United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) following Carlisle's 4-1 League One win at home to Bury, Abbott first talking about Sunderland-loanee frontman Jordan Cook :
JP
You must be delighted with so many parts of that today, but not least bringing on Jordan Cook to such great success at the end to win a game?
GA
Yeah, I mean he has been really patient and we just felt that the game was levelling out a little bit, we needed something to spark it in our favour. We made the decision and brought him on and to be fair he has not put a foot wrong in the whole of the bits and pieces he was in, he has scored his goal, he has got the penalty and looked as good as he has.
He has been frustrated because he wanted to come for games, but he can play left or right, J-P (Jon-Paul McGovern) has been consistent, Francois (Zoko) has been electric and he has had to be patient. Today he has got his chance and I think that is his first ever league goal, and well played to him. Then once that goes in we end up getting every break that is going our way and we win a game really handsomely. You look at the paper tomorrow and you think we have had a really good week, so well played to Jordan and it is a substitution that worked.
JP
A few boos when you took Tom Taiwo off, I don't think from the fans it was criticism, they just were enjoying how hard Tom was working and worked, but is that perhaps just an indication of why sometimes you as a manager need to be trusted?
GA
Yeah, and one shout was don't keep picking on him, I mean it is absolutely not the case that............ We love Tom to bits, honest, he is an absolute gem of a kid, he is a fantastic warrior for us in but in that situation we needed an attacking spark, and we felt that Jordan going on there would give us that. I do know my players and I do know Tom inside out and Tom gets the comforting arm in the dressing room because he didn't want to come off and nobody wants to bring anybody off. But, sometimes as a manager I have to make those decisions and it worked today. There is never anything in it more than just doing something that will try to help the team.
JP
I know you always like to talk about your team rather than yourself, but in your 200th game as a manager to see your substitution change the match within three minutes of it happening must have been quite pleasing?
GA
Yeah, do I get the man of the match watch for that? If I am getting a pat on the back from you that is better than any watch anyway, so I will take the pat on the back from you.
JP
We gave you a top three along with Cook himself and Chris Chantler who got the overall man of the match, what a game he had?
GA
Terrific, brilliant, no, great stuff, I mean we have some honesty through the group, we have some determination, it is a game we have had to scrap and battle away in and find a way of finding that second goal. When it did it eased sort of everybody's edginess and we won the game handsomely.
But, like I have said before, we like the group, even though some of the remarks on the substitution, I am alright with that, that is what fans are, that is what they pay........... They are here again, there were 800 I think more than there was the other night so, listen, if we can come away unscathed from Bournemouth then we might get another three or four hundred and people can start looking at us as serious, serious contenders for that top six berth. Our players certainly want it and we certainly want it, the club wants it, so we will keep tramping on for that.
JP
Nearly 1,200 more actually, did you feel that was a response to your call for them?
GA
Well maybe, I can't do it again though, we can't do it every week, but we will be on it again next Saturday I am sure coming back from Bournemouth. But, it is a big game after that isn't it, it is two big games, Bournemouth away, Preston at home, if we can gather some points up for that you are putting yourself in a really powerful position. So, we just keep turning it over and seeing where it takes us, but we know what we are as a club and I think the players and everybody, the fans, deserve fantastic credit.
JP
Is it as much of a compliment to your team with the fact that you have managed to beat a Bury side who came and almost put in the classic away performance. I mean because you were leaving gaps trying to get the winner against them and they might just have got in behind, they almost were perfect?
GA
Well, maybe it is a sign of the progress we are making that we went for the win rather than sticking with a point and holding out for a draw and thinking that is reasonably OK. But, at this stage of the season wins are important for us and we felt like the game at half-time if we upped the tempo and the intensity of our play we could win the game.
We only talked about winning, we never talked about coming off with a draw and being satisified, but you don't want to give anything away and if you can't win then don't lose. But, today fortunately Jordan has come on and put the defender (Phil Picken) under a bit of pressure, robbed him on the far side and it is a fantastic finish to be fair.
JP
Lee Miller has got two goals to go clear as your top scorer on thirteen, was that a reward for his bravery today because at times the ball just wasn't sticking to him like it normally does?
GA
You mean he wasn't playing very well?
JP
But, he never hid did he though?
GA
Well, he can't at 6'2. No, listen, we talked about him not getting frustrated with the game and taking too many touches. Lee is in, off, and get back in the box, that is what he does, he brings the.......... I mean the first goal, I think it was up to him and to Liam Noble as well and that is the way he plays, the more touches he has, the worse he looks, so he is one of those boys we are saying don't have more than two or three touches Lee otherwise you will make yourself look ordinary.
He knows what I mean by that but he is a goalscorer, he has got two goals, he has led the line, he has been battered and bruised and he will go away and tell you he has had a fantastic game because he scored two goals. But, probably not his best ever performance for us.
JP
Fourteen without defeat now at home, stretching all the way back towards the start of the season, how fundamental is that going to be for the season to keep that sort of run going?
GA
Oh, well, it is massive isn't it, I mean I have twisted your arm right up your back and nearly round your shoulder to make sure you got that stat out, but not bullying you into giving us some praise, it is just where we are. I just think if we can............ Listen, if we set a bit of a target, a goal, to say let's remain unbeaten at home, remain unbeaten at home from now until the end of the season, I think that would give us a fighting chance. I think that would be a massive step towards where we want to be, so we need to keep that going, and again, keep crying out for the fans to stick with it and come down and see if they can drag us over the line.
JP
And if you get to the end of the season unbeaten you will be closing in on a record that has stood for close to a quarter of a century?
GA
Now we are talking massive, how many years is that a quarter of a century? 25 isn't it? You are talking to a layman football manager here, 25 years is a lot of years.
JP
It is not quite that but it is close.
GA
Alright, OK, listen, brilliant, I mean I think the players deserve a tremendous amount of credit and we all work together, as a group we all work and we are really powerful together. It is not an individual thing, it is not an anyone or him or him. The dressing room will tell you, it is not Lee Miller getting thirteen goals or Francois doing his magic or Danny Livesey being as brave as he has been or saves from Adam (Collin) or anything like that, or me or Kav (Graham Kavanagh). It is a group thing and that is the way we are running the club and hopefully that will take us forward.
JP
How important will a week off be now to get you ready for that Bournemouth game, a week off games?
GA
Erm, dangerous, dangerous with this mob. They will start thinking they are Real Madrid if they keep looking at that paper, they save Sunday's paper for four days you see and keep reading it. But, no, we will dust them down, we have got a massive run of games coming up after next Saturday so we are in to the final straight now and we are up there with a great chance.