United manager Graham Kavanagh (GK) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) following Carlisle's 1-0 League One defeat at home to Preston, Kavanagh saying he was really, really pleased with the performance but not the result:
JP
What did you make of it today then?
GK
I was really, really pleased, I mean obviously not pleased with the result because you don’t like losing any games. But, I said to them in there, if you lose in that manner being aggressive and taking the game to the opposition then I will take that all day long.
JP
What about the result, well not the result obviously, but what about the performance then do you think you are pleased with?
GK
What, early in the game do you mean?
JP
It just seemed from watching it up above and what the fans have said that there weren’t a great deal of chances in the Preston final third, we didn’t trouble them enough to have got anything out of the game. But, that are areas that you are clearly happy with, I just wondered what they were?
GK
Well, we had two cleared off the line, so I know we didn’t have an abundance of opportunities but I thought we played in their half a hell of a lot more first-half than they did anywhere near second-half against us. I thought the second-half was pretty even-steven, obviously they got their goal first-half which was a great bit of quality, you have got to give the kid [Josh Brownhill] credit. It actually came from our throw-in which is disappointing.
So, certain aspects of it, obviously the detail you have to look at it and think OK, well could we have been a bit more clinical or a little bit more intelligent or whatever you put it, fine, I will accept that. But, the honesty, the endeavour, the closing down, the work-rate, we lacked that final ball at times, I would definitely agree with that. But, I thought the fans were brilliant, I thought they really got behind us, I thought they stayed with us for long periods and I thought it gave the players a real belief and energy.
We had lots of momentum and lots of sort of penetration without really cutting them open to the point where you thought we were going to get a clear-cut chance. So, I was hoping with the way we changed the team and the bodies we brought in that that might happen. It didn’t but Simon Grayson is absolutely ecstatic with the 1-0 win, you can see with his reaction after the game.
JP
In terms of the way their fans celebrated as well, they clearly felt it was an important game for them and it is the first time since they came down that there has been a clear winner, just a shame that it has happened in front of the biggest Carlisle support I have seen here at Brunton Park for quite a while?
GK
Yeah, well hopefully the fans can stick with us, I mean I would like to think they see the way that we are playing is different. We are trying to make it more expansive, we are trying to get it up to Lee Miller, we have runners from the middle of the park. I thought David Amoo was excellent today, I thought Tom Lawrence was very, very good, although he didn’t look a goal threat he still looked like he was going to play on the shoulder and he was going to get on the half-turn and take the game to the opposition.
I thought the midfield three worked extremely hard, the two centre-halves were strong. When the goal went in, our goal that was disallowed, I wasn’t sure it was offside but I have heard after the game he was pretty quick putting his flag up, which is fine.
But, there were incidents after that were it was blatantly, certainly second-half, with the same linesman where he didn’t put his flag up and it caused us one or two problems to rock us back. But, as I say, really, really pleased, disappointed obviously with the result but considering what happened last week I can’t fault today’s performance, I really can’t.
JP
If we say then that you may want to put together more in their final third, is that in some part down to the quality they showed, because certainly some of their defensive players were amongst the men of the match and they fought very hard to keep you at arm’s length?
GK
Well, I couldn’t believe it when I heard Sean O’Hanlon was man of the match, he didn’t really have a great deal of defending to do to be totally honest. For me I thought David Amoo was the standout player for me. But, I think you have got to give Preston credit, they have got a big budget, they have got some very good talent in the squad.
They have replaced Kevin Davies and Joe Garner today with Paul Gallagher and Jack King and they are good players. There are no two ways about it, they are good players, but I see what we are doing, I see the way the lads are buying into it. I see the performance levels they are giving us, I see the honesty and integrity that they are showing and you can’t fault it.
JP
In terms of as the game drew on, you were struggling to break them down to their credit, did you think that it went a bit aerial again, something that you have touched on in the past, as the game drew on, I am not saying it was what you were doing all game long, but did you feel it did go a bit aerial and almost a bit hopeful towards the end?
GK
Yeah, but I am not going to make that as a criticism, I mean last week I thought with 20 minutes to go we looked to bombard Walsall with aerial power and we weren’t getting any joy. I thought with 15 minutes to go today I think we still tried to pass it, I mean that was probably the period when we had the two chances cleared off the line, Paul Thirlwell’s and James Berrett’s ones.
On another day I am sitting here after getting a draw or a win with the same performance and everyone is saying how great we were. So, I am not going to be negative, I am not going to be critical, do we know it could be better? Final balls in and around the by-line or the edge of the box, yeah, 100%, but there could have been better balls last week when we won 4-1, because we could have quite easily won that game 12-4 or 12-5.
So, am I going to be critical? No, I am not, I thought the players were very, very good, it gives us confidence going into the game on Sunday. I am disappointed that we lost our home record but, as I say, there are some positives going into this weekend’s game.
JP
Is it almost a problem that you have got trying to find people who are quick enough to keep up with David Amoo, because he got away from David Buchanan a couple of times and put in super balls, but he was so quick that even your players couldn’t seem to get up to pace with him?
GK
Yeah, I mean I don’t know how many gears David has got because he always just seems to find that next level when he gets to the by-line or when he gets past the full-back. It is sometimes difficult to break beyond him, I think sometimes you have to cheat as a midfield player, which then leaves us vulnerable in midfield to the counter-attack, which we are not always pleased about.
But, maybe sometimes you have to sacrifice that if you know David is on his game. So, we play the extra man in the middle of the park knowing that David can play off the striker and he can also create those chances, and you hope that middle player in the middle of the pitch gives you the insurance that you hope you need.
The full-backs we obviously we want to try to join in, I think we were a little bit negative, negative is the wrong word, a little bit maybe tentative in the full-back areas early on, but I think they grew into the game and I think that is understandable because they haven’t played for long periods both of them. We are getting into a run of games now where it is a heavy schedule and we are getting injuries.
The ground has changed, it is getting an awful lot softer and it has been difficult, it has been difficult managing it in the sense that Matty Robson gets a back problem the other day and I am very, very cautious of even entertaining playing him today because I know with Matty’s history it can be a long-term injury. So, I am trying to weigh up all those things and still get the best performances. It is hard but it is what you have to do as a manager and I thought the lads performed well today.
JP
It is a case of something that you need to manage over the Christmas period, might he be available for you for the Peterborough game or is he a concern for that one?
GK
Well, we are going to have to assess it as and when, but as I say, with Matty there is no real sign of it coming on, it just comes on and then you can be eight or ten or twelve weeks. He has been a vitally important player for us this season and I am not prepared to risk one or two games to have him missing. So, it is what it is, I think that showed why the importance of the deadline window day when we got the players in. So, yeah, as I say, we dust ourselves down and assess it tomorrow and we go again.
JP
Pleased with the men who came in, forced on you with that injury and of course the suspension, Brad Potts also in there?
GK
Yeah, I think there were a lot of positives to be had, it was another 90 minutes for Pottsy. Josh Morris came in today and he has had a really bad knock last weekend, he was concussed and sort of struggling with blurred vision for two days. We asked him would he step up and play and he did, so I think that is what we are getting across the board, we are getting that real togetherness and team spirit and unity and everybody knows that when you get the opportunity you have to try to take it. But, they are giving us their all.
JP
Of course you can’t come in here after every defeat and criticise, and it is good that you have seen the positives in there to build on, for those fans who maybe go away grumbling today, but the extra fans who have come, why should they come back and give you the benefit of the doubt, if that is what it is for Peterborough?
GK
The benefit of the doubt? I think there was enough to see today that from where we were with the first few games and how low the confidence was, I think it was……….. I don’t want to sound sort of patronising here, but I genuinely thought it was a decent performance today. I thought it was a performance full of honesty, on another day we definitely could have got something and the fans would have been going away really happy. You don’t always win the games you deserve to win and I thought we deserved to win the game today.
They had one chance which they take first-half and they had one other chance second-half that Ben Amos makes a fantastic save from, which we are probably getting done on the counter because we are chasing the game. But, that aside, we had two chances cleared off the line, we had a goal disallowed, we had set-pieces that we definitely could have done better from, no two ways about it if we had had better delivery.
There were a lot of pleasing performances and pleasing aspects of the way we played and the manner in which we played, so I hope the fans continue to try to build and get behind us again and come back in their numbers as they have done today. They were magnificent, it makes a real difference when they are in the stadium, you feel that energy and that buzz and it is up to us to continue to work as hard as we can to make them believe. But, as I say, on another day it could have been a win.
JP
Just finally, with the way that Peterborough like to play as well it could be a bit like that Brentford game, two really attacking teams just going hell for leather after each other, so if nothing else it promises to be exciting doesn’t it?
GK
Yeah, I mean they have come out of a difficult period where they couldn’t buy a win and obviously now they are in a good run of form. I didn’t see their result today but we feel we are a match for all the teams when we are on our game. Certainly at home we have made it as little bit of a fortress, albeit we lost today.
But, I am optimistic for Sunday, I have told the players there are opportunities and places up for grabs and we all know what is round the corner. So, the most important game now is Sunday and we address today’s situations, like the injuries and the fatigue and we make some selections based on that for us to hopefully get the biggest and best possible result.