Cambridge respond to derby drubbing with draw, Monk lauds ‘huge effort’

Cambridge United came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against rivals Colchester United in League Two on Tuesday night.

The U’s trailed to a stunning early strike from Luke Hannant but responded superbly and levelled through Harvey Knibbs in the second half to claim a share of the spoils in front of a bumper crowd at the Abbey Stadium. Monk was delighted with his team’s resilience and character in adversity, hailing the display as a “huge effort” from his players.

The result ended a run of three straight defeats for Cambridge, who remain 19th in the table, now four points above the relegation zone. Colchester stay 15th, seven points adrift of the play-off places.

Monk made three changes to the side that started the 2-1 defeat at Salford City on Saturday, with Sam Smith, Shilow Tracey and Dunn all recalled. The U’s made a bright start and might have taken the lead early on when Liam O’Neil headed Knibbs’ cross wide.

But it was Colchester who struck first, taking the lead in stunning fashion in the seventh minute. Hannant collected the ball on the right flank and curled a magnificent effort into the top corner from 25 yards, leaving Dimitar Mitov with no chance.

Cambridge responded well to the setback and went close to equalising when Jack Iredale’s cross picked out Knibbs, but the striker’s header was kept out by Kieran O’Hara. The U’s continued to press and were rewarded for their efforts in the 68th minute.

Knibbs latched onto a loose ball in the Colchester area and fired home from close range to level the scores. Cambridge pushed for a winner but could not find a way through a resolute Colchester defence.

Monk was pleased with his team’s response to going behind and praised their character. “It was a huge effort from the players,” he said. “We showed great character to come back from a goal down and earn a point against a good Colchester side.

“I’m really proud of the players. They showed great resilience and determination. We’re still not where we want to be, but we’re moving in the right direction.”

Colchester manager Matt Bloomfield was disappointed with his team’s failure to hold on to their lead but praised their overall performance.

“I’m disappointed that we didn’t win the game, but I’m pleased with the performance,” he said. “We played some good football and created some good chances. We just need to be more clinical in front of goal.

“Cambridge are a good side and they made it difficult for us. We knew it would be a tough game, but I thought we matched them for large parts of the match.

“We’re still in a good position in the league and we’re confident that we can push on and achieve our goals.”