|
" Jemal (Johnson) has got permission from MK Dons to play so he will feature. What we do when his loan spell is up is on the back burner for now. Obviously the situation with Lewis Haldane comes into the equation. We have got to see how he is, but we'll deal with that when it arrives and for the moment I am just focusing on the Carlisle game on Tuesday night.
" We've had Carlisle watched and they are a strong team who have impressed at home despite their defeat on Saturday, they've got good players who can hurt us.
" Some of our main players didn't perform and they looked jaded on Saturday, we'll rest the people who need it and give players a game who maybe warrant a chance. It's a cup game and we want to progress - I would think all of Saturday's substitutes will appear tomorrow.
" It's been difficult to change a winning team, but this is our first opportunity to look at some lads who have not featured for a while. These players are never far from my thoughts and this opens the door for them to show what they can do in a first-team game.
" We're still top of the league, so we're not in crisis. It will only be a crisis in certain people's heads and the doubters and the cynics will have a field day. But there's no crisis over confidence or belief. We had an off-day, got our backsides spanked and have to take the defeat and move on, but my message to the fans is we can get better and it's not the end of the world. "
After receiving a bye in the first round, while Port Vale, thanks to a brace of goals from former Carlisle transfer target Marc Richards, defeated League One opposition in Rochdale 2-1 at home, United have once more got a home draw in a cup competition this season. The Blues tonight at home to a side that they have faced only once in Associate Members Trophy action over the years.
That game coming in the 2001-02 season when the Blues lost 2-1 at Vale Park in the opening round. Carlisle having been 1-0 up at half-time in front of 2,664 spectators thanks to Richie Foran, only for the Valiants to turn things round after the break with Steve Brooker and then Ian Armstrong getting themselves on the home scoresheet.
In league and cup action at Brunton Park the two sides have faced each other 13 times, with Carlisle winning six and drawing five, while Port Vale have won only twice. The Blues having not lost at home to the Staffordshire outfit since as far back as 1958-59 in the old Division Four, while the other Valiants victory at Brunton Park came in Division Three North in 1929-30.
As for the visitors this season, they are currently top in League Two on the back of seven wins, a draw and two defeats so far, with four of those victories having been picked up on the road. Their one league loss away from Vale Park coming on Saturday when they went down 2-1 at Oxford. Meanwhile, in the Carling Cup they shocked Championship leaders QPR with a 3-1 win at Loftus Park, only to then not enjoy their second trip to London in the tournament as they were thrashed 6-0 at Fulham.
Meanwhile in team news for the Valiants this evening, their only partly injured player is pacey winger Lewis Haldane who is still looking to get back to full fitness after being in hospital with an infected insect bite on his ankle in July that caused him to lose three stones in weight (ed - I might let a wasp sting me after all). Likely to feature in the starting eleven though for Vale is MK Dons-loanee Jemal Johnson who has been given permission to play in the competition by his parent club.
The referee for tonight's match is David Foster from Newcastle, and he will be assisted down the lines by Tony Peart from Northallerton and Stephen Smith from Darlington. Meanwhile the fourth official is Peter Wright from Southport.
One job for the refereeing crew this evening may be to run a penalty shootout after 90 minutes if the scores are still level, with no extra-time on the agenda. Under other Johnstone's Paint Trophy rules, a club must include in its starting line-up at least six of the 11 players who started the club's previous game or at least six of the 11 players who have made the most starts in league and domestic cup competitions since the start of the season.
JPT Prize Fund
£5,000 - first round
£7,000 - second round
£10,000 - area quarter-final
£17,000 - area semi-final
£25,500 - area final
£40,000 - winners