in the league).

His luck then took another turn for the worse, against the Sky Blues, which ended his season – he is only now just starting to jog again.

“It has been a hard last few months, and it’s been a tough season for the club,” admitted Okuonghae, in the build-up to today’s game (12.15pm kick-off).

“It’s made for tough viewing. I haven’t been able to play a part in it, and I’m not very good at just watching from the stands.

“We’ve been in similar positions for the two previous seasons, but it’s different when you are fit and can play a part of it. It’s been more stressful this time, not being able to help, but I’m just happy that the boys have got themselves in the situation where they can still do it. And they will be giving it everything.

“If we are honest, people had probably completely written us off, staying up, several weeks ago, before the Easter weekend when we managed to get two brilliant results (2-1 win at Port Vale on Good Friday, followed by a 3-1 home victory over Barnsley on Easter Monday).

“The boys have done extremely well since then. They have really stepped it up, and it’s a credit to them to be in this position now.

“I didn’t travel to Fleetwood (last Saturday), obviously, and at one point (2-1 down) I just put my phone to one side because I thought we were down.

“You could lay blame and say that we shouldn’t have got ourselves in this position, but four teams have to go down every season, and if you get out of it, that’s an achievement in itself, in my opinion.

“It’s just nice, going into the last game, that we’re still in with a chance.”