POST-MATCH: SHAUN DERRY
Manager Shaun Derry admits that whilst the U’s Sky Bet League Two victory over Dagenham & Redbridge may not have been attractive on the eye, the three points were the main objective.
A successfully converted penalty by captain Luke Berry in the 81st minute, was enough for the U’s take the spoils against the Daggers and move within one point of the play-offs.
Derry commented: “It absolutely wasn’t pretty at times, but we are really pleased because we continue to bang the drum to the boys about winning in different ways.
You can’t always win in the way we did against the likes of Morecambe, Plymouth and Leyton Orient, it’s these gritty games where you have to grind out the points that can make the difference.
“It was a tough afternoon for us, not just because of the opposition but the conditions also, which made it extremely difficult to break Dagenham down.
“The dynamics changed when we played with the wind as opposed to playing against it. That certainly caused us a problem but we found a way and the substitutions this afternoon made a huge difference.
“There was a great deal of patience around the ground, including the supporters who were there when we needed them.”
Meanwhile the U’s boss commended Cambridge’s new skipper, Luke Berry, for taking responsibility for the decisive spot-kick and keeping a calm head in the pivotal moment of the match.
“Luke received the armband last week, produced an extremely accomplished performance at Leyton Orient, and has taken the responsibility on this week.
“He has trained well all week and has grabbed the ball very quickly today and put the ball in the back of the net very convincingly.
“That’s testament to Luke and he’s managed to get us the three points.”