Sheyi Ojo reveals his new-found confidence to attack

Thursday 08 Oct 2015
England U19s forward Sheyi Ojo

Sheyi Ojo believes the confidence he has gained from playing in the Championship can help him enjoy a successful campaign at both international and domestic level.

The Liverpool attacker is currently on loan to Championship side Wolves and appears to be right at home at Molineux having already claimed a number of assists.

The England Under-19s international also got his name onto the scoresheet for the first time at senior level against Barnet in the League Cup earlier in the campaign before hitting the net in the league against Fulham.

England v Macedonia

UEFA European U19s Championship
First round qualifier
2pm, Thursday 8 October
FFM Training Centre, Skopje

And he is adamant he notched twice that night after Adam La Fondre claimed a glancing heading from Ojo’s cross.

“I’m definitely claiming both from the Fulham match,” he told TheFA.com. “It’s going well and hopefully we can continue to improve and do well over the season.

“I had a loan spell at Wigan at the end of last season and that really helped me. Coming into this season I feel that I’m a lot more mature in the way that I play.

“I have much more confidence and understand the league a bit more. The Championship is a very hard league to play in, but last season helped me a lot.

“I’m really enjoying it at Wolves and just taking each game as it comes and looking to add a few more goals to my name.”

Ojo joined up with Aidy Boothroyd’s U19s squad on Sunday at St. George’s Park before they flew out to Macedonia on Tuesday to begin their European Championship qualification campaign.

Sheyi Ojo darts forward against Poland

Sheyi Ojo scored three goals in eight caps for England U18s last season

The Young Lions take on the host nation on Thursday before tackling Finland two days later and concluding their first round qualifiers with a match against Italy next Tuesday.

“Everyone is looking forward to the campaign and we feel we have a strong team," Ojo continued.

"There’s loads of other players who have not even been picked that will probably feel they deserve to be here too, and with that competition we all believe that we can go far in the competition.

“It’s going to be a tough group. Macedonia will be a tough test and we have to be ready for the threat they will be pose. 

“We know how important it is to start with a win in tournament football. That’s the main aim for everyone to get that winning mentality from the off, it gives you the confidence leading into the next game and hopefully we can get the points and take that into the Finland match.”

Having been in and out of the side at U17s level, Ojo enjoyed a great campaign at international level in 2014-15, scoring three goals in eight appearances.

HIGHLIGHTS: England U19s 2-3 Germany U19s

In his maiden bow for the U19s he hit the ground running again, scoring in the 3-2 win in Germany before helping his side to a 1-1 draw in Croatia.

“Every time I get picked for England it is an honour and I just want to do well in every appearance I make,” he added. “I was lucky enough to play quite a bit last season for the U18s and perform well.

“Last month we played Germany and Croatia and got another goal in them, so now my target is to try and keep that going at this age group and keep progressing.

“As a forward I like to get on the ball, create things and run at players. Scoring and creating goals is something I enjoy.

“So obviously for me, getting the ball and making an impact like that is my main aim and hopefully I can do that throughout this week.”

By Gary Stonehouse Staff Writer at St. George's Park