'We have to be 3-0 up in the first half', says Cambridge United boss Neil Harris following Harrogate Town draw
Neil Harris felt his side were so good in the first half of Saturday’s League Two clash with Harrogate Town that they should have been three goals to the good by the interval.
The U’s bossed proceedings during the opening period at the Abbey Stadium and had chances to have scored more than the one goal which arrived when Louis Appere netted from close range in the 18th minute.
But Tow gave a better account of themselves after the break, levelled matters through Stephen Duke-McKenna’s well-taken volley, and were ultimately good value for a share of the spoils.
Harris, however, could not hide his frustration after the full-time whistle.
"There is nothing but disappointment in me, I have got to be honest,” he told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.
"We shot ourselves in the foot. We have to be more ruthless when we are so on top, so dominant, so good for 35 minutes. We have to be 3-0 up in the first half.
“We can look at how brilliant we were for 45 minutes, but we can’t be night and day. We can’t be that good for one half and then disappointing for the next half an hour.
"If you don’t play for 90 minutes, you’re going to get punished. We switched off for 30 seconds and we let a goal in.
“To concede like we did is really poor. It is so League Two. My players have got to be better than that.”
Having struggled to retain any kind of possession before half-time, Town upped their game during the second period and could even have gone on and nicked a winner.
But although the visitors delivered a more front-foot performance, Harris went on to bemoan their approach.
“They were so deep that we couldn’t get in behind them,” he added.
“And we were struggling in front of them because they then got seven behind the ball.”