United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) following Carlisle's 1-0 Capital One Cup win at home to Accrington Stanley, Abbott saying that the Blues can take positives out of the game :
JP
Are you happy then? Open the season with a victory and through in the cup?
GA
Yeah, I am always happy to win games and we take some positives out of the game with a clean sheet and a 1-0 win and a progression to the next round and hopefully a nice side where we can get a decent gate and decent opposition. So, they are all good things and there are a lot of things to be pleased about with the game today and there are an awful lot of things there that give me plenty of food for thought on issues we need to work on over the next week before the Stevenage game.
So, it is a mixed bag today, certainly pleased and delighted to be in the next round, delighted to keep a clean sheet, delighted we have got some young players playing and making debuts. They are real positives in where this football club is going to go.
JP
Which are the issues then that you think you need to work on a bit?
GA
I didn't think we passed the ball and retained possession as fluently as we have done, and I thought the younger players showed that there is a little bit of pressure when there is a crowd, it is a first team game, it is for real, the result matters. But, it is a big learning curve for them and we will work with them and we will support them and we will encourage them.
But, overall our team-play was......... Our shape was OK, our defending was very, very good, I think they had one shot on goal, decent effort on goal, I might be a little bit biased with that, but they didn't really hurt us in terms of that. But, we didn't create as many chances and we didn't have the fluency of our football that we have done, and it was one of those games on a hot day where I don't think we really played at the tempo that we are looking to play at. Maybe next week we need to improve on various aspects of that to win the game at Stevenage.
JP
Possible though that Accrington on the day, without wishing to disrespect them too much, made it a little bit too easy for you and your players found it a bit that way and so perhaps didn't play at their best because maybe they didn't have to?
GA
I wouldn't make excuses for the players or anybody, I think you give a bit of credit to Accrington, they worked hard, they closed us down, they did what they needed........... They did a lot to stay in the game rather than commit people forward and cause us too many problems. I didn't fel at any time of the game we looked like conceding really, it wasn't a...........
But, we surrendered a bit of possession, a bit of territory and we couldn't really get hold of the ball and we didn't break quick enough, and when we did the pass and decisiveness of the pass wasn't as quick as we would like it, We got dragged into a bit of a dour game in the end, and we are trying to play good football at a pace, and I don't think we achieved that in the whole of the game today.
JP
Given the way the tempo of the game was, and I guess the overall quality of the game, was it a great opportunity to blood some of the new and younger players in there?
GA
Erm, they have gone in on merit, to be honest they have really gone on in merit. I don't look at the type of game it is, I mean we had to bring Becky (Mark Beck) because Lee (Miller) was....... It his first game in how many months and he was really, really leggy, J-P (Jon-Paul McGovern) exactly the same, he is probably a week too early, possibly shouldn't have played.
David (Symington) has come on and he has had an opportunity to really stake his claim and there are the type of reasons that probably that we think we are right saying he is not just quite ready. They will be there when we think they are ready, that nervousness that he showed today in front of goal is one of those issues, but he will get round that, he will be much better for getting on the pitch. Next time he goes on he will be used to the atmosphere, used to the other people, the players and the importance of performing.
JP
Yeah, because he had the shot didn't he when he got played through and he could have scored, and also he had the cross when you had five on two. But, you have made the point, next time he does it he will be slightly less nervous?
GA
They have to have that opportunity and we are a club that is absolutely delighted that we have blooded three homegrown players today. We know that all three can play better, Brad (Potts) has probably had his toughest game since he has got into that first team berth in terms of his use of the ball and his composure. He is a really, really organised player, today he just looked a little bit edgy and a little bit nervy.
But, he has had his first one out of the way now, David has, Becky has, and I think for the people that have wanted youth and local and the young bloods, well they can be going home reasonably happy. We have got to sort of organise the squad and organise the team to make sure we get the right blend and get the right squad and get the right people in at the right time to go and win league matches. That has been a big learning exercise for those players and myself today.
JP
Yeah, we tell you about when people do have a bit of a moan here and there on twitter and things, and a number of people were getting in touch though saying how nice it was to see three people who Carlisle produced coming through. So, there was a lot of acclaim for that?
GA
Yeah, absolutely fantastic, but it won't be long, it won't be long if we are losing games with those players and they say that we are too young, they are not quite ready. So, it has got to marry up with performances and results, so I as a manager, we as a club should be absolutely delighted that we have had three 18-year olds making their debuts today and we have won a game and we work with them, and we know we have got some experience in the camp if we need it.
But, listen, it is an absolute delight to see those boys out there and performing and having a right go, and the honesty and the freshness and the enthusiasm, and now we want the quality. All those players the longer they are with us will get better and better, they have only been with us five minutes.
JP
We gather that Danny Cadamarteri is getting a bit closer to fitness now, a hope that he will be there for the Stevenage game for you?
GA
Yeah, I mean we need everybody fit, and I am not saying where I am going with the selection. I picked what I thought was our strongest team on the day today, and that included young players, next week it might be slightly different. So, we have a look at the whole thing, but I want everybody fit, everybody hungry, everybody ready and we will have a tough week on the training ground leading up to Friday, Saturday and we go from there.
JP
And what do you do to sort of prepare them for that step up, because it is a bit like parts of your pre-season isn't it, when you are going from Accrington Stanley to Stevenage away, I mean what a gulf that is?
GA
Yeah, but, you know, you have seen on the monitor that there are some funny results already. Sheffield United have got beaten at home by Burton, so we are not one of those scapegoats. We have got through to the next round and we can take credit that we have won a game, kept a clean sheet and we move on.
JP
What about the score that Crewe beat Hartlepool 5-0? Did you know that one?
GA
Great, well that is what happens, that is football, it is a funny game, you can't predict results and scores can you so that rocks Hartlepool. We play them early on in the season, so it makes their game next week tougher and if they get off to a poor start then you meet them on better terms than if they had won four games. So, you know, there will be lots of all that sort of stuff going on, and I see Hull have drawn with Rotherham, so you know, we have won a game.
JP
Chris Chantler, did he pick up a bit of a knock before coming off?
GA
Yeah, just five or so minutes before I did take him off, he looked a bit........... Even Chants, he looked a it leggy and second-half it was a bit tough for him. We did that just to pop Thir (Paul Thirlwell) on to give us that steel before the end of the game. We didn't want to lose the game at all, we wanted to make sure we won the game and that was protecting Chris a little bit with his injury and Thir has gone on and shored it up for us.
JP
With the week then before you open your League One campaign, are you any further along, is there any chance or hope that you might be further along with a signing in advance of that?
GA
We are just looking all the time, I don't think there is anything imminent, we are waiting for a couple of phone calls which might lead to something. I think we need something before next week to give us all a boost, if it is not next week it will be the week after. But, I think we definitely need a little bit more in the camp to give us just that little bit more quality and we need to be maybe not so young. At the end of the game that was a really, really young side that was out there, so we will look at all that and see what we can do.
JP
I am noticing Danny Livesey's hand keep going up in front of us, he was part of a very big back four, just finally I know how you really like that and you will be really impressed that you had that size in there, they looked very hard?
GA
Yeah, well, I didn't think today that they looked like scoring, so that is encouraging. Adam (Collin) did make one good decent save from a terrific shot from the left side. But, I don't think they really carved us open and gave us too many problems, so in that respect we would have to say we are OK. Yeah, it is nice to have a mobile sized back four if you like that all can defend and all have got pace and all have got power and strength, so we looked like that was encouraging today.