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JP
The first time since April 2007 that Carlisle United have won three games on the trot on the road, it is a proud stat but a proud performance tonight as well?
GA
Yeah, I am really, really, really pleased with the players' performance. We are filled with pride in there, Kav (Graham Kavanagh), Caigy (Tony Caig), Dolly (Neil Dalton) and myself and the backroom staff. We just thought that tonight we have had a long trip, we had a poor performance against a strong side, Sheffield Wednesday are a strong side who came to shut up shop a little bit and didn't let us play.
But, tonight, Charlton obviously at home have come out to play and got off to a great start, got off to a flying start, and after the goal I just thought we completely dominated the game and looked a threat. We had some terrific performances through the team tonight, but the spirit, bearing in mind our top six, our midfield three and striking three had an average age of 19-years old (ed - 21-years old), I think it is incredible, incredible.
The quality is going to be up and down week in and week out but the determination and the attitude we hope is going to be a factor that is going to stay with us. But, I just thought they were absolutely magnificent were the young kids tonight.
JP
You were always in the game but you seemed to get better and better right at the moment after you conceded a goal in particular?
GA
Yeah, well we keep saying to the boys that we hope they have got as much belief in themselves as we have in them. This is why right through the town we need to keep encouraging these kids and keep supporting them, because they are only babies some of them and they are inexperienced.
We know what we need and we know what the club needs and we are trying like mad to improve all that. But, give them their due, every week they give an absolutely honest shift and a performance tonight, they just grew into it and the belief just got better and better and better and stronger and stronger, and in the end we won the game a tad cosily.
JP
Talking about the game itself, we were trying to pick out a man of the match and in the end we ended up just listing the team, just fantastic?
GA
Leave it at that, because I know in my own mind who I thought was our best player but I don't think it is a night where you should be singling pepole out. I think you are absolutely spot on, the team tonight was absolutely fantastic, probably Adam Collin was the only one because he didn't have to do that much because the people in front of him were that good, which is fantastic for us.
They were a credit to the club tonight, an absolute credit to the club tonight, and our chairman (Andrew Jenkins) and John Nixon aren't with us because they have got to go to this hearing in Manchester and the chairman is busy at home with bits and pieces.
But, that was us working for them telling them that we are trying to do things the best we can and we will keep fighting and scrapping and trying to make everything as good as it possibly can be on the football side, and hope that things can improve elsewhere to keep the club going forward. But, I am sure that I will have a message on my phone from John and the chairman and they will be delighted with what has gone on tonight.
JP
Rory Loy as well getting his first goal for Carlisle, that could be very key for him because his performance matched the goal as well?
GA
Rory got better as the game went on and he might be another one we have sneaked in through the back door, which nobody else has known about. But, the good thing for me about the goals was the three strikers have got the goals, Craig Curran has got another one you know so his confidence is high. His workrate was unbelievable, Rory looked a good player tonight and Ben Marshall was absolutely outstanding.
JP
Different world?
GA
Brilliant, no, terrific.
JP
One fan has been in touch on twitter and said that he is so glad that we have got him at the moment, but he has got such a big future, who knows where he could be?
GA
Well, I have told Tony (Pulis) my thoughts on Ben and I think he can play....... I don't think he needs to go Championship-loan next season, I think he should be, or could be, I can't say he should because I can't tell Tony how to do his job. I would be recommending to Tony that they have a real serious look at him because he possibly could be a Premier League player next season.
JP
What sort of game do you expect from Brighton because teams who really want to play football against your side seem to struggle when they try it?
GA
I think it might be a very difficult game to be honest. That has taken a lot out of our players tonight, the energy levels that they put in were unbelievable. I think we are going to get home about four o'clock this morning and then we are going to dust everybody down and have tomorrow off, train again Thursday and shoot down to Brighton again. So, it is a tough week but we are going to there full of and with more confidence than we would have done if we hadn't performed tonight.
JP
On a couple of occasions players looked like they were limping around, Dolly was up, then he was down and then he was back up. You didn't have to make any changes, how well have you come through in terms of injuries?
GA
We are alright, we just lost Francois (Zoko) with sickness, obviously he went and that was another blow for us as well, but we have coped, the kids have coped, the young kids have coped. I don't know, like today maybe tonight was one of those games where against the odds we have turned over...... I mean you look now and the size of the club and we have come here and beaten them 3-1 a tad cosily, I think it is a fantastic achievement.
JP
One question that you do have to ask, why it is that you can perform like this here but not so at the weekend at home?
GA
Yeah, but Sheffield Wednesday played a completely different game, they got men behind the ball, they were big, they were physical, they were powerful. They got their early goal, they hung onto it and I think maybe there is an edginess throughout the ground with the patience, we need to show a bit more patience to the kids.
They need the support even more when things are like that but not going back too long we have beaten Huddersfield and Bristol Rovers 4-0, so our home form is not a disaster. I thought the game against Exeter was a wonderful game, so it is not desperate, let's not start talking it down when there is no need to.
But, we didn't play very well on Saturday and a bit of credit has to go to Sheffield Wednesday for that, but let's talk about tonight and let's talk about getting a result at Brighton, and hopefully we can improve our home thing against Hartlepool next week.
JP
And just finally, a bit of good news filtering through to us is I believe that Lubomir Michalik and Liam Cooper are back in and around training, albeit at a very light phase.
GA
That is very good, because that is more than I know, I didn't know that Liam was ready to play but that is good, I thought he still had to have a scan to make sure he is cleared of everything. But, we know Lubo is on his way back so listen, by the middle of next week we might have Paul Thirlwell back around it as well and things look a little bit healthier in the depth of squad department.