Cambridge edge Basingstoke in FA Cup

Caretaker manager Joe Dunne hailed Cambridge's "unbelievably professional performance" after they beat Basingstoke in the FA Cup.

Having sacked Richard Money this week, the U's edged past their National League South opponents 1-0 courtesy of Jeff Hughes' header after 19 minutes but they were made to work hard for their win, with Liam Enver-Marum hitting a post and Chris Dunn denying David Ray at the death.

On getting through to the second round, Dunne said: "That was the ultimate ambition of the day. (It was) a tricky tie. The absolute minimum was to get through and how we got through, by hook or by crook, doesn't matter - we're in the next round.

"From the week we've had I think it's an unbelievably professional performance by our team.

"We didn't have it all our own way obviously, it could have been a lot easier but we've made it through to the second round and we're one step closer to possibly repeating the kind of euphoric scenes they had here last year (against Manchester United).

"Their keeper was man of the match. Credit to Basingstoke, their goalkeeper was outstanding. We created some really clear cut chances today, we just weren't clinical enough to put the final touch on it.

"It's great credit to the players and the staff this week. It's been difficult and we've come away with a win in the cup and as anyone will tell you it's all about winning in the cup."

Jason Bristow was proud of his Basingstoke side after their run in the competition came to an end. They had come through three rounds to reach this stage despite only achieving one league win thus far.

"The second half, I thought we were the better team," he reflected. "On the balance of play a replay wouldn't have been harsh. We're a little bit disappointed that we didn't get a draw.

"The first half hour we probably showed them too much respect and allowed them to get a lot of crosses in the box, which we knew was their strength, but I thought we were well on top in the last 10 minutes of the first half. We've given it a real go in the second half and the players can be very proud of their efforts.

"There were a lot of good performances. We defended very well, particularly in the second half. We got a lot tighter and didn't allow them to turn and gets shots in. We forced them to play backwards and were a threat on the attack ourselves.

"So, we've got a lot of positives to take from today and we've got to make sure we take it into the league."