New United signing Conor Townsend spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's Paul Newton (PN) following Carlisle's 1-0 League One defeat at home to Port Vale, Townsend saying the players are deflated after conceding a stoppage time winner:
PN
Obviously a very disappointing way to start off your time with Carlisle today?
CT
Yeah, I thought we deserved more from the game today, it is always a bit of a sucker blow when they score late on. The lads in the dressing room are all deflated, we are all gutted because everyone has put a good shift in. We haven’t won today but hopefully in the next game we can pick that up.
PN
Talk us through what you can remember of that Port Vale goal, obviously Tom Pope found himself with enough space to score in the end, what was your reading of it?
CT
I am not sure, the lads know what it has come from, it is a midfield runner, but everyone makes mistakes and hopefully in the future we can eradicate them from our game.
PN
Given the fact that three of you were making your home debut this afternoon you must have been encouraged by the fact that you went 92/93 minutes without conceding up until that point?
CT
Yeah, it is a new back four, obviously in the last game they had a clean sheet, but there are two of us that have come in today at right-back and left-back. As a back four I thought we were very solid, I didn’t think they really threatened us until Pope has gone through. But, I think there are positives to take from the game, I think we have played some good football, especially in the first-half, we just need to maybe take our chances when we get them.
PN
Were you aware of some of the pressure the home side play with when they play at Brunton Park? Because, obviously they haven’t got a point at home yet and there is a bit of pressure on the manager, was that something you were aware of today?
CT
Not really, coming in I don’t think the training has been as a pressure situation. The gaffer wants us to play football the right way and I don’t know if there is pressure on him, I don’t think he is portraying it to his players. I didn’t feel it, obviously there is pressure in games as a given but I didn’t feel overly pressured. I thought we started very bright in the game and it was just one of those, I think we maybe fizzled out a bit towards the end. But, on another day if David Amoo scores with the header or Troy puts that one in then we could be walking away with three points here.
PN
How difficult is it to come to a club and make up a back four like you did today where there were three players making their home debuts as we say, so it was an untested back four, how difficult is it to come into that sort of situation?
CT
Yeah, I mean we are all still learning each other’s games, we are all trying to work out how the gaffer wants us to play as a back four. But, we are all, especially with Troy and Leon who have come in, they are experienced players and they are very vocal, the back four including Mark the goalkeeper, they are all very vocal. So, for me it was easy to slot in, I thought we were pretty solid.
PN
You have had loan spells at Conference Premier level with Grimsby and then League Two with Chesterfield last season, how did you find League One today, did you notice much of a difference?
CT
It is a little bit quicker, but I think the higher up you go, like people say, you get punished more for not taking your chances. The higher up you go the more likely strikers are to take chances and punish you. It is a learning curve for myself and I am just looking to take each game as it comes and hopefully do the best I can.
PN
What is your situation with Hull City, obviously you are here for a month, is there an option to extend that if it is right for both parties, what are you looking to get out of these next few weeks?
CT
I am not sure what the arrangement is with Hull, I am here for a month initially. But, for me I want to come here and I want to play all four games in the month to begin with and hopefully do well and help the team pick up. So, for me it is all about getting games and trying to play as well as I can. If it goes well then I am more than happy to stay here for longer, but that is obviously up to the clubs to sort out, I am not too sure.
PN
Obviously it was a disappointed dressing room after the game, is there a determination amongst the players to put things right against Sheffield United next week?
CT
Yeah, definitely, we will be working hard on the training ground all next week and hopefully we can get the win next week against Sheffield United.