Wales Under-21s boss Matty Jones has refused to lay blame following the paperwork error that resulted in six players being ruled out of their crucial European Championship qualifier against Czechia.
The Welsh side suffered a 2-1 defeat at Rodney Parade on Friday evening and are now dependent on Czechia failing to beat Lithuania on Tuesday to secure a play-off spot for next summer’s finals.
However, the match was overshadowed by the administrative blunder that forced Jones to change his plans to start senior international squad members Rubin Colwill and Owen Beck just hours before kick-off.
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Despite the disruption, Jones downplayed its impact on the team, which had already been without several age-qualified players who have stepped into Craig Bellamy’s senior squad throughout the campaign, including the likes of Lewis Koumas.
While admitting the mistake caused disruption, Jones denied it left him angry. “There will be a review to get to the bottom of it and make sure it doesn’t happen again,” he told the BBC.
“It has caused disruption and unnecessary noise. I think I managed it the best I could but ultimately it’s at the back of your mind and at the back of players’ minds as well.”
He added: “We know we have the strength in the squad to cater for players when they’ve been missed, when they’ve been good enough to go up to the first team.
“Of course everyone wants a Rubin Colwill and Owen Beck in the team but we’ve shown before we can manage without them. It wasn’t a major concern, but how it came about was disappointing. We will stick together and take the responsibility as a whole. It’s a ‘we’ problem rather than about pointing fingers.”
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He added: “My emotions are really fragile because it’s been a lot of hard work for two years, and to see it come to an end like that – even though we’re hanging onto a string – is tough.”
Victory would have given Wales a chance of a first appearance at a major finals at this age grade. The last time they came close was when a side containing the likes of Aaron Ramsey, who was in the crows in Newport on Friday night, and Joe Allen reached the play-offs in 2008.
Jones, who admitted Czechia’s goals deflated Wales after an impressive opening period from the hosts, said: “To say we’ve overachieved is an understatement. The boys have shown character through the campaign, everyone wrote us off going into it as fourth seeds.
“It’s down to the players and the togetherness we’ve created so there are lots of positives, but the players won’t want to hear that right now.
“My emotions are really fragile because it’s been a lot of hard work for two years, and to see it come to an end like that – even though we’re hanging onto a string – is tough.”
“We know these teams qualify for major tournaments and do it consistently, we know what it looks like, but we need to know how it feels. They know how to find a way to qualify and we need to get there.”
