Neil Harris raises bat to Cambridge players after clinching draw in century game
Connor Taylor headed into his own goal three minutes into stoppage time to force a draw.
Neil Harris was delighted to mark his 100th game in charge of Cambridge with a dramatic 2-2 draw against Wycombe.
Jayden Wareham scored twice to leave the U’s facing only their second league defeat of the season but Shayne Lavery reduced the deficit before Connor Taylor headed into his own goal three minutes into stoppage time.
“It just shows where we’re at as a football club. It’s not just about the team, it’s the football club in itself,” Harris said.
“We didn’t lie down. At 2-0 we could have just downed tools and look forward to Saturday, but we didn’t. Again we found a way.
“(There was) impact from the bench, the character, the heart and the drive to keep going.
“We weren’t at the races tonight. That’s something I’ve got to look at and work out, but ultimately I can’t praise the players highly enough for the desire and determination and the quality to come back and get a point. I’m absolutely delighted with a point.
“I didn’t quite recognise us for a long period tonight. Individually we had too many players below par, we never really built any momentum in the game. It looked like a game too far for us. I wasn’t going to criticise my players because they’ve been magnificent this season.
“But then Shayne Lavery pops up with a centre-forward’s goal and then the game completely flips. For 15 minutes it was one-way traffic and we looked like a team that could score at any moment.”
Tom Hounsell refused to be downbeat despite his Wycombe side conspiring to throw away their two-goal lead.
“I thought we executed the game plan to a tee, and credit to the players because I thought they were outstanding for the majority of the game,” Hounsell said.
“Naturally with a 2-0 lead you’re going to sink a little bit and absorb pressure. We didn’t really get up to the ball enough in those moments and too many crosses were coming into our box but to put ourselves in that position in the first place is credit to the players.
“We knew it was a difficult place to come, they’re in really good form and we collect the point and move on to an important game on Saturday.
“We realised that we were probably going to try and play a bit more direct, it was going to be a completely different game to the weekend. The lads played really well. We hit our front two early, Fred (Onyedinma) I thought was outstanding. We know if we serve Jayden he’ll take his chances because he’s an outstanding finisher.
“So I’m pleased, really pleased, just disappointed with the ending of course.”