United loanee Conor Townsend (CT) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) following Carlisle's 1-1 League One draw at home to Crawley, Townsend saying the players are bitterly disappointed after conceding an 88th minute equaliser:
JP
It must be a very bittersweet match for you, because another super display and the man of the match, but heartbreak late on with the equaliser for the team?
CT
Yeah, I mean obviously the lads in the changing room are all bitterly disappointed. I think throughout the game we looked comfortable, I didn’t think they posed us a threat at all. There were a few individual mistakes but it happens and we have just got to take the positives from today and try to put it right on Tuesday.
JP
In commentary we kept talking about how lively Kyle Bennett, your man, looked and how if something was going to happen it was going to happen through him, but along with contributing a lot going forward you managed to keep the shackles on him today?
CT
Yeah, I played against before in the reserves at Hull and he is a good player, he is a lively player and I am happy with how I did today against him. So, hopefully that helped the team but it doesn’t really count for anything you know, the man of the match doesn’t, I’d rather take the three points but that is how it is.
JP
Carlisle fans will very much like to hear that, how much have you been enjoying playing at the moment and getting this game time and these chances at Carlisle?
CT
Yeah, I have been loving it, I mean I have said before, I am really, really enjoying my time up here playing every week. I think my performances have got better while I have been here and I feel myself improving as a player, which for me is the most important thing. I have got to go back at the end of this month, which I am disappointed about, but hopefully maybe something can be done in January.
JP
To extend it then beyond that because I guess it is so many days, it is very complicated how it all works, I’m glad you don’t entirely know either. But, in terms of that then, you would definitely like to come back in the New Year?
CT
Oh yeah, definitely, I mean I enjoy it here, the lads are brilliant, the crowd, the ground, I enjoy the full set-up, it is a good set-up and I am enjoying playing every week and I can’t complain. So, I would like to do something in January, yeah,
JP
The manager not clear over where the fault for the mistake lay, whether it was with Leon McSweeney or with Ben Amos himself, what were they like in the changing room after the game?
CT
Just like all the lads, everyone is disappointed, they know in themselves that it is maybe a mistake but they are strong, they are both strong characters and they will come back from it. Everyone makes mistakes, they didn’t mean to do it, it is just one of those things, all the lads were disappointed. It was one of the quietest I have seen the dressing room since I have been here, which shows how much it means to the players, which is good.
JP
It must be a great experience for you going through this with Carlisle United, of course you have got your own interests at your parent club, however, to see this and to see the work it takes sometimes to try to find your feet again, find your form again, must be invaluable to you?
CT
Yeah, obviously the experience that I am going to get from playing in these types of games, it is going to stick with me for the rest of my career and it can only be good for myself personally. So, I am loving it up here but today is just disappointing.
JP
What was the experience like of the first team here with Carlisle, seeing how much it matters, how have the management team dealt with you all trying to get the best out of you for a game like this coming off the back of Wednesday night’s disappointment?
CT
I think everyone again after Wednesday was disappointed, we knew in ourselves it wasn’t good enough as a performance and the management have said stuff but they don’t need to. The players know themselves that it wasn’t good enough on Wednesday and we tried, Thursday we trained hard and Friday we have tried to put it right. We are working all the time on the training ground to put it right and I think today was a good performance and we should have taken the three points home, but it was not to be.
JP
How far do the playing staff feel that they are from just the little things that need to change to start turning these defeats into draws and draws into wins?
CT
Yeah, I think obviously we are very close, it is just getting the fall of it, the fall of the ball, a bit of luck might help us. But, all we can do is work hard and try to dig ourselves out of it by hard work on the training ground.
JP
And there have been a few loan players with the club this season, they have had to work with that, that is League One football, do you have almost an Immigrants Union if you like in the Carlisle dressing room, do you all hang out with each other?
CT
No, not really, I mean a few of the young lads stay in the house together, but I think with the full team to be fair the spirit is very good. Everyone is down but the spirit in the team is good and I think you need that, you can’t be down all the time. You can’t be going into training thinking oh no, here we go again, we need to be upbeat and try our best to get out of it. There are players in the dressing room that are doing that and hopefully it will come.
JP
I don’t think it will take much to get anyone upbeat just finally for the FA Cup on Tuesday night?
CT
Yeah, yeah, it is a massive game you know, obviously there is the chance to get through to the second round at home against Brentford. Again, that is one we feel we can win if we get to that and then obviously the big boys come in. So, there is a good carrot at the end of the stick and hopefully we can get the win.
JP
Hull in the third round?
CT
It would be nice if I was allowed to play in it.