Cambridge boss Neil Harris to lean on experience for League Two promotion run-in

Cambridge boss Neil Harris says he will lean on his and his players’ experience for the League Two promotion run-in after the U’s fired a rare blank in a 0-0 draw at Walsall.

Harris’ side were far from their best as they failed to score in the league for the first time since November 15, a run spanning 21 matches.

But they remain in the automatic promotion places after just one defeat in 23 league games since late October.

And Harris, who has won promotions as both a player and manager with Millwall, said: “Nine games to go, we’re still in that top three and it’s a brilliant position to be in.

“I wasn’t happy with the performance tonight but it was a strong point. It’s probably the worst we’ve been with the ball for five or six months but we had the clean-sheet mentality.

“First half I was OK with, we made some good chances. Second half we just didn’t get going which is so unlike us.

“But when we played Walsall on New Year’s Day they were four points in front of us, we’re now 12 points in front of them so fair play to my group for that.

“We were very inconsistent at the start of the season and didn’t score enough goals in the first three months so we were always playing catch-up.

“We have a tough run-in but so has everybody. I’ve got experience in the changing room and I have experience of being in this position on more than one occasion so we will lean on that.”

Walsall – playing their second game under caretaker Darren Byfield after last week’s sacking of long-serving boss Mat Sadler – created the better chances.

Charlie Lakin’s corner was tipped onto the bar by U’s keeper Jake Eastwood while Aden Flint had a header cleared off the line, although Ben Knight also went close for Cambridge.

“Cambridge are a really good side but second half I thought we were the side that was going to go on and win it,” said Byfield, who has dropped skipper Flint the past two games.

“What the players have done for us is unbelievable because what I’ve asked them to do is a big change.

“Aden has been brilliant all season but people need a rest – they won’t say it, I understand it, because everyone wants to play every minute.

“Flinty came on and was magnificent – I said to him at the end ‘brilliant, unbelievable, attitude spot-on’ because he won’t have been happy to be on the bench or out of the squad.

“But what we ask when you come in, you perform and all the younger boys in the team will look at Aden and how he has reacted, and he was superb today.”