United media officer and first team kitman Andy Hall (AH) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) this afternoon ahead of Carlisle's League One match at home to Scunthorpe, Hall first talking about the Blues fielding an unchanged back four to the one that finished the game at Wycombe :
JP
The big choice was in defence for Greg Abbott today going into this game and he has elected to go with what we saw against Wycombe, Lubomir Michalik back in, (Peter) Murphy out to left-back?
AH
I think what happened with Lubo on Good Friday was important because he came on early and he needed to show Greg that he had responded to the fact that he had been left out of the team for a good five or six games in the wake of what had happened with his own run of form. Which he admitted himself, he is a big lad is Lubo and he has got a big character as well and he wasn't happy about the fact that he wasn't playing at his best.
The manager decided he needed to change it, Danny Livesey spoke for himself with the way that he played. But, when Lubo's chance came back it was important for him that he stood up and showed everybody what he is all about and the reason why Greg Abbott chased him so vehemently to get him signed up a couple of seasons ago. He came in and responded and that is why the back four is unchanged as per the last, what, 70-odd minutes of that game on Friday.
JP
I wonder if it is just me who sees this, one of those things that only I see and there are those things out there, or is he somebody who really has responded to Danny Livesey and the way he plays, the bravery that Danny Livesey shows out there. Danny refuses to be drawn on this, he says that he only looks brave because he is a limited defender and that is all he has got in his locker, but I think he is being modest. But, Lubo Michalik for me seemed to put his head in amongst the boots a couple of times at Wycombe?
AH
Yeah, and he had to because of the way Danny plays. Danny, the question was asked, he had been out for so long, again because of what Lubo had been doing, it was a case of the frustration for him but he would never talk about it, he always kept tight-lipped but it must have been massive. So, when he got his chance he came in and he was whole-hearted and there was absolutely no way on this planet you could have dropped him.
I don't care which team he was playing in, playing like that he would have been picked every single week. So, then it is down to Lubo to again respond when he comes in, so that is what you need in the squad and you tend to get that when................... I think we have all been around long enough, particularly myself at Carlisle United, to know that when things are good everybody wants to play and when things are bad that is when it really does get tough decision-wise. But, every single player in that squad wants to be playing at the moment and that is a good position to be in.
JP
What was the atmosphere like on the bus? I mean it was another of those occasions where Greg Abbott's sides in League One failed to get that third win on the trot, but it was tough on them, they had worked hard and they were denied a clear penalty and maybe a game changing one as well when it looked like Hackett should have been sent off for the foul on Liam Noble but still they remain unbeaten. But, what was the mood like on the bus? Did it feel like maybe they had lost a little bit?
AH
I think Kav (Graham Kavanagh), Greg and Caigy (Tony Caig) did a fantastic job in the dressing room afterwards, because everybody was down when they walked back in after that ball went in there with what was about what, 60 seconds left to play and then you are in the dressing room.
They were all down and within seconds it was a case of this is important, if we mope around this weekend and go into the game with the wrong attitude on Monday then all of a sudden things start to look a little bit different. The unbeaten run has put us where we are now, let's forget the fact that we are sixth, we have got ourselves into the play-offs, that is what is important and we want to stay there.
If we start to mope about and think about last minute goals, penalties that weren't given, sending-offs that should have been, I mean if you get a look at Murph's (Peter Murphy's) face you will see a big bulge underneath his eye, he got an elbow off a lad that possibly could have been sent off in the same game. So, those things didn't go our way, when they don't go your way you have got to make sure that you do what you can to make sure that everything else does, and that is what the lads will be doing today.
JP
And just having seen them and how they were immediately after the game on that trip home, do you get the feeling from seeing them today that they are out there going, well we are invincible at home, let's get out there and teach these Scunthorpe a lesson?
AH
Well, I hate to blow smoke up his (Abbott's) wotsit but the last time I saw a squad like this was when we were in the Conference and then into League Two and we were beating everybody. He is one of them sat here (Chris Lumsdon), the lads had so much confidence that it was buzzing because he was part of that squad.
It is exactly the same feeling and nothing tends to knock you down, like I say, when these little things go against you, you pick yourself up straight away, and that is because you know you have proved to yourself and you have proved to everybody else that you can beat anybody who comes your way, whether they are top, bottom or somewhere in the middle.
That is the feeling we have got at the moment and I think it is really important that we have got to this stage of the season with six games to go and we are the team with the momentum, there will be absolutely nobody else in that top six area that will want to play us.
JP
I try to avoid using too many of the football cliches, but these are now six cup finals if United are going to be in that play-off shake-up?
AH
It is yeah and you keep talking about teams like Wycombe struggling, teams like Scunthorpe struggling, I don't see it myself because these are the form teams and unfortunately we seem to be coming up against them. Charlton again next weekend, the form team in the division, they have proved that because of how many points gap they have got at the top of the table. All you can do is take each game as it comes, make sure that you are ready for it and hopefully get the three points.
JP
That is all they can do and they will have to keep doing that between now and the end of the regular season and then hopefully just the three more games. Just another three?
AH
Three would be nice because we would all be where we want to be.