United media officer and first team kitman Andy Hall (AH) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) this evening ahead of Carlisle's Johnstone's Paint Trophy first round tie away to Accrington Stanley, Hall saying that the competition has been a fantastic one for the Cumbrians over the years :
JP
This trophy has been very kind to United over the years?
AH
It has been a fantastic competition for the club hasn't it, six times in the final and everybody remembers what happened last year after what happened the year before. So, yeah, it is one that you want to do well in, Greg (Abbott) said today when I was talking to him, it gets very exciting very, very quickly as you start to progress through the rounds. Because, from absolutely nowhere suddenly you are in an area final and it means so much, and anybody who says it isn't an exciting competition - just look at those games against Huddersfield Town last season. That is what it holds in store, and then you get to Wembley and the big prize at the end of it, so yes please.
JP
A suspicion that having won it it might not be Greg and Carlisle's biggest priority this season, anything in that?
AH
None at all, I think the priority that the manager has is the next 90 minutes of football, it doesn't matter whether it is JPT, Carling Cup or whatever, particularly at the moment as well because we have had off the back of not so much two bad performances but the results haven't gone our way at all. You have got to put that right, because again, if you get onto a run of bad defeats it is just as bad as it is good to be on a run of good results. So, we need to get it right, we need to put things right and show people that we are actually a good team again.
JP
And a couple of fans have stopped Chris (Lumsdon) on the way in and said that he (Abbott) has weakened his team, but looking at the line-up for Carlisle United you can't really see where there is a weakness in there, in every position it is players who definitely would think that they had a bonafide shot at being in the first eleven.
AH
Absolutely that, and it is players who fans have argued about should probably be starting at different times during the first few games of this season already. So, that is the job the manager has got to do isn't it? He has got to pick those players that he thinks will do the job for him, tonight he is looking at Welshy (Andy Welsh) to get wide, (Francois) Zoko to get wide, get balls into the box and the key there is that (Lee) Miller and (Craig) Curran are gambling and making the runs for him. So, it is not an easy task this, Accrington aren't a bad side, they are mid-table in League Two, they will make it difficult for us but he wants to go there and try to hurt them.
JP
I was asked to be in the programme by the local media here at Accrington and they asked me to put my colours on the mast and say whether I thought Carlisle would go through tonight, so I am going to say the same, well I said I would, are you going to do the same? Are they going to go through?
AH
We certainly hope so, you can't take anything for granted at all in these competitions, we know that from first-hand you know, travelled down to Torquay and everybody is expecting us last season to see them off and go through, the minute you take anything for granted in this game it smacks you on the backside. So, we are just here to do a job and hopefully that will be enough.
JP
If you had given me a yes or a no answer there you could have had one of the BBC biscuits, but I am not sure that you qualify for one now, but thanks ever so much and hopefully we will be chatting with the gaffer about a win?
AH
Thanks, we hope so.