An under-par Cambridge United Under-18s conceded from a set-piece and suffered their second defeat of the pre-season Junior Premier League Cup competition in a disappointing 1-0 defeat at Oxford United on Saturday, writes Robert Coe.

In a game with few goalscoring opportunities, the manner of the goal disappointed manager Sean Greygoose, yet he insisted that it was a good workout against a tactically well-prepared team before the JPL regular season kicks off next week.

“I think if both teams had come away with a draw they would have said it was a fair result, but sometimes the moment goes against you,” said Greygoose.

“It was really good to come up against a well-organised and really good technical side. Both sides limited each other in attacking opportunities.

“I was really pleased how we were able to be in the game even when we were not anywhere near our best. As a group we are disappointed with the goal as it was from a set play and we felt last week we dealt with these really well. But again we are a young group who is always learning, so it’s not an issue.

“I think our ambition this season is a bit different to other teams. We always want to be competitive and try to win, like everyone. However, we also have a slightly different focus, being more on the way we support the girls to develop, give them different challenges and experiences and also support them with the transition from under-18s football into senior football through our dual registration system.

“Ideally our aim is to support everyone to progress to the best level of football they can and hopefully see more and more in and around our first-team environment. We were really fortunate last season to create this pathway and have a number of the girls do this and it’s something we are looking to continue.”

The young U’s host Goffs Oak on Saturday (12 October).