Notts County boss Chris Kiwomya spoke to his club's official website ahead of his side's match at Brunton Park against Carlisle, Kiwomya though first looking back on the Magpies beating Tranmere 2-0 last week:
“I think it was a big win last week, we needed to get a win behind us just to get us the table a bit and give us the confidence to know that we can win games. We have obviously won two games in the cup, but we needed one in the league and I think we obviously deserved it. When you haven’t won a game at the start of the season there is always pressure, I understand that and the players understand that.
“There is only so much I as a manager and a coaching staff can do, once they cross that line you need that little bit of luck. The Leyton Orient game was disappointing but we had 16 shots, more than them, we had more possession than them. But, as you can see, when we concede the early goal the confidence goes from us. But, we scored early on against Tranmere and I think we never looked back after that. If we can do that more often then I think you will see a more confident team.
“Overall, I was really, really pleased with the lads, I thought they were excellent, I thought they gave their all and I thought they played some good football. I thought the fans were very good as well, they got behind us from the start of the game. I don’t think the players have ever gone out there and said they are not going to compete for me and run hard for me, because they do in training.
“I think sometimes it can look that way but it needs a team effort, and I think you could see from a team effort point of view that the lads wanted to win for myself, the fans and for the club really. We just need to try to get up the table but I was really, really proud of the players because they work hard and they are a good bunch of players. We just have to work on that confidence factor, we have to build on this, we have to build on that now."
“Sackings are part and parcel of football but I would have been disappointed if the Tranmere game had been my last one, because I have never really had my full team or my full squad out. But, I understand that when the results are no good and the fans are not happy and the club are not happy then there is always a chance that that might happen. But, I would like to think they would give me a fair crack at it and let us see how well we can go on now.
“Because, I think if you look at it the table is really quite tight, we have had disappointing performances but we have had good performances as well. I just think that when we have conceded early against teams or conceded against teams we haven’t looked as though we could get back into it. We need a bit more game management when we do concede against teams to say we don’t have to have everybody start going out to try to win the game straight away, we have to stay in the game.
“But, I thought on Saturday against Tranmere, even the start for me everybody was really behind us when we went out there. I think the players could sense that as well so there was a good feeling, I think the players went out there and knew they had to perform, but it helps when the fans are behind them, but it also helps when the players play well and start well.
“I think you have to look at it that if the performances are not getting better when you have got your proper squad out there and we are between the middle of the table and the bottom of the table then I would look at myself. But, I know I am working hard, we have got some good players and Ray Trew (chairman) has been very good, I just hope he keeps his faith in me like he has been doing and we can go on from there. As you can see, the players are committed, but it is getting that confidence and getting everybody to be on the same sheet."
“Once the players saw the chairman back me it helped as well, but ultimately it comes down to myself and my staff and the players. We have to entertain the fans, we have to make sure we are committed to the cause and we have to turn it around. So, the chairman can say so much, the fans can only take so much and it is up to us to keep going on the pitch and doing the performance that we did on Saturday against Tranmere.
“It is really important for me now to build on that, I don’t want to be disappointed after Saturday, we have got to try to build and I think the players are determined to do that. The hardest part is being given time for all the new players to come in and blend in and play with the team and we have got to know how they play.
“Hopefully they can blend quickly because we need to try to get up the table, these are good players that we are trying to bring in and blend also with the players we have got at the moment. But, we need the captain Dean Leacock and Alan Sheehan and Gary Liddle to play to their level, and once they play to their level then all the younger players can jump on their backs.
“You look at the results and Carlisle have won their last two games, that is what can happen sometimes. But, we have got to go there and be very, very confident in ourselves. We are getting a bit of a stronger squad, a stronger bench, we had David Bell and Marcus Haber coming on against Tranmere and Haber came on and played his part, Bell was involved in the second goal as well.
“So, that all proves to us going on a better run, a good run, and maybe getting back to back wins or at least getting something from the game. Then we have got Crewe and also Oldham where we can go and try to do well, but it is really important that we go on from there and do well and give the fans hope."