ROSS Jenkins has welcomed the lengthier stoppage times introduced this season, even if his Oxford City side have been victims of it.
English football has seen significantly increased amounts of injury time added to halves this campaign, in an attempt to get matches closer to 90 minutes of actual football.
The 2022/23 season saw Premier League games average 55 minutes for the amount of time where the ball was in play.
That number reduced dropping down the English football pyramid, with measures brought in to tackle the problem.
One of those is officials adding the exact time that goals, substitutions, injuries, penalties and red cards take, rather than the nominal amount previously used.
READ ALSO: Petr Cech on return to city that saved his life and special Kassam Stadium memory
Hoops head coach Jenkins is a fan of the new system, with matches seeing injury time going into double digits.
He said: “At Aldershot, in total we played 17 minutes. That’s a lot of time.
“On Saturday, I think we played three minutes in the first half and seven in the second half.
“I think the fitness levels of our team are getting better.
“I think we were very fit last year, and we added some more fitness into the group and some more legs.
“Every team has got to be wary of the added time, but I’m actually a fan of it.
“We work so hard and we prep all week for a game of football, so we need to play the 90 minutes.”
Jenkins’ comments come even though his team has been on the wrong side of the increased added time.
Away to Aldershot Town on the opening day of the season, the Hoops went 3-1 down in the eighth minute of injury time at the end of the first half.
It would prove to be a killer blow as the Shots went on to win 5-2.
EXCL: Spoke to #oufc legend @Realaldo474 ahead of his visit to the Kassam in October for a Q&A alongside John Barnes. We also spoke about:
— Liam Rice (@OxMailLiamRice) August 22, 2023
· What a new stadium could do for the U’s
· His time at the club and the Milk Cup win
· Playing with Billy Hamiltonhttps://t.co/T8gXGebyE5
“It might work in our favour and it might not,” said Jenkins.
“Games down the line, we’ll probably score as well. It works both ways.
“I think the boys do look after themselves as best as they can and that will show on the pitch.
“Fitness is key and managing the game with and without the ball is important.
“So far, I think we’ve actually looked quite fresh in the second half and it’s probably been our most dominant half.”
Jenkins added: “We don’t necessarily like to time-waste. We like to get the ball in play and we want to play some football, that’s what we work so hard for.
“There are teams out there that slow things down and rightly so, the time needs to be added on.”
Help support trusted local news
Sign up for a digital subscription now: oxfordmail.co.uk/subscribe
As a digital subscriber you will get:
- Unlimited access to the Oxford Mail website
- Advert-light access
- Reader rewards
- Full access to our app
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here