Ojo post-Leeds United | A performance to build on

Sheyi Ojo spoke to the press following the Bluebirds’ draw against Leeds United in the Emirates FA Cup on Sunday afternoon.

City led 2-0 at the break thanks to goals from Jaden Philogene and Ojo, but the visitors fought back in the second-half, with Rodrigo and Sonny Perkins finding the net to book a replay.

“To be honest, it’s mixed emotions,” Sheyi began. “As a team, we played well, we were solid, stuck to the game plan. We knew that Leeds are a good team, we showed them respect but not too much and I felt that we deserved to win the game. It’s hard to concede a goal so late-on, but we were proud of our performance.

“It sums up what has been going on recently. We’ve been unlucky at times to not score when we’ve dominated games, but sometimes, we’ve not been ruthless enough. Today just showed what is possible with this group of players and with the manager behind us. It’s a proud performance, but one we look to build on.”

With City leading 1-0, Ojo was found free in the box by Andy Rinomhota, allowing the winger to net his second goal of the season.

Sheyi added: “Funnily enough, we worked on that type of movement this week. Like you said, going forward, we can do better as a team and as individuals. We just need to be more on the same page and obviously today showed that we’ve been working really hard in training on forward runs, passes and combining with each other and that was a great example of what we’ve been working on.

“I played in midfield today, but in a lot of games this season, I’ve played on the left or the right, but I’m just happy to be playing. I had a little niggle a few weeks ago in my quad and I was out for four or five games, but it’s nice to be back out on the pitch and enjoying my football.”

The City goalscorer concluded by expressing his desire to build on this afternoon’s performance.

“Every game is an opportunity, whether you’re starting or coming on, I had a niggle after the World Cup so I was very eager to get back on the pitch from the start and try and show everyone what I can do. Today, I was able to help the team, that’s the most important thing. It’s about getting us in the right direction, especially in the league, so I look forward to the next match and hopefully, I can do the same.”