Manager disappointed as the Vale’s three-match unbeaten away run in League One is ended at Oxford United.
- Darrell Clarke | “Our away form has been good but today we were soft and didn’t get ourselves going”
- Port Vale manager Darrell Clarke reflects on his side’s 4-0 defeat at Oxford United
- Clarke: “As a group, we have to show how we’ll respond and I am confident the group will do that. We have to make sure we have a really hard, physical week on the training pitch to make sure we respond on Saturday.”
Port Vale manager Darrell Clarke says his side’s performance was “very soft” as their three-match unbeaten away League One run was ended at Oxford United on Saturday afternoon.
Clarke’s side went down 4-0 at the Kassam Stadium, having previously collected seven points from their last three away fixtures.
Reflecting post-match with iFollow the Vale, Clarke said:
“It was a very soft away performance; our away form has been pretty good and we have seven points out of our last three away league games, but today we were soft, we didn’t really get ourselves going, conceded a really early goal to get their confidence up and were then chasing the game for the majority of it. We had good chances, didn’t take them, but they were very clinical.
“One or two decisions went against us today but that doesn’t mean we have to be soft in our approach and too many of my players today weren’t at it and we have to respond.
“For the second goal it is a foul on Will Forrester, the third goal is handball when he brings it down with his hand, but I look at the general performance and it was nowhere near the standard we set ourselves.”
On a rare off day for his side, Clarke said a response is vital as the Vale host Charlton Athletic next weekend.
“It gives everybody a kick up the backside and reminds us that we still have a long way to go to be an established League One team, because on that performance we were nowhere near it,” he added.
“I feel sorry for the tremendous support we had here today, I thank them for their support, and apologise for the performance.
“As a group, we have to show them how we’ll respond and I am confident the group will do that. We have to make sure we have a really hard, physical week on the training pitch to make sure we respond on Saturday.
“I have good characters in there; it is up to myself, the coaching staff to make sure individual mindsets are ready to respond in the next game, which I have every confidence they will. They’re a pleasure to manage but today we had an off day, we apologise for that, so let’s respond next Saturday.
“I was under no illusions that there were going to be one or two League One games that went that way and to be honest with you, we have to reset, we will reset and we will bounce back.”