There was a strange juxtaposition in feeling during the first match of the Aaron Ramsey era on Monday.

Understandably, much of the pre-match build up to Cardiff City vs Oxford United centred around Ramsey’s promotion from player to manager, following the dismissal of Omer Riza.

And yet, Ramsey has been handed a bit of a poison chalice by the Cardiff board. With only three games remaining in the Championship season, Ramsey needed to perform the managerial equivalent of a U-turn.

As other teams around Cardiff started to pick up points at an alarming rate, Ramsey’s side are in danger of being left behind.

For much of Monday’s match, it looked like the former Cardiff academy graduate had managed to pull a result out of the bag and lift the spirits of an increasingly pessimistic crowd.

Yousef Salech gave Cardiff the lead in the second half and, with the rest of the bottom five winning, Ramsey’s side had to hold on.

Oxford’s equaliser – a Cameron Brannagan strike from all of 35 yards out – is a goal that a manager simply cannot control, no matter their experience. The silence amongst the home fans that greeted such a staggering goal was telling: perhaps this was the final hammer blow for Cardiff.

For Ramsey, he was remarkably calm after the match.

“It was really enjoyable, I really enjoyed that,” Ramsey said.

“The level of performance from the boys was superb. They did everything we asked of them over the last two days. A lot of work has gone in, a bit of information for them. We controlled the game really well, played with real intensity and intent.

“Sometimes football can be cruel, it can sometimes take a worldie from 35 yards, their only shot on target. These things can happen. We can be really proud of what we’ve done over the last 24 hours. To produce that sort of performance in that time, we can take a lot from.”

While Ramsey only had two days to prepare his side for his first match in charge, this move into management – and more specifically at Cardiff – has been 18 years in the making.

Seeing Ramsey in the dugout on Monday will have felt strange, especially for fans who can remember him making his debut for the club at Ninian Park in 2007. Sat next him was his new assistant and great friend, Chris Gunter.

Both came through the youth ranks at Cardiff and have been roommates on international duty throughout their long and storied careers. As kick-off approached, it was Gunter who Ramsey turned to for a hug and some words of encouragement.

Gunter has more coaching experience than Ramsey, having been a part of the Wales junior set up for almost three years since his retirement from playing. Ramsey, though, called on an old teammate and current manager for advice.

“I spoke to Bellers (Craig Bellamy) quite a bit. He’s helped me out quite a lot in that 24, 48 hours,” Ramsey said.

“We didn’t have a lot of time to work on tactical things, so I didn’t want to overload the players with too much information.

“We had to take in a bit from meetings, but it was more about trying to get your principles across and habits.”

With two games left and Cardiff three points (plus a hefty goal difference) adrift of safety, Ramsey can cement his legendary status at Cardiff in the next two weeks. Whether he decides to carry on beyond this season is a different matter altogether.

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