HARRIS LEFT ‘GUTTED’ BY POSH DEFEAT

By Chris Barwick

CAMBRIDGE U 0

PETERBOROUGH U 1

Edun 72

DERBY DELIGHT: Posh’s Tayo Edun is congratulated on his winner

NEIL HARRIS described himself as “absolutely gutted” after Cambridge were beaten by rivals Peterborough.

The U’s dominated long periods, but fell to a narrow defeat courtesy of Tayo Edun’s free-kick, leaving them 12 points from safety with only nine games left.

Edun had an eventful game, scoring the winner and then being sent off deep into added time following a second booking.

“Cambridge fans should feel exactly the same. I can’t talk any more positively about the group and their attitude and demand to want to win, application to go and play on the pitch and play really well at times.

“Everything about it was so good, apart from the most important part; putting the ball in the goal and stopping it at the other end.

“We were the better team, better in so many ways. We created chance after chance after chance, didn’t have the killer moment in front of goal. Why? Because it’s about the culture. I can’t change that today, I couldn’t change it during the week. I can change it in transfer windows, I can change it from the first day of pre-season. But it has to change.

“People don’t deserve to pay hard-earned money, bring their kids to football, to come and watch their team get beat. It’s not fair and I don’t want to be the manager of this football club that sees that. I won’t have that but I can’t change it today.”

Edun’s 22-yard strike 18 minutes from the end left Nathan Bishop with no chance and ensured Posh did the double over the U’s for the second successive year.

The goal came against the run of play, with relegation-threatened Cambridge guilty of missing a number of big chances.

Jordan Cousins had forced Jed Steer into a save with a strike from long range, and in the final minute of the first half Steer made a point-blank stop from Dom

Ballard when he was teed up by James Brophy following Ryan Loft’s nod down.

Just before the hour Ballard rolled his man and bore down on goal before blazing a huge opportunity over, and in the 66th minute Scott Malone also hooked a volley off target.

Looking to respond after Edun’s goal, substitute Dan Nlundulu fired straight at Steer. Edun was sent off in the final seconds of injury time for a second yellow card.

Victorious boss Darren Ferguson acknowledged his side had to dig deep in order to secure victory. “This was always going to be a battle, a fight,” he said. “We’ve shown good character today to win this game. They were in a position where they’d not much to lose, if I’m going to be honest. That’s always a dangerous opponent. It’s similar to last season, we spanked them at our place and then dug out a 1-0here.

“We controlled the game early doors, we contained anything they gave us. In the second half we just needed to step up the quality in the last third. They got more in the game and we gave up one or two half chances to them. But then Tayo’s free-kick is the bit of quality that’s won the game.

“What I keep saying to the players is if we get to the level of mentality and performance, consistency, then things will take care of themselves. We’ve shown that.”

CAMBRIDGE: Bishop 6, Malone 6, Watts 6, Morrison 6, Gibbons 6 (Bennett 76, 6), Stokes 6, Digby 6, Cousins 7, Brophy 7 (Kaikai 68, 6), Loft 7 (Kachunga 68, 6), Ballard 6 (Nlundulu 77, 6). Subs not used: Okedina, Stevens, Stevenson. PETERBOROUGH: Steer 7, Edun 7, Hughes 8, Wallin 7, Dornelly 7, Collins 7, Kyprianou 7, Odoh 6 (Fernandez 90), Mothersille 6 (Johnston 90), Poku 6 (Hayes 68, 6), Ihionvien 6 (Jones 69, 6). Subs not used: Bilokapic, Conn-Clarke, Susoho.

UNDER PRESSURE: Peterborough’s Malik Mothersille is challenged by Cambridge’s Josh Stokes

PICTURES: MI News & Sport