Oxford United's new signing Will Vaulks has revealed he was left bruised after the friendly defeat to Mansfield Town.
The 30-year-old midfielder clashed with the Stags’ Hiram Boateng late on, after Town scored what was to be the winner.
This triggered bad-tempered scenes with players from both teams clashing in a bad-tempered scrum of pushing and shoving.
But Vaulks was unrepentant. He said: “There’s no such thing as a friendly to me!”
READ MORE: Scrap breaks out as Oxford United lose Mansfield friendly late on
Tempers flared as Oxford United lost to Mansfield Town. (Image: OUFC)
"Both teams wanted to win. That's part of my personality and always has been.
“There's no such thing as a friendly to me. It's about trying to win and trying to get into good habits.
"I don't mind a little bit of tension here and there as long as it doesn't spill over.
“I've got a few bruises on my back from one of the Mansfield players, but that's part and parcel of football.
“I don't want that to go out of the game. Competitive people play the game and they want to win.
READ MORE: U's boss defends new signing after ruckus breaks out at Mansfield
“Mansfield went man to man and made it difficult for us, but this is what pre-season is for. It's really important to come up against different opposition who do different things.
“That's how to learn - if the opposition go really tight man on man, we need to know how we can exploit that.
“Playing in front of the back four is something I've done recently, using my experience to help the defence out, clean things up and get things moving forward.”
Wales international Vaulks, signed from Sheffield Wednesday, is a veteran of nearly 450 matches, with a wealth of Championship experience playing for Wednesday, Rotherham and Cardiff.
READ MORE: Oxford United shirt worn by England hero Paul Gascoigne
His signing was seen as a coup for Oxford, and he explained: “The way things ended at Wednesday, it was fantastic that they stayed in the Championship, but I felt I needed a club that really wanted me, a club that showed desire to make it happen.
“I was offered a contract at Wednesday but I spoke to Des Buckingham and Ed Waldron. They had shown interest in me for a number of months, then we had a Zoom call and I was really impressed with their plans for the club.
“At my age, I wanted to be involved in something that's going upwards and I felt that was the case at Oxford. It's an exciting challenge for me.
“I make decisions about my career on my gut, and I felt it was the right thing to do.
READ MORE: Oxford United shirt held by Brazil World Cup legend Pele
“I'm really looking forward to helping the club become a sustainable Championship team. It feels like a club going in the right direction and I hope to play a massive part in it over the next few years.”
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