United manager Graham Kavanagh (GK) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) following Carlisle's 0-0 League One draw at home to Shrewsbury, Kavanagh saying he thought it was a great performance from the Blues:
JP
How have you not managed to win that game tonight?
GK
I don’t know, first of all I thought it was a great performance compared to where we finished the game on Saturday. So, there was a big plus from that point of view. They were fragile yesterday and I was wondering what we were going to get out of them, so to be fair they gave their absolute maximum. We had enough chances again to win probably two or three games, but we didn’t take them and if you don’t put the ball in the net then you are going to pay the price.
It went to the very end, we kept going, we defended pretty resolutely, I thought we were the team who looked like they were going to score. But, we had some very good chances, two hitting the bar in the first-half, Lee Miller had two very good ones towards the end, James Berrett had a good chance, Danny Redmond had a good chance. So, it was disappointing but I was really pleased with the performance in terms of the honesty, work-rate and effort of the players.
JP
You talked about the chances you created against Stevenage when it was 0-0 here, tonight was different in that these were really big chances, you rattled the bar twice in two minutes in the first-half, Lee Miller had two chances inside the six-yard area in one minute in the second-half. I mean, on another night it could have been three or four but it is still not the goal that you need?
GK
No, it is not, it is not, and it is disappointing obviously and I am sure the fans are disappointed. But, to give credit to them they were magnificent again, got right behind us, stayed with us. The fans at the Warwick Road End were singing and getting right behind the team and were really encouraging us, which was magnificent. We needed as much of that as we can get, but from our point of view we need to work more on the quality in front of the goal.
I understand what it is like, because when you are in the situation we are in currently you do feel that pressure and you feel that urge to get your shot away early maybe or snatch at it a little bit. But, we just need that bit of a clinical head, little bit of a clear mind, and if we can get that then I am sure we can start scoring goals.
But, we kept a clean sheet compared to Saturday which is very pleasing. We changed the system and went three at the back and David Symington and Chris Chantler as wing-backs. I thought there were a lot of really good performances, but I thought David Symington was outstanding.
JP
Yeah, it really is developing into a bit of a role for him, and also we were torn between Chris Chantler and him for the man of the match, the pair of them were brilliant tonight?
GK
They were, and I said to Dave after the game, I am his biggest fan and his biggest critic. I know what he is capable of when he applies himself, he has got tremendous attributes, he has got ridiculous power, he has got very good speed, he has got very good spring and strength. When he actually puts all those together, coupled with his ability to deliver then he can be very, very effective. I thought he really applied himself as did an awful lot of players.
I thought Bez was excellent, I thought Danny Redmond was excellent, Brad Potts looked to break the line and obviously Lee up top worked hard. I thought they were going to be a goal threat, they had the chances but they just couldn’t put them away. So, on another night we could be sitting here with a clean sheet and a very convincing performance, it wasn’t to be so we regroup tomorrow and we look to get the job done on Saturday.
JP
What will you talk to the players about when you are in training with them over the next few days, will you talk about bad luck, the fact that you didn’t score tonight and that they need to score against Tranmere, or will you talk about things that they need to do differently from this evening?
GK
Well, I think you create your own luck. We didn’t start the season well enough and we are doing all we can now and we are chasing it and we are really, really chasing it to put it right. But, I think in this moment because of the pressure and because of what is at stake, people can react in different ways. We saw how we reacted on Saturday when we conceded a goal, I thought the team looked very, very vulnerable and we looked like we could concede at any moment.
I had a few sleepless nights since Saturday thinking how we were going to put this right in terms of personnel, performance, energy and belief. If I am being honest with you, the next day after the game when we were in there were a lot of people who were on their soles of their feet and just really looked down in the dumps. So, me and the staff had to try to pull them up and bring them back to life and the performance we got tonight, it is all I could have asked. I have said performances will turn into results, but with eight games to go that needs to start happening quickly.
JP
Kyle Dempsey came on with not a great deal of time to go, is it just difficult to be able to throw on players like him, he is not even a professional footballer, he is a youth team player, you have got another youth team player [Pat Brough] and a first year youth graduate [Jack Lynch] on the bench, can you not throw those on for 10 or 15 minutes because it is just too hard for them to go into that sort of atmosphere?
GK
The honest answer is that I don’t know. I think the few kids who are on the bench, they are on the bench because they have got character. Character in different ways, Kyle is tenacious, aggressive, he chases everything, he has a lot of belief in himself. Pat Brough is a quiet character, he has legs, I don’t know how much legs he has because he always seems to find that extra gear, which is great.
But, he is coming to terms with training with the first team and the pace of that. So, it would be a gamble throwing either of them in and I felt tonight was the time we needed a gamble. We have obviously got a lot of injuries to senior players and it is giving them opportunities.
But, I don’t think you can ask too much of them too often because I think it starts to impact and effect on their development. But, it is all credit to them, I asked Kyle if he was ready and he said he was ready and to give him an opportunity and that he was going to take it. Whether it is bravado, whether it is belief, either way I thought he adapted very well.
JP
Did you feel it is a bit too much of a risk for them though to maybe do it a bit earlier and try to let them both of them have maybe a crack at the game, or was it just a total gamble that?
GK
Well, to be honest what I was thinking was when we had the three centre-halves on, we wanted the full-backs not to be five, we wanted them to be a three, so therefore they were engaging higher up the pitch. We felt with the way Jon Taylor was playing off the right and then he switched to the left, and then vice-versa and Paul Parry who was playing on the left and switched to the right.
They were making runs inside our centre-backs and I was cautious that the two centre-backs didn’t get narrow and the player, the full-back on the side of the pitch didn’t close that space we were giving them and they were canvassing. As much as we were attacking them, we probably gave up ground to concede.
So, I thought with ten minutes to go, listen, it is gambling time and we need to throw them on and we need to get somebody who is going to do maybe something different. It wasn’t to be tonight but I can’t fault the players for effort, and I certainly won’t. if there is any criticism it is just that we didn’t get the ball in the net, but other than that everything else was very much on view.
JP
David Amoo picked up another injury, it is a good job you haven’t got many injuries isn’t it?
GK
Yeah, well it has been a really peculiar sort of couple of months with the rain we have had and the change in the pitches. David pulled his hamstring on Saturday, Paul Thirlwell has obviously been out for a number of weeks, Matty Robson trained yesterday and then has now pulled up again. Sean O’Hanlon has obviously got himself fit, which is great.
Mark Gillespie has had a little bit of a setback, but he is road hopefully to recovery. Pascal Chimbonda who has got a calf problem is desperate to get himself fit and is saying he wants to play on Saturday, but that is a risk. Liam Noble who I was told would be out for the rest of the season rings Neil Dalton after the game on Saturday evening and says he wants to play.
So, you are getting players who are probably wanting to do it all for the right reasons, but it would be foolish of me to jeopardise their careers. But, I have got to evaluate when we do it, who we do it with, how we adapt in terms of who we play against and how we are going to manage to get enough points accumulated to stay in this league.
JP
Of those then, including David Amoo, I don’t know what the timeframe is on him, but are any of them genuine hopes for the weekend then?
GK
I am actually afraid to say to be honest because as I come in on a daily basis it is a step forward and two steps back. Dolly is absolutely pulling his hair out, I know he hasn’t got any, but he is at a little bit of a loss as well as we all are. I don’t know what we can do, we are basically wrapping them in cotton wool if I am being totally honest with you so we can put a team together to go on the pitch.
I didn’t think I would have a team if I am being honest on Sunday because there were one or two knocks. But, credit to them, they gave me that performance tonight and because I know what the group is going through it sort of makes it that little bit more pleasing and also that little bit more disappointing that we couldn’t actually get the just rewards for our efforts. But, we just need that quality in front of goal.
JP
I know that you have been trying for this for some time, any progress or any chance of the loan players that you are looking at for the weekend?
GK
If I could sit and down and explain to you how complicated it has been then you wouldn’t believe. I actually didn’t think there would be this many scenarios in signing players. But, we are looking closer, one, possibly two and I am hoping with one or two decisions being made that they fall into place in the next 48 hours.
JP
And just finally then, the table has got incredibly tight, bottom Stevenage 37, then second bottom Notts County 37, third bottom Shrewsbury 38 and Carlisle on 39, Tranmere the same points and goal difference as Carlisle going into the weekend’s game. But, then teams beyond them, Crewe and also Coventry still in your sights, plenty of teams to scrap it out but you just can’t afford to be letting cheap points get away from you at this stage of the season ahead of that game at Tranmere can you?
GK
Well, I mean I understand what you are saying but I think this looks now, as long as we can stay in games, that it is going to go to the last game of the season. If it does, it does, the players have shown enough character to make me believe that they are up for the fight and that is all I can ask. But, I would make sure as long as the staff to encourage the players to believe that this is do-able, this is very much do-able. I have always liked a challenge in my career and this is as big as it has probably been, but it is one that I will take on with full gusto.