United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) following Carlisle's 1-1 League One draw at home to MK Dons, Abbott saying that the Blues took a while to get going in the game:
JP
What did you make of the score here against MK Dons for your side?
GA
Yeah, again, probably a much better performance second-half, similar to last week, than it was first-half. We took a while to get going, they are a good footballing side, we know that. With Danny (Livesey) coming on and off in the first-half we couldn’t sort of get our organisation right and it was always going to be difficult, they can out-football people with eleven on the pitch but certainly with ten it made it difficult.
We conceded the goal when Danny was off and we haven’t got Rory (Loy) in the right position on the far-side, and we allow the right-back (Adam Chicksen) to come in on his left foot and get the goal. But, when we reorganised and changed the shape and did one or two things at half-time we thought second-half we have completely dominated the game and probably a little bit unfortunate not to nick it.
But, both teams had chances to get the second goal and we probably as managers think a draw in the end is a fair result. But, it is a testimony to the boys that they have come out and rolled their sleeves up and got in and amongst MK Dons and forced them into making mistakes. We have just for me deserved an equaliser and we go home sort of reasonably happy.
JP
Both sides it seemed from up here struggled to try to get their game going, definitely a case of nervousness for MK Dons who have had some tricky results, were you almost dragged into that a little bit, a bit like the Portsmouth game?
GA
Yeah, the pitch isn’t fantastic at the moment for fluent football, it is a bit dry and bobbly. It probably actually looks better than it actually is. But, it is a nervy time, everybody wants you to come at home and blow people away, this is a big club, a big, big club in terms of finance are MK Dons and they have got some really good players. We found it difficult to contain them early on and obviously Danny on and off didn’t help.
But, second-half we played some pretty basic route one organised League One football and really asked them a few questions and got our rewards in the end. But, that as a spectacle wasn’t brilliant, neither side will be over-pleased with their overall sort of quality of play. But, we asked them a lot of questions in the second-half and sometimes you have got to do that in games.
Sometimes you have got to win or draw ugly, and it wasn’t always pretty but we have played some decent stuff in terms of energy and getting the ball into the box with some sort of quality. Certainly David (Symington’s) entries into the box were very, very good and he has put in another powerful second-half and he is pushing his case all the time.
JP
He is, a very strong performance from him and also linking up with Mark Beck, a couple of first-year pros getting you the point out of this?
GA
Yeah, I mean there is real positives for the future isn’t it that you have got your goalkeeper (Mark Gillespie) who looks solid enough and getting more consistent week in and week out. Even to the fact that he is saving back passes and chasing across his line, because that was a disaster wasn’t it. Mark and David and we have got Brad (Potts) in the wings, so they are real positives for us going forward, they have come on and added that bit of energy with David and the goal with Mark. They have been vital to what we have been doing all season and they have come in and made big contributions.
JP
In terms of that back pass, it almost actually really got you going in earnest didn’t it because Liam Noble almost scored one of the oddest own goals you will ever see, but good pace from Mark Gillespie?
GA
Yeah, it is a good job he is doing that footwork because that would have been a disaster, it would have been of those comical own goals you never see. But, we didn’t need it did we today and fortunately we got away with it and a few minutes later we got the equaliser. So, it could have been 2-0 down to 1-1 and chasing a winner ourselves, it looks much better for us.
JP
Obviously, you got the point and because it took so long to get it you will be happy with that, do you feel that, I think there is a suggestion already from the fans is that it took us a bit of a while really to get going in the game. I know you said second-half, even into the second-half it was quite a while before you really started asserting yourself on the Dons?
GA
They are right, it did take us a while to get going, but it doesn’t help when you have got a centre-half who can’t play the game because the rules state that you can’t see any blood at all. But, there was no blood coming out of the bandage, it was just blood seeping through the bandage, it is a ridiculous rule and it didn’t give us the chance to get organised or get any rhythm going.
They are a good side are MK Dons and with ten men it is very, very difficult. So, I would take that criticism, I will take it 100% but I don’t think we were helped with the fact that Danny is on and off the pitch in the first-half. Second-half when we had got our chance to organise and change our shape a little bit I thought we were pretty powerful in our play.
Quite rightly it took us a while to get the equaliser but they are a good side, let’s take it that this is a good side we have played, and it is probably a good point. You look at fixtures and you look at where you can win points and I think today was one that you think, well it is going to be a tough afternoon but we have comfortably got a point in the end.
JP
Their position in the table and the points they are on belies what they can actually do doesn’t it when they can bring on Danny Powell and the threat that he caused in the late stages of the game. So, they do have a lot of quality?
GA
Yeah, they are a powerful team and, like I say, the positive from us is that we more than matched them. Yes, it took time to get that and to get there, but we did have the situation in the first-half. So, I think when we did get organised, did have eleven then we have been pretty decent.
JP
In terms of the actual game as a spectacle, we talked in the build-up about it and we were even talking today about what a great game this could be. Unfortunately for one reason or another it wasn’t quite able to deliver was it?
GA
No it wasn’t and that is unfortunate, but we would love to have classic 3-3s and 4-3s, probably 4-3s our way, but we can’t just deliver them off hand you know. Sometimes we have to tough things out, and it was one of those we toughed out and we were no worse than MK Dons. Like I said, they are a powerful team, they have been this season and they are looking to be in the top two or three. We think we have more than matched them when we have got our chance to get organised and do one or two tinkers to the team-shape. So, for that we should be pretty OK with.
JP
Let’s talks about Danny Livesey’s head then, is it likely to give you a problem for Tuesday night or will you just be able to patch that up as soon as you can stop the blood?
GA
I seriously don’t know, I haven’t seen it yet underneath the bandage. He is in with the doctor now who has done a great job, I hammered the doctor because I wanted him off for 30 seconds and not five minutes. I hammered the doctor but he has done great to get him back on. I think the rule is an absolute joke by the way that he can’t play on because you can see the blood seeping through the bandage, I think that is not very good.
JP
Short of putting six inches of bandage on his head to stop it seeping through, it just does seem a bit barmy that?
GA
Yeah, that is it, and he has had to come off in the end but I thought Peter (Murphy) came on and did a terrific job and that is what Peter is all about. He will probably be upset that he is not in the team, he came in and he was powerful and he headed things, he attacked the ball and he made up for Danny’s loss.
JP
And another injury concern of course, Matt Robson, what is the situation with him?
GA
I think Matty is one that we have got 13 games coming up in a short space of time, in the next three weeks I think we have got midweek games and we thought, well his words were that he was not right. So, if he is not right he can’t play anyway, but we couldn’t take a chance with him with his groin completely tearing and missing the rest of the season because he has been very, very consistent. So, we had to leave him out.
JP
So, it is groin then, because we got the steer that it was a pelvic injury and we thought that could have been just about anything?
GA
No, it is just groin.
JP
OK, so he is a maybe then for Tuesday?
GA
Yeah, by leaving him out today he has a good chance for Tuesday, and if he doesn’t play Tuesday then he will certainly be back in contention I would think for the weekend.
JP
Now that it has happened were you always thinking about giving Jordan Mustoe his debut there and working Matt in somewhere else perhaps?
GA
Well, I brought him in to include him in the options I have got and that is what we did. But, with Matty’s injury it was an easy one to do because we didn’t have another left-back.
JP
But, what did you make of him?
GA
I thought he has done alright, at times we just told him he is not allowed to make mistakes where he is, because mistakes in that area right at the death cost you goals. So, he is not allowed to because of the position he plays, it is not because we don’t want him to do. But, he will pick and choose with his games when to do the clever things and when to keep it simple and when to put it in the channel.
But, I thought overall he looked very composed, very organised and a couple of times he had little slips with Powell he recovered well and defended with a lot of tenacity. So, for that, like I said, he is slightly different to (Chris) Chantler but he has got that same determination about his willingness to improve himself and improve the team he is playing in.
JP
A promising start for him then?
GA
I would think so.
JP
And then you have got another home game on Tuesday night (Walsall), that is going to be a big one because you have got two very tough away trips right after that?
GA
They aren’t any easy games are there, you are finding that out, you have been doing it long enough now to realise nobody comes here and it is a gimme. It will be tough and we will have to be at our best and we will have to scrap and fight and kick and tackle and do all the other side of the game if we are going to the game. But, we have got to be prepared to do that and judging by the dressing room and the reaction I think the lads are prepared to do that, so we have got to get stuck into them straight away.
JP
And they all must be delighted to have got the point after it, because it did look like it might not come there?
GA
Yeah, at one stage first-half we looked like were second best, but again, we have talked about the reasons for why but as it ended up we were the team pushing for the winner.