Shrewsbury manager Mike Jackson spoke to his club’s official website ahead of his side’s League One game against Carlisle at Brunton Park tomorrow evening, Jackson looking to build on the Shrews winning 2-1 at home to Bradford City on Saturday:
“We don’t want to get too carried away, we know what we have got to do on Tuesday. We have got to make sure we are ready to go, Carlisle will try to get back, they have been stung. I know Graham Kavanagh and the sort of person he is and he isn’t going to let them do that. So, we have got to make sure we are right up for that, it is a massive game, we have got to do it.
“It is a key game for us both and probably other sides as well, but how we start the game is going to be key as well. That is going to be the biggest thing, because I expect them to come out flying and we have got to be ready to come out flying as well and match that. But, we need to make sure we set our tempo and let them try to get near us as well.
“I think at Colchester we didn’t do the basics of it right at the time after the Wolves game, and people can say they were still feeling the whole Wolves occasion. But, we haven’t got time for that now, we know what we need to do against Carlisle. We have worked on it a little bit today and have spoken to the lads about it. But, you can talk all you like, it is more about who is up for it now. The games now are 100mph, a lot at stake and it is the people and the teams who are just willing to roll their sleeves up a little bit and dig in as well.
“It is a key period for us now, but the games are going to be tight, we have had four away games out of five which you don’t normally get, you normally get a bit of a balance. We are scrapping for points, we know what we need points-wise but we have got to make sure we are competitive in all the games and hopefully Saturday will give us that little bit of a lift.
“But, Kav will be hurting and I have been there with as well. I was there last week at Colchester, it hurts at the time and the next day after. But, they haven’t got a lot of time to regroup, he has got to try to get them together today now and get them ready to go tomorrow. That is the same with us, we have got to have everything going into this game now, the whole lot. We have to make sure we are right at it.”
“I played against Kav a lot when we were both in our playing careers, I have seen him around and spoken to him and I know what sort of character he is. So, he will be trying his best to get them up for it, and I will be letting our players know that we need to be up for it as well, and there should be no reason why we shouldn’t with what is at stake tomorrow.
“Carlisle have got a lot of loan players, similar to us, but myself and Kav probably know exactly where we are at. We are not the type of people who are going to cry about it, we have got some good players here, I said that the other day, the squad is looking stronger now. The bench is a good one and they are still people trying to get in on that as well, so I am happy with what we have got.
“We might need to add a couple and move a couple, but there are some good players in that dressing room and we have got to just make sure we continue and build on Saturday. We have got to get back-to-back wins, we have said that all season. Now is the time to go and do it, but all focus has just got to be on the game tomorrow now, it is a big, big game for everybody involved.
“I think you have got to be careful with loans, if you take too many from clubs when you say you are bringing them here to play and they are not then you have got to be careful. You can destroy relationships with the players and clubs which you don’t want to do. We need to look after ourselves true, but you have got to make sure that if you have got three or four lads on loan sat around who are not playing then that cause trouble in the dressing room, and we don’t need that.
“We just need to have a look at everything that is going on in the next couple of days, something could happen tomorrow which forces our hand in another way. It is going to be a busy period to make sure we have got everyone we need. We have got to make sure we have identified the right ones, we have got to be ready if due to tomorrow we have to move in another direction, and that is what we are trying to do.”