Hi Tess
Sounds alright for a first year. I don’t think your mini boys will have caused soil compaction!
I suspect the roots are short because the soil is weak and needs some well rotted manure, or compost, two or three inches on top. Apply it asap, knock it around through the winter to break lumps and create some tilth, and then you can sow carrot, parsnip etc into it next spring.
I know all the books say ‘no manure/compost for root veg’ but they assume it is being dug in. When on the surface, the seeds germinate in it and root down into the improving soil below.My carrots, mostly Early Nantes, average about 15cm (6") and parsnips are often 30cm or a foot long, with no forking. Keep adding some organic matter every autumn, or at other times if convenient, and your harvests will improve.
PS A mature, well fed organic soil is firm enough to take a person’s weight without damage to its structure. My clay soil is certainly in that condition, and is certainly not soft and crumbly to the touch – yet it grows excellent roots and so forth.