Carlos Akapo offered his thoughts on Saturday’s draw in Valladolid, commenting: “We struggled to get going and we had to battle really hard. We went out there with fewer regulars than usual; there were more of us who haven’t been playing so often.” He continued: “We found it tough going in the first half and they had a number of chances, but in the second half we managed to turn things around and I think we played much better.”
Akapo went on: “They had quite a few chances – Conan [Ledesma] had to save five clear opportunities. But we managed to stay alive until the break and in the second half we looked to move a bit higher up the pitch and they found it harder to put moves together. We had chances to score and we’re happy with this point.”
Despite having to operate outside of his natural position for some of the match, Akapo proved a crucial figure in defence, his intervention denying the hosts a late winner. “I had already played at left-back on the odd occasion and bit by bit I felt more at ease,” he said. “I grew into it. I had to cut out that opening right at the end and that has helped us to come away with this point. I’m happy.”