AFC Fylde manager Dave Challinor spoke to Ben Yaffe after yesterdays win over Oxford City:

 

So Dave, what did you make of today’s victory over a strong Oxford City side?

We knew today would be difficult due to the pitch, we expected a tough game and we got that. Oxford have been doing well of late and we expected a tough game today despite the fact we put on a convincing display at their place.

We’ve made it more difficult for ourselves really because when we were at 2-0 we had chances to make it 3,4, even 5-0 and we’ve allowed them to get back into it which gave us a tricky last five or six minutes. We’ve had something like 26 shots today and only scored two goals, we didn’t have the quality in terms of finishing our chances and their goalkeeper was very good. In fairness, we’ve been 2-0 up in a fair few games this season and we’ve either managed to get another goal or hang on for a win and that was the case today. Obviously we’re delighted to win and results will be more important than performances as we move towards the end of the season.

The first half we started really well. Lloydy had a chance just before half time and if that goes in we’re probably looking at a different second half. To be fair to Oxford they started the better team in the second half but the two goals in the four or five minutes really killed them off we thought, but the free kick was a moment of quality from them and the game was a lot closer than it perhaps it should have been.

What did you make of Josh Langley’s man of the match performance this afternoon?

Josh got man of the match, he’s done alright today without having to do too much and he’s been fantastic all season. I don’t think I could point out a game where he’s let his levels drop and he’s got a chance of becoming a top, top defender. Alongside Josh, we’ve got Tom, Adam, Caspar, Ben and Brad just in front of the back four and they’ve done their job superbly well obviously as we’ve conceded the lowest amount of goals in the league this season.

Will you be looking to give Matt Blinkhorn more game time as he steps up his recovery after long term injury?

Blinks goes to St George’s Park for a week’s rehab up there for intense work and treatment. He’s missed the whole season pretty much and he needs more training and more time so he’s going up there for a week. We’ll see how he holds up and hopefully he’ll be able to get himself up to full fitness and back in contention for a starting place.

The FA Trophy tie on Tuesday v Telford – is it a primary target or is the main focus on the league now?

Tuesday’s an important game but the league is ultimately our primary target now. We obviously want to win on Tuesday and go as far in the competition as we can but the main focus is on the league.