Jones: “I Thought We Were Well Worthy of at Least a Point”

Aaron Jones said the team deserved the point they secured against Boston United, with David Ogbonna rescuing a draw in stoppage time.

The U’s fell behind in the first half to a Matty Carson free kick, but levelled the score late on through superb Ogbonna, who produced an audacious cross-shot that flew into the far corner just minutes after entering the fray.

“I thought we were well worthy of at least a point. You look at how the game panned out, obviously went behind, but then we were playing some really good football, creating chances; Brandon [Njoku] hits a post, but wasn’t quite dropping in the net for us.

I think there was a lot of positive play on display, some really good football playing through the thirds, then it’s about us just being a little bit more clinical in that last action.

You can see us throwing bodies at the end, trying to nick the winner, which if one drops in the back of the net, I don’t think there’ll be too many Boston fans or staff that could have argued against us having three points today.”

There was plenty of combination play on show against the Pilgrims, with the U’s showing glimpses of quality in the way they performed with the ball.

“You can have all the play in the world, good play through the middle third, but if you don’t do the business in both boxes, you can find yourself often losing games or drawing games that you should have won, and that’s where we needed to improve today.

I thought our middle third play was really good, we rotated really well and I thought we gave Boston a lot of issues on the ball. I think they struggled to stay with us.

But then it’s about executing in that final moment in the box. Brandon is getting in all right positions, just that little last touch. I think Jack Taylor at the end had one, the keeper pulls off an absolutely worldy save.

We’re really close, I’ve got to thank the fans as well because obviously we all address the elephant in the room. We want to have more points than we have after, what is it, 12 games now.

We want to have more points. There’s not a lack of desire or work rate in the dressing room, but the fans, to my knowledge, are really behind us and they’ve stayed with us, and that means a lot to us as players and I know speaking for Meens [Jon Meeney] and the staff as well, it means a lot to everyone inside the dressing room.”

The Skipper also commented on the number of academy players who are coming through the ranks at the minute, the latest of which, Charlie Bell, after last week’s senior league debut against Woking.

“Charlie Bell just turned 18 the other day, starting, and another really accomplished performance. You wouldn’t know that it was his home debut in the league today. Jack Taylor, another one come through in the academy, you’ve got Junior [Eccleston] on the bench as well, who has contributed a great deal this season.

We are a really young group, and I hope that the people of Sutton can see that. It is never for a lack of effort the fact that we’re not winning as many games as we want to because the boys are working their socks off day in day out and I witness that every day and it’s obviously we’re missing a few key players at the minute like you’ve obviously got Woody [Alex Woodyard] out who’s an experienced guy who’s played hundreds of games in the EFL.

At the minute, another really big character in our dressing room, Harry Phipps, is out, so is Alex Kirk as well, who played at a really good level, currently injured. So once we start getting those bodies back to, you know, complement the academy boys that we’ve got coming through, then I think we’re going to start growing as a team for sure.”

As for preparations, things continued to move thick and fast for Sutton, with a midweek visit of Yeovil Town will see Jon Meeney’s side continue to be tested.

“We’re off tomorrow so it’d be up to the boys to do their individual recovery and then in Monday obviously regroup, we have a look at Yeovil in the morning, do our analysis as we always do and then we go out there on Tuesday night under the lights here at Gander Green.

We’ll give exactly the same blood and thunder and the desire that we did pushing for a winner in the last five, ten minutes, and that’s got to be consistent throughout the 90 minutes.

Conceding less goals in the last three games. Our conceding has gone down, so it’s now about us keeping clean sheets and then, like I said, being a little bit more ruthless in the final third.”