‘I CAN NOT WAIT TO PLAY AGAIN’

“UP until half-time I thought we matched them. Obviously, we lost a man and we conceded the goal, but in open play I thought we had the better of them.

“We had some good chances and in patches we played some very good football.

“They had one player, the number 18 [Pavol Safranko] who had good movement, but the strikers didn’t really threaten Alex [Wynter] and I. It was more the players playing behind the strikers who were causing the problems with their movement and their rotation.

“But it’s all experience and a good learning curve for us.

“It was a great occasion. To represent your country at any level is always an honour and to come out here and spend it with the lads for the last four days, it’s been very enjoyable.

“Slovakia moved the ball around very well and it’s good to be able to adapt to that style of football. There are a few teams in the National League back home who play like that, but there are also a lot of teams who like to lump it and play more direct, in the air. “So it’s good to get the experience of playing at that high level and adapting to various situations.” Meanwhile, goalkeeper Grant Smith admitted it was a day of mixed emotions for him personally after a string of fine saves were overshadowed by the result. “It was a great experience for us Non-League players to be playing the pinnacle of the game. “Unfortunately we didn’t get the right result but on another day, eleven versus eleven, it could have been a very different game. “On a personal note I was really pleased withy my performance but you’ve got to look at the bigger picture. Also, being given the start was a very special moment for me. “It was great working alongside such a nice guy and a great keeper in Brandon Hall, and we worked very well together.”