Cambridge clinch promotion after goalless draw at Crewe

Cambridge clinched promotion to League One after enduring a nervous afternoon in a goalless draw at Crewe.

Rivals Salford’s failure to win at relegation-threatened Crawley earned the Us an immediate return to the third tier.

Neil Harris’ side would have made their task easier had Ben Knight not missed a first-half penalty.

Cambridge started strongly, with Knight driving an effort past the far post and Sullay Kaikai having a volley blocked by a Crewe defender.

The visitors were given the opportunity to edge ahead when Kaikai was left sprawling in the area under a challenge from Jack Powell.

Knight, though, scuffed his 25th-minute penalty, allowing Ian Lawlor to dive down to his left to comfortably push the ball around a post.

The danger was not over for Crewe, though, as Josh March cleared off the line as the visitors maintained the pressure.

At the other end it was March who offered Crewe’s first threat when his glancing header from Reece Hutchinson’s corner flew into the side-netting.

Then Cambridge goalkeeper Jake Eastwood needed to dash off his line to thwart the Crewe striker’s close-range effort.

Former Crewe striker Elliott Nevitt was on for Cambridge at the start of the second half in a bid to improve a lacklustre attacking showing.

But the Us needed to be careful at the back too, with Dominic Ball making an important intervention to prevent March’s cross reaching a red shirt.

Cambridge’s position was precarious and Harris’ men failed to really trouble Lawlor until late drama in stoppage time when the home keeper made a double save to keep out Kelland Watts’ header and Ball’s follow-up.

However, Crawley’s resistance against Salford ensured they could celebrate promotion.