ROSS JENKINS | WE AREN'T A MILLION MILES AWAY
The gaffer reflects on opening day defeat.
Ross Jenkins has said that, despite a 5-2 defeat on the opening day, his Oxford City side aren’t ‘a million miles away’ from where they need to be.
The Hoops found out how ruthless the fifth tier can be in their first taste of Vanarama National League football, with numerous opportunities capitalised on by opening day opponents Aldershot.
All of which meant the game was over as a contest by the 47th minute.
However, there were encouraging signs in the first-half, and with some fine-tuning, the Hoops showed that they have more than enough quality in the side to mix it with their new counterparts in the division.
After the game, Ross Jenkins spoke to www.oxfordcityfc.co.uk with his initial thoughts. Click HERE to watch the full interview on YouTube.
“In terms of the game, I was pretty happy with the first fifteen or twenty minutes.” Said Jenkins.
“We conceded a sloppy goal that was very unlike us. Usually, we just clear our lines and get rid of it. That was a sloppy moment.
“We came back and got a decent goal to make it 1-1 and we thought we could’ve kicked on from there, but I just thought it was a bit sloppy after that.
“We kept possession well and I’d look at their goals and don’t think they’ve really ‘earnt’ those goals.
“From our point of view, the goals we conceded were more disappointing. We could have definitely prevented them, so that’s something we need to address.
“But in terms of our first game in the division, we definitely saw some promising signs.
“We have some positives to take from the game but it was a good reflection of where we are and we’re not a million miles away.”
In the week leading up to this fixture, Jenkins said that the unknown territory that the Hoops were heading into would take some getting used to.
However, just like the entirety of his time in charge, the squad won’t get too high with the highs, or low with the lows. Furthermore, the gaffer says that his side can right the wrongs of the defeat going forward.
“We’ve learnt a lot from that.
“It may take three, four or five games (to get used to the level) but I know what these boys can do.
"You don’t get promoted from not winning games of football and being serial winners, so losing hurts us.
“The boys are hurting but they understand we’re better than that and we can prevent some of those goals. Maybe we switched off some times but that’s something we can correct.
“I don’t think it was a 5-2 game if I’m being honest but we’ve got to defend our box a lot better. However, in terms of being our first game, it’s one we need to chalk off and move on to next week.”
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