Aaron Ramsey was "proud" of Cardiff City's first performance under his management despite their damaging draw with relegation rivals Oxford United – but insists this is only a temporary role as he targets a return to playing.

Wales captain Ramsey, 34, had already been ruled out for the rest of the season with a hamstring injury when he became the third man to manage Cardiff this season after Omer Riza was sacked on Saturday.

Monday's 1-1 draw at home to Oxford in his first game in charge means the Bluebirds are second from bottom in the Championship, three points adrift of safety with only two games left.

Ramsey's playing contract expires at the end of this season and he was coy about his long-term future when he was asked if he might become Cardiff manager permanently.

"I am just taking these three games," he said. "I'm still recovering from a hamstring operation, I'm still in the middle of rehab and I'm focused on getting back to full fitness.

"This is a role where it's going to be an intense 10 days now then I can relax and get back into my rehab. I'm just looking at the next two.

"We have got to win the next game and hopefully we take it into the last game. Results have gone against us, but we can only control what we can control and take it into the last game. We've got to win on Saturday."

Cardiff are in desperate need of victory when they host West Bromwich Albion, who are 10th in the table, on Saturday after their relegation rivals won on Monday.

Against Oxford, Ramsey became the third man to manage the Bluebirds this season, one that began with Erol Bulut at the helm before he was sacked last September, with Riza then dismissed over the weekend.

Despite only having one day to work with his players, Ramsey oversaw a marked improvement in performance and Cardiff were unfortunate not to win, as Oxford scored with their only shot on target – a thunderbolt from Cameron Brannagan.

The result was a heavy blow to the Welsh club's hopes of staying up, but managing his boyhood club was something to cherish for Ramsey, who had his close friend and former Wales team-mate Chris Gunter part of his coaching team with Cardiff captain Joe Ralls.

"It was a really proud moment. To do it with Gunts and Joe was really special," said Ramsey.

"This club means a lot to me and I felt like I could get a reaction. I certainly got that today. I'd like to thank all the fans today, they were brilliant. They gave us that bit extra. I want to thank them for that.

"It was really enjoyable. 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."

Cardiff need a minor miracle to stay up, making this a daunting first managerial job for Ramsey.

He has no frontline coaching experience but has harboured managerial ambitions for some time, having been tipped by Wales boss Craig Bellamy as someone who could work at a high level at the end of his playing career.

"I spoke to Bellers [Bellamy] quite a bit. He's helped me out quite a lot in that 24, 48 hours," Ramsey added.

"The FAW [Football Association of Wales] have been brilliant, and the staff there. Very supportive and I'm thankful for that. That definitely helped me settle a bit, it's completely different being out there [on the touchline].

"Sleeping was a little bit harder. Nerves from not being able to be on the pitch and do something. All normal things that happen when you first take your managerial role, but I enjoyed it."