Cambridge United secured automatic promotion from League Two despite Ben Knight missing a penalty in a goalless draw at Crewe.

The U's were awarded a first-half spot-kick when Sullay Kaikai was bundled over in the box, but Knight's low effort was well saved by Ian Lawlor.

With Salford City in with a chance of pipping them to third place if they could beat Crawley, it became an increasingly nervous afternoon for the away supporters.

Josh March headed just wide from a corner as the home side rallied following Cambridge's confident start.

And he had another big chance when Mickey Demetriou nodded the ball down in the box, but his close-range effort was smothered by keeper Jake Eastwood.

Former Crewe striker Elliott Nevitt was sent on at half-time by U's boss Neil Harris and they had more shots on target than the home side, without being able to find a way past Lawlor.

They almost won it in added time but Lawlor saved from a header by Kelland Watts and then blocked Dom Ball's follow-up with his legs.

A point, though, was enough to return Cambridge to League One at the first attempt following last season's relegation, having conceded only 33 goals in their 46 games, with Salford unable to find a winner in their game either.

"We weren't the better team, but we had the better chances, even in the 96th minute, to win it outright," boss Neil Harris told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.

"That's been us so many times this season, we've been the better team with loads of chances, but not scored at key moments - if we did, we'd have 100 points and have been up ages ago.

"Ultimately it's irrelevant, we got over the line. If you can't win a game, don't lose it, that's my philosophy, and it proved absolutely correct."

The reappointment of Harris as head coach may have been a surprise to some Cambridge United fans after he left just 14 matches into his previous reign when former club Millwall came calling for his services.

But when the U's found themselves bottom of League One in February last year, they approached him about a return and for good measure brought in another former boss, Mark Bonner, as director of football.

They were unable to save the club from the drop but set about transforming the squad last summer with quality signings like experienced midfielder Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu and Manchester City loanee Knight.

There were as many losses as wins in their first seven games - three of each - and by the end of October they were only just above mid-table.

But despite ongoing rumblings about the club's longer term future - whether to stay at the Cledara Abbey Stadium or seek a new home - Harris kept his team focused.

And a 24-match run, which saw them beaten only once and included a run of six successive wins, propelled them into the automatic promotion places.

Losing to Grimsby was a setback but they regained third place by beating Barrow 3-0 at home, with top scorer Knight netting his 11th goal of the season.

They went into their final match looking to join Bromley and MK Dons in the third tier and, once again, their redoubtable defence stood firm to secure the point that proved enough - their final goals against tally 11 fewer than any other side in the division.

"At this level, it's very difficult when you go down to go back up again," boss Neil Harris added.

"When you get relegated, you get relegated for a reason - coming out of the Prem to the Champ, it's because other teams have got more money or better players etc etc.

"But at our level, it's because there's something fundamentally wrong at the club and that was the case last year.

"We had to redirect the way we went about our business on and off the pitch and we've now seen our reward."