University of Gloucestershire first team goalkeeper Oscar Bignell said “we had a few disciplinary issues which we addressed” after playing large parts of Bucs league game against Plymouth with 9 men.
Bignell’s side lost 4-0 in Aldi Men’s Western Tier Three League game on Tuesday, with Patrick Bilongo and Rory Hunt spending time on the side line during the game.
Patrick Bilongo received a red card after committing two yellow card offences, shortly followed by team captain Rory Hunt being sin binned for descent.
Tension within the side may have been high going into the game though Bignell explained: “a three hour journey and we got there late, so we were on the back foot before we even got on the pitch.”
The 21-year-old was clear after the game that “going into the next game, we really nailed it on that nothing silly should be happening. It is all about the discipline going forward.
We need to channel this into next week, make sure we are switched on and from the off we all know our roles, we all know what we have got to do. Hopefully we can get that win.”
His university side play Solent University in a cup game on Wednesday.
“This is a good chance to put that right, it is a cup game so we can just regroup and rebuild without the pressure of hurting the league anymore.” Bignell said.
Outside of the disciplinary noise, he was very complementary about the new signings his University side had made this season.
“We have got a new first team centre back pairing. We have got a big lad called Ben ‘Melman’ Brown and another Ben, Ben Wheaver, they are both incredibly talented football players. Both play at a very high standard. Melman (nicknamed after the giraffe from Dreamworks film, Madagascar) came over from the states to play so he has had a very good coaching experience out there.
Wheaver has been playing Hellenic in the Southern League through the Midlands area. They have come straight into the squad and been top quality and so composed. They are both unbelievably good signings for us.
We also have a new striker called Macsen. Heβs a very good hold up player, he likes to play with his back to goal and play people in. We have plenty of new numbers bolstering the squad.”
Away from this university side he spoke so confidently about, Bignell is also signed on for local side Bishop’s Cleeve where he mainly plays for their u23s and ‘A team’ which is equivalent to their third side.
With the chance to retain a consistent spot in the u23s line up, Bignell said “that would be the aim but for one reason or another at the minute it is just not happening. So it is whether or not I persevere and try and get my way back in or if I go out somewhere else and play.”
The young goalkeeper also touched on how he maintains match sharpness as a goalkeeper when having little playing time.
“Obviously with being a keeper, there are a lot of specific drills you can do. But in order to keep match fit, it is about doing game realistic scenarios. Having phases of play drills instead of just having someone from 12-18 yards just launching balls at you, it is a case of having a game realistic setting to keep you switched on to being match sharp.”
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In the near future it was clear Bignell’s aim was to aim to get consistently into the Bishop’s Cleeve u23s line up and for university; βpromotion is what we want for the first team. We are quietly confident that this will happen.”
