United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) following Carlisle's 1-1 League One draw away to Huddersfield, Abbott saying everyone is drained after the game :
JP
I suspect you are probably tired out by the emotion of the game more than the climb up here?
GA
Yeah, we are drained, and the whole lot of us, the staff and all the subs, we take the mental side of it but the players have taken the physical side of it. If anybody can say that we had anything left to give then they will be wrong because there was nothing left to give in the tank, they worked absolutely tirelessly to a man. Again, made some mistakes along the way but to be fair played some good stuff at times, and came and competed again and they have done some themselves proud again.
JP
Not the six goals of Boxing Day but no less of a thriller?
GA
Yeah, but I don't really want to keep conceding three every week, let's stop trying to be the peoples' champions and get some sensible play on the pitch. But, no, listen, it was a different type of game, a big strong side Huddersfield but we have gone in there and competed against them and put our fair share into the game. A lot of effort gone in there tonight, a hell of a lot of effort.
JP
Some last ditch stuff from your defence as Huddersfield stretched you towards the end, to be expected of course but you held out?
GA
Yeah, I mean a bit of a onslaught at times but on the break we always fancied ourselves. We probably had two clear-cut chances second-half as well where Bez (James Berrett) doesn't lose his footing when it is a great run could possibly score, the ball comes to Nobs (Liam Noble) and he doesn't put it in. We had our chances but we are always going to come under some sort of pressure, Huddersfield Town away from home. But, we have stood and defended and defended properly all over the pitch and that means from Lee Miller backwards. A lot of blocks, a lot of energy, a lot of hole covering if you like, and people have put their bodies on the line for this football club tonight without doubt.
JP
The one disappointment, you defended brilliantly but the goal they scored, a little bit of a lapse of concentration perhaps?
GA
Yeah, that's another testament to how well we have done tonight that it is a real poor goal where Nobs has given the ball away, he has got caught in two minds, gifted them the goal and that is a mistake, it goes down as a mistake. But, again he came in, first man in: 'sorry about that boys', and that is it, we don't hang him out to dry, he has made a mistake, we have got punished which generally happens against good teams and we moved on from that.
JP
As soon it broke in the area you knew who would be on to it didn't you?
GA
Well, listen, that is what he (Jordan Rhodes) is what he is and to be fair he is probably going to leave this club with the amount of interest there is in him. But, they are good players and they punish mistakes, which was always going to happen if he got that opportunity, but fortunately we kept them at bay for the rest of the game.
JP
On that 80 minute mark when scouts are renowned for leaving games, we counted 22 people leave, hopefully they were all watching the Huddersfield players but one or two of them might have been impressed with yours?
GA
They might have been, I am not too interested in that, I really, really want to keep this group together. We are looking like a decent outfit and the last thing that I need is to lose anybody, and we will be desperately, desperately determined to keep hold of everybody.
JP
Do you encourage Jon Colman next to you from the News & Star to write up that you were dreadful tonight and all of your players were abysmal just to help out then?
GA
Well, Jon's reports usually say that anyway, you know what I mean, he is not the best is he?
JP
That is a bit of a harsh thing to say.
GA
He is on my shoulder here and he is laughing.
JP
He will dig you in the ribs in a minute. In terms of broadly though, the last two games, two really tough opponents, I know people will say that they weren't on the best of runs, Preston, but they are right up there and they would have passed you if they had won, two really good points away from home?
GA
Let me tell you about Preston, everybody is trying to impress at the minute so there is a different Preston than it would have been ten days ago. It would have been far easier to play them when they were all one point out of ten games or something, but they have got a new chairman, new management and all the players playing for places. There is obviously going to be a reaction and we took that on board and got through it, we have taken a good club here with some good players, a team that is 42 games unbeaten or something just a few weeks ago, and we've given a good account of ourselves again. So, again, we have got to be pleased with the efforts of the players.
JP
Going into that match with Sheffield United, a chance to maybe take five points out of three of the trickiest games you will face all season. The chance is there for you but you have still got to take it, but how happy are you with what you have got so far?
GA
Yeah, I mean without looking ahead it has given ourselves a platform to move forward on, we have some really tough games and we are three games away from home out of sync by the way. We have played three more games away than we have at home, so we have got a good batch of home games coming up and if we really want to do what we want to do then we have to make sure we capitalise on those games in the next couple of months.
JP
How close are you do you think to really threatening that top few?
GA
Erm, well ask Huddersfield Town how close we are, they think we are a threat and other people in football think we are a threat. There is half a season to go and we have to just keep going and keep doing what we are doing. but performances like that give belief and give optimism throughout everybody connected to the club.
JP
A fifth booking of the season for Liam Noble, he is now out of the next game, that is a shame?
GA
Yeah, I mean Nobs has given everything again, I mean he has got too far forward again at times tonight and gets ahead of the play too much, but you can't............... He is like a street kid, he plays the game, he wants to do everything and pass the ball and score a goal and save a goal, but yeah, his run will come to an end, but that is football and we have to deal with that one.
JP
How is Frank Simek? Is he in the frame for Sheffield United?
GA
Erm, we will have to see with Frankie, we will have to see with that one.
JP
Christian Ribeiro though came in and did a good job to say he has been out for a little while?
GA
Well, that is Christian, he goes around unnoticed but does a steady, very steady job and has been a big success for us in his time with the club?
JP
And just a final one, 2011 is now over, how satisfied are you with where you are going into 2012?
GA
I think with the end and the games we have had, the tough games and the amount of away games we have had, we are absolutely delighted. Now we need to capitalise on that by winning our home games and really, really making it pay for all the good work we have done on our travels. We seem to have never been at Brunton Park the last couple of months, so let's hope that run of games at home and the crowd showing the same enthusiasm that we have got and onwards and upwards and let's keep going.