Shrewsbury Town centre-back Tom Flanagan discussed yesterday’s game against Oxford United.
The recent signing had his chances to score in yesterday's game but couldn’t quite convert his two best opportunities.
Speaking after the game, Flanagan said he was disappointed with the result and said Town need to take their chances and be the better side for longer periods during games.
On the game:
“I’m obviously disappointed. I think we let ourselves down in the first half and ultimately that killed us really because we pushed and we should have won the game in the second half. We don’t take our chances and then we concede the penalty. I think we were second best in the first half and best in the second half and I think we need to make that period of us being the better side longer and that’s where we missed out. I think it shows where we are because they’ll have got on their coach and be absolutely buzzing that they beat us and they might be thinking they shouldn’t have. For what everyone thinks Shrewsbury are – that team down the bottom – we’re giving them all a run for their money and probably should have beaten them ultimately. I think there are loads of positives from the game but – same with a couple of other games recently – one mistake has cost us but things will change and we’ll move on.
“I think when you lose any game you’re disappointed. Considering the form we’re in and especially considering how we played, we really are disappointed with it, it’s disappointment and frustration because we know we weren’t good enough in the first half and we gave them too much respect. They’re all playing in the same league as us, no great shakes, so we shouldn’t be giving them that much respect."
On Town’s chances to score:
“We did have lots of opportunities, yeah, and that’s not just the strikers because I could’ve had one in the second half and Nursey [George Nurse] puts one over the bar that I would’ve fancied him with and then some great balls in the box; it’s just timing and luck and it’ll come together. We just need to make that period of dominance in the game longer instead of it being 45 [minutes on top] and 45 [minutes as second best] and making it more 75 and 25 and then to 80 and then complete it at 90.
“People can say that we’re not scoring goals and that it’s [Ryan] Bowman, [Dan] Udoh or [Tom] Bloxham, but it’s all of us. Luke’s [Leahy] scored a couple of goals already, Penno [Matt Pennington] always looks dangerous, and I should’ve scored today – we can’t be singling people out."
