Jake Taylor hailed the squad’s character and determination after a dramatic 2–1 victory over Scunthorpe United.
A late winner from Brandon Njoku secured all three points on a difficult night away from home, rewarding a hard-working performance against one of the league’s play-off contenders.
“It probably wasn’t the prettiest game to watch,” he admitted.
“But I think we did really well in the early stages to win our duels and battle as much as we could against a really good team who are up in the play-off places.
“It’s a difficult place to come, but I thought the boys stuck at it really well. We showed good character as a group, especially coming off the back of a disappointing result at the weekend.”
The midfielder was one of three changes to the starting XI and was pleased to be back involved after recovering from a concussion which has caused him to miss the U’s last three games.
“It’s been tough obviously missing out,” he said.
“The team had some really good results and then obviously a disappointing result on Saturday, but we’ve got a really strong squad at the moment and players we can rely on.
“You saw that tonight with the substitutes – the lads that came on did really well and made a big impact, so it was a really positive night for everyone involved.”
He also highlighted the importance of the squad’s response following the defeat to Morecambe.
“We spoke about it straight away after the game,” he explained.
“Our standards dropped and we were disappointed because we’d been on a really good run of form.
“But these things happen in football. The most important thing is how you react to it. To come away to a team in the play-offs, stick to what we’re really good at and then get the win with a fantastic late goal – that’s the perfect response.”
The decisive moment from Njoku came in the fifth minute of stoppage time, sparking celebrations from players and supporters alike.
“Yeah, it was special,” he said.
“You’re grafting and grinding away all game trying to get something from it, and then there’s a little bit of quality from Obi with a fantastic cross.
“It felt like the ball was in the air for a long time and then it was a brilliant header. It was a great moment for the club and one we want to experience a lot more often.”
“There’s been so much travelling recently for the lads and the fans have been exceptional everywhere we’ve gone.
“To be able to celebrate a moment like that with them at the end is really special. We really appreciate all their support.
“There’s another long trip coming up on Saturday at Gateshead, so a massive thank you to them for everything they do for us.”
