Cambridge boss pleased with his side’s response after thumping

Despite watching his side lose for a fourth time in five matches, Cambridge United manager Mark Bonner was pleased with the way his side performed against MK Dons on Saturday.

Despite having the better of the chances at the Abbey Stadium - Sam Smith hitting the bar early on, Harrison Dunk firing wide and Joe Ironside doing similar - it was Warren O’Hora’s second goal of the season on the hour mark which ensured Dons won on the road for a 12th time this season, setting a new club record in the process of 11 unbeaten away from home.

“It just shows the difference between the top teams,” Bonner said afterwards.

“We know on our day we can compete with them, and we know that if it’s not our day and we’re not at it, we can get ripped to shreds.

“They’re a good enough team to create chances without giving them something off of a long throw in, you certainly don’t want to concede that goal, and then after that it became difficult the longer it went on to try and manage it.

“In the end, I think the level that we found today in our attitude, work ethic and the resilience to respond from a really horrible weekend was right there, and it’s just frustrating to take nothing from it.”

Cambridge were thumped 6-0 last weekend by Sheffield Wednesday, and though it was defeat again for Bonner, he said the response from his side was pleasing.

“The response I wanted was the performance, and we got it 100 per cent,” the head coach said.

“We shouldn’t be on the losing side. We played very well, we concede a goal that we shouldn’t concede.

“We had good chances in the game, and it’s frustrating to lose a game that we were certainly a match (for MK Dons).

“At times, [if we were] a bit more clinical in certain situations, that could be a different story for us.

“We’re disappointed to not take anything from it, but you can’t control the outcome. You can control everything else going into it, and we played at a really good level today.”