The Long Game

Oxford United’s players will recharge their batteries and then be back and ready for the challenge of the new season. That’s the message from right-back Sam Long who told us

“It’s not going to be a long break for any of us really. 
 
“We were very raw after Monday night and it has taken a couple of days to recover. Being a local lad I keep getting stopped by people asking how I am, which is nice in a way because people are thinking of us as people, but also kind of tough because we need to move on pretty quick now.
 
“So most of us will probably get away for a week or two. That’s important physically as well because it was a year long season. My phone kept popping up the ‘One Year Ago’ messages and we were in Portugal and at Rangers in pre-season so we had been working hard for a full year. It won’t be a complete break and we have programmes to follow but we do need a rest if we can.
 
“After that, personally I can’t wait to get back and try and put things right. Playing at Wembley was a fantastic experience but ultimately it was unforgettable for all the wrong reasons.
 
“So let’s get that out of our systems, let’s learn from it and let’s use it as motivation to go one better next time around.”