Ex-United left-back, and current MK Dons assistant manager, John Gorman spoke to his club's official website ahead of his side's League One match against the Cumbrians at stadium:mk tomorrow, Gorman saying Carlisle is a special club for him :
“I have been involved with a few clubs but Carlisle is a special club for me, it is a team that when I came from Glasgow Celtic and joined Carlisle I was just over 20 years old. I had six very good seasons there, wanted away for two or three of them because I was ambitious, but we got to the old First Division and I really enjoyed my time there and played probably the best football of my career.
“I did have good times there, the fans never forget you because we were a famous little team. I feel sorry for the players now and the manager because they keep reverting back to it every time I go back there. But, it was a special time for a team to do well with not the biggest of squads, to play like we did with the style of football that we did, all the players that played there at that time are quite proud of that.
“Carlisle are always a good team and a difficult team to beat, we played really well at Carlisle and won 3-1 but they played well in spasms of that game and possibly it was a tighter scoreline than it ended up. We are quite proud of the way we played up there but they gave us an almighty game down here last season, we ended up with Adam Clayton scoring a winner in injury time, and I think that game was one of the games that took us into the play-offs. It was such an important game, but tomorrow’s game is leading up to be just as important.
“It is a difficult job at Carlisle and sometimes you think it would be hard to attract players there, but they get quite a few players from Scotland and things like that as well because it is not so far over the border. They do have long journeys but not as long as when I used to be there and we had the old coach journeys and the roads weren’t as good. But, they are a good side, they are a good side away from home as well so credit to them and their manager (Greg Abbott).
“But, Karl (Robinson) and myself are determined to make it a great day for us because Karl has already told the boys how important this game is. It is like after the Lord Mayor’s Show after playing so well against QPR, and we want to continue it because the league is the most important thing. We don’t want to have one eye on the replay on Tuesday night, we just want to be fully focused on Carlisle United. Carlisle are right in the play-off positions as well and right behind us, so if we can win this one then we can really stretch that advantage and that is why it is so important.
“Karl has talked about that and it is very important for us to win this game if we can it because then it will give us a good lead on Carlisle and the teams that are fighting to get into that last play-off spot. There is a long way to go, we know that, a lot of fighting and a lot of teams that are going to maybe come with a late run, I don’t think anyone can underestimate that because last year we weren’t in a great position and we forced our way into fifth position by having a great run. So, we have got to be very careful because teams like Carlisle are determined to get into that play-off spot.”