JP
One of the things that we are quite surprised to be hearing about this afternoon is that the game is on, because a lot of people were very cagey about it earlier in the morning, but game on it is?
AH
We had the covers on since last Thursday and the temperature dipped dramatically last night, I think it was minus 7.something or other on the gadgets we have got around the ground. So, it is touch and go whether the covers will protect against that, when we got them off it is very, very firm.
The Warwick Road End in that triangular shadow you get, it is like a pyramid isn't it over the edge of the box there, it is extremely firm. So, as soon as we discovered that it was a case of let's get the referee (Craig Pawson) here and see what he says.
You have got to pat everybody on the back, Greg Abbott our manager, Paul Dickov the Oldham manager and Craig Pawson himself with the assessors that were with him. They all asked what the clubs wanted and both clubs straight away said that they wanted to play the game, there is a fixture backlog anyway that is like nothing I have ever seen before.
There is a momentum going for both sides so there is a little bit of interest there for the managers, and they just wanted to play it. So, the referee has taken that into account which is a dodgy thing to say because you have got the Football Association watching every word you say, and that doesn't always happen. The referee has given it the thumbs up and here we are.
JP
Excellent news then that the game is on, in terms of other news for Carlisle United, a busy week or back end of the week at least in terms of transfers?
AH
Unbelievable isn't it the way that it works, you have got nothing going on from day to day, I say nothing other than a million phone calls trying to make things happen. You tend to get to the end of the week and for whatever reason that is, I don't know why it all happens at once, and two players out and then a player coming in and still more work ongoing as we speak.
JP
Was it a disappointment with Rory Loy that he couldn't be quite got through in time for him to play, or was that always kind of something that you knew you were up against with the international clearance with a player coming from Scotland to England?
AH
I think the way it has worked with Rory is that Greg has had a heck of a long look at him. We managed to get Rangers to play him against us up at Murray Park when we played them in the friendly so we could have another look there, and the lad scored and looked really good.
So, Greg invited him down, it was always the case that he would work Monday to Friday here with the club and then a decision would be made. So, I don't think we were ever going to be in a position with Rory, having taken that course of action, to get him registered in time for today.
JP
A big decision was over the left-back area and the manager has elected not to change a winning team. Many fans would say that is the right thing to do but Greg Abbott did say in the press conference this week that he would be brave enough to make that change if he felt that it was the right thing for the team. Clearly he did feel that the momentum in that starting eleven keeping them all together was the best course of action?
AH
Well, if you have got nine goals and three clean sheets then something is happening that is right. The team spirit that we have seen, the blocks that have been going in from Murph (Peter Murphy) and Lubo (Lubomir Michalik) and the other lads along the back line have been second to none.
Everybody has upped their game since that disappointment down at Torquay, that was a kick up the backside, it is a heck of a kick up the backside because it is a competition that you want to be in financially and football-wise. So, the reaction to that has been superb and with three clean sheets you wouldn't really expect any changes to the starting eleven.
JP
Can I just ask you, because you are looking quite close to him, not least with the pitch inspection, but on another number of occasions down there, what is Paul Dickov like? Because, my memories of him are of this sort of snarly almost angry almost animal-faced terrier-like forward who was brilliant in his own way. No way a criticism of him as a player but this horrible man of a footballer, what is he like? Because, I hear he is a really nice guy when he is not playing?
AH
Well, the first thing he did today, because he was the last one to arrive actually, so there were millions of officials, I don't know why there are so many of them here today, I think there must have been about ten.
There was all the Carlisle staff and infact the Oldham chairman (Simon Corney) was here as well waiting for him. So, we were all stood there, silence as he walked into the 18-yard box, he looked up, he looked at everybody and he went: "well, I would play", he just had a big smile on his face and he really is a genuinely nice fellow.
JP
He certainly is, let's hope that he is snarly and angry though come 90 minutes, come the end for Carlisle United getting the three points.
AH
Wouldn't it be fantastic to keep this momentum going, there is a good feeling about the place, hopefully the fans will pick up on that as well themselves, and if we can keep that going results always bring people back.