|
"It's always been in our hands but now it's in our hands to clinch promotion with either a win next week or against Rotherham on the final day. We haven't won it just yet. But this is a giant stride and will send shockwaves to our rivals who thought we would slip up at Carlisle. It was important we got a result today and it didn't look on the cards after ten minutes. Carlisle really came at us and used the wind to their advantage.
"We know the character of the boys and if we do win promotion then we'll look back at that goal from Jamie McCombe on the stroke of half-time as a vital one. We weren't playing particularly well but that goal just changed the mood and my half-time team-talk. In the second half the boys came out, got their goals and were solid. In the end we deserved the result.
"Jamie's tackle in the second half was magnificent. He went beyond the call of duty. He never got any sleep last night with a sickness bug and was white as a sheet this morning. We were a bit nervous in the first half but Jamie's goal came at a fantastic time for us. We knew Carlisle would have to throw people forward but we have good players to capitalise on the break.
"There were so many stories today. Enoch (Showunmi) scored on his 25th birthday and Jamie scored after nearly missing the game through illness. The other one was John Ruddy. I apologise to the fans because we had to keep it hush-hush - we didn't want to alert Carlisle. John was outstanding and all the lads gave him a standing ovation in the dressing room after the game.
"It may be the best seven-day loan signing ever. We expect (Adriano) Basso to be back next weekend, but if he's not then the option is there to extend John's loan. He only met the lads last night after being driven up from Everton to our hotel but he showed a lot of confidence. The supporters were magnificent and I'm glad two of the goals were right in front of them. They travelled in their numbers and I'm glad they'll be able to enjoy the long journey home now."