Neil Harris highlights Ben Knight as Cambridge claim ‘fully deserved win’

Neil Harris described Cambridge’s latest success as a “fully deserved win” after Ben Knight’s brace secured a 2-0 victory over Walsall.

Knight had only scored once this season prior to Thursday’s game but netted a goal in each half for the U’s.

His second was an exceptional lobbed finish from outside the box and he was only denied a remarkable hat-trick when his overkick kick hit the bar.

Cambridge are 10 matches unbeaten in Sky Bet League Two and have collected seven points from their three matches since Christmas, a win confirmed when Jake Eastwood kept out Aaron Pressley’s late penalty.

“I think we gave one half opportunity in the first half, one opportunity in the second half. And then nothing other than that until the penalty,” said Harris.

“At the other end of the pitch, it took us 15 to 20 minutes to really get going. But then we looked like the team in the ascendancy. All that was missing was Mamadou’s (Jobe) header just before half-time to really make it comfortable.

“You think, ‘is that going to come back and bite you?’ But we started the second half so well and Ben Knight gets his reward for his all-round play today with the second goal.

“We looked a real threatening outfit. Sometimes that’s why you need that second goal just to give that little bit of composure.

“Ben Knight showed his quality and composure. I think that composure comes because of the first goal he scores. Because he scores that, the second half he runs forward and he goes and does that. It gives him the confidence for the overhead kick.

“Today he’s really exploded and he’s got to keep doing it.”

Mat Sadler refused to be downhearted despite his Walsall side falling to a second successive defeat.

“It’s very difficult to be disappointed with the performance because we played very well,” he said.

“On the day the luck wasn’t with us and the final bit wasn’t with us, but I’m not going to get too disheartened when we perform like that.

“I thought we played very well first half. We were only watching the game towards their goal, so the frustration for me is that we do concede, especially in the 47th minute of the game. That is frustrating from our point of view.

“There are two things. We want to make sure we kick it out at that point, and we want to be ruthless when our chances come along. To be fair to them today at the right time they got the right block, right save and right bit of defending.

“We’ve had some incredible days, incredible away victories, today wasn’t meant to be unfortunately. We have to then dust ourselves down and go again.”