Rovers 0-2 Oxford
Our U-18 side slipped to a home defeat against Oxford United on Saturday, conceding a goal in each half.Youth Team Manager Alan Walsh was again disappointed with the goals that his side conceded.
However he did feel that the performance was marginally better than it had been against Gloucester City in the FA Youth Cup three days earlier.
“There was an improvement in the way we played but, unfortunately, we still gave away two sloppy goals and that cost us dearly.
“Our inability to finish also cost us because we created enough chances, particularly towards the end of the game, to have gained at least a point. However individual errors, at both ends are costing us at the
moment.”
His side started the game brightly.
“We carved out a couple of chances, but conceded on the half hour mark. The goal came following a throw in on the halfway line and the ball was played down the line.
“We failed to cut out the resulting cross and didn’t react when the ball was played into our box, allowing an unmarked Oxford striker to beat Kieran Preston with a volley from just inside the area.
“We had enough players, in the right positions, to have prevented the goal, but it was scored because we didn’t compete from the time the throw in was taken.”
A goal down at the break, the players were reminded that they had to eliminate elementary mistakes from their game and to try to put the Oxford defence under pressure.
“Unfortunately, we conceded again within ten minutes of the restart when a corner was cleared to the edge of the area and reached an Oxford player who was given the time to get a shot away and beat Kieran. We had time to close down the goalscorer, but never really got in a serious challenge.
“That meant we were chasing the game, which led to our visitors creating further chances. We rallied in the final ten minutes or so, and created enough chances to get back on level terms.
“Unfortunately our finishing wasn’t clinical enough and so we will go back to the training ground and continue to work hard to eradicate mistakes from our game as we attempt to turn things around.”
Team: Kieran Preston, Alfie Kilgour, Tom Fry, Harrison Trueman, Bradley Confrey, Jay Malpas, Elliott Green, Connor Jones, Blake Davies (Isaac Pearce, 40), Ryan Broom, George Corp
Substitutes: Clarke Cameron, Laurent Davis-Wilson, Callum Bingham, Sam Blake