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 game away to Sheffield Wednesday, Hall first talking about Paddy Madden coming into the Blues starting eleven ahead of Jon-Paul McGovern:
JP
A change in the starting line-up, Paddy Madden earning his way back into the starting eleven?
AH
Yeah, the manager (Greg Abbott) is looking at his squad and seeing, as he said he always would, who can do the job that he thinks is needed on the day. He has gone with Paddy, Paddy's impact in the last game was phenomenal you know, particularly on the right-wing where we probably didn't associate him as much as when we brought him here, we thought of him as a striker. The things he did on that right-wing were absolutely fantastic and it is probaby why he has got himself back into the starting line-up today.
JP
Giving him a bit of legs. I hear that Chris Lumsdon will be up shortly, he is just chatting with Ben Marshall of course who has recent history with both these clubs even though he has now moved on to pastures new with Leicester. It would be great to have him playing for United today, but I am sure the Owls fans will feel the same?
AH
Yeah, he scored against us didn't he in that last game, when that was another monumental battle between those two clubs, another of the sides that we play our good football against and they seem to do the same. So, hopefully it will be more of the same today, we have had some good results in recent past and fingers crossed eh?
JP
A very strong line-up for them as you would expect, they are throwing money around, dear me, Nile Ranger and Gary Madine upfront is a strikeforce that many would like, I mean they are not far off Premier League quality, and Nile Ranger has played in the Premier League of course. Carlisle United though, they will come up against a team today who have got pressure mounting on them haven't they, they are battling it out with Sheffield United and they will be starting to feel that, unbeaten so far under Dave Jones?
AH
Yes, because if they slip up today that gap, which at the moment looks as if they could manage it and keep pushing away, that gap would start to grow, or even if it didn't today it would feel as if it was growing. Because, it is a home game and you have got to capitalise on your home games at this stage of the season when you are going for automatic promotion. For Carlisle United it speaks for itself you know, looking at the live score right now and Notts County against Bury, it feels like we are there almost because the goals are banging in. If that goes for us then look what today could mean to us as well, it is a fascinating stage of the season.
JP
It makes it a complete bonus doesn't it because I think the fear going into today's fixtures was Notts County would bury Bury and Carlisle would the bookies suggest get buried by Sheffield Wednesday, and it is virtually all over. Now, there is almost a buffer zone for Carlisle, everyone will hope they can get something here today where they are not favourites to do so. But, even if they don't, if that result stays the same at Meadow Lane the season just spins on another week?
AH
It just shows what League One is doesn't it. You can't predict anything and you are certainly a fool if you put a League One score on your coupon. Because, teams can beat teams at any stage of the season, but particularly now, Bury won't want to just fizzle out, they will want to consolidate what they have got, and make sure that come next season they have got the momentum to go again. Because, it is a really tough division, Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United, Notts County, all these teams, they are looking the other way, so it is just massive, every single game right now is massive.
JP
And you mention them, but you mention Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United, should United win at MK Dons today and Carlisle upset Sheffied Wednesday here then they are out of it. That is Sheffield United up and Sheffield Wednesday can no longer catch them, with just two games to go they will be seven points adrift. So, they will have that pressure and the hope is that that might just play into Carlisle United's hands?
AH
Absolutely, and that is why this stage of the season is so unpredictable because there is so much riding on absolutely every single game. The whole thing could change for Sheffield Wednesday, the outlook of automatic promotion which this club has thrown money at, could be gone by five o'clock tonight, and then they are looking at the play-offs yet again. But, that is where we want to be and we don't want to give it up just by giving them three points that would make the job harder for us.
JP
Just looking to the future of Carlisle United, four players given one-year professional contracts, great news for the club but great news for those yong men and Eric Kinder as well?
AH
Oh, it is fantastic isn't it, I mean those lads have worked ever so hard, every single one of them, there were seven of them who were given decisions on Thursday. Two of them, Dan Jones and Adam Gill, absolutely brilliant lads, they have gone to Penrith on a work experience package anyway, so things were getting sorted for them, I don't think they would have expected anything other than to have been told it was time to move on, I think they had already been indicated that anyway.
But, for the other five it was a really nervous day and it is horrible to watch because they are walking up and down the corridor looking for jobs to do for once in their lives, anything just to pass that time. You don't really want to be there when they walk out of the office, but then again you do because for myself I have watched the youth team at every single opportunity that I have got, and you start to live it with them.
So, when you find out that four of them have got through you are absolutely over the moon, and then when you find out that another one hasn't it hits you the other way. Because, you know how much every single young lad in Cumbria who is a Carlisle fan right now at that age wants to be where the other four are, and nobody would want to be poor old Lance McGlen, but he is a strong character that lad and he will move on.
JP
Just to name them though, Josh Todd, Brad Potts, Dave Symington and of course Mark Beck who is on the bench again today, and hats off to them all, congratulations!
AH
Yeah, it is hard, it is tough, because they get maybe one or two opportunities a month, maybe three if they are lucky to impress the manager, because the manager has got his first team to focus on. But, when those games come around against Sheffield, Newcastle, Blackburn, whoever it is that we end up playing in the reserve fixtures, that is their opportunity so it is tough for them.
The rest of it is all down to Mr Kinder and the hard work that he puts in trying to make sure that every single one of this sixteen, eighteen, however many is in the group gets through. It is tough for everybody, you just want them all to succeed but it is a dog eat dog business, they all can't do it, and when you get a crop of four out of the five main ones that were there on Thursday, then you have just got to be pleased with that.
JP
And finally on today, the squad is paper thin, you are missing strikers all over the place, you have picked up two points out of the last twelve available, I fancy you today though, why is that?
AH
I think we fancy ourselves all the time and it is because of the confidence in the dressing room. These lads are playing for each other and you could put me on the pitch and they would somehow get me through it.
JP
I don't think so.
AH
You are probably right there.