Greg Abbott On The Morecambe Win

Last updated : 18 November 2009 By Thetashkentterror

Blues boss Greg Abbott
United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) after Carlisle's 1-0 FA Cup first round replay win at Morecambe, Abbott pleased that the Blues came out with a hard-fought victory in a difficult game :



JP

Worth a lot of money, but worth a lot more to you as a manager tonight, you are through in the FA Cup.

GA

These are difficult games aren't they, at times we didn't find the quality that we are looking for. We got into some great situations during the game, and I have asked the question of the top four - you need to be more clinical, you need to find a bit better quality.

We found it in patches but not overall but I thought we defended very well. We certainly defended crosses, we headed what we had to head, we tackled what we had to tackle. It has not been pretty but the key thing tonight for our football club is getting into the next round and we have done that, we are pleased.

JP

You have talked about your desire to win ugly in recent weeks, do you think there was a touch of that in there tonight?

GA

Maybe there was, we broke well enough on the break, we got ourselves into some really decent situations but some of the end product tonight wasn't as pretty as we would like. But I am sick of people saying how nice we are and how good football we play and we have got no points or we are out of cups.

But tonight we have got through the cup tie, that is what it is all about and everybody within the club will be pleased that we can progress and look forward to the tie against Norwich.

JP

There have been so many games this season where Carlisle United fans have bemoaned bad luck, I am thinking back to Leeds, Southampton, Walsall. Do you feel you had a bit of luck on your side tonight?

GA

Not really, when you think their keeper (Barry Roche) has made two last ditch saves with his feet and I don't think Lenny (Pidgeley) has had a great save to make all night. So in terms of that we haven't been lucky at all.

JP

And in the second-half did you feel, fairly early in the second-half, it was perhaps a penalty on Richard Keogh for a barge in the area.

GA

Well it was a penalty wasn't it, we haven't got that so we have had some bad luck again.





JP

Looking at other aspects of the match though, you did close out a game against a side who really had a good go at you and were very up for the match. Is that exactly what you needed as a reaction to the defeat at the weekend?

GA

We needed to win the game, that is what we needed to do. Because there is pressure on us in every single game we play because of our situation in the league and our situation financially within the club.

So this means a lot to everybody, so we are probably playing with a little bit more pressure than most. But you ask the seven or eight league teams that have got knocked out by lower opposition and they would swap their places with us anytime.

JP

The last two defeats the club have suffered now have been responded to with a victory, how pleasing is that for you?

GA

Well you can see the determination out there, there is no lack of desire and effort and all that. You know what you are getting with this group of players, I think at times we have lacked a little bit of quality tonight but overall we have battled away.

We have fought a victory out, I think Morecambe have got a terrific home record haven't they, they don't get beat too often here. Credit to them, over the two games they have been terrific, they have rolled their sleeves up and they have matched us mostly through the periods of games. So it has been a tough one to get through and we have done it.

JP

Speaking about your board and how happy they will be about things. You did talk about it in the build up, the club could do with that sort of money and it is going to be a big boost and hopefully it will help everyone.

GA

The money is not my situation, that is the board's situation, but we have got to try to win football matches. Every game I play we try to win it and we have done that tonight and the bonus is it is a cup tie which will bring a bit of revenue into the football club. Hopefully that will ease the situation there again, but there is no desperation for money, it is just nice to have that little bit extra that we didn't have before tonight's game.





JP

In the next round of course Norwich, what a great game that will be once again at Brunton Park.

GA

That is the one, it will probably be a nicer game to watch than this was at times. They will come, they are in great form, I think there will be a biggish crowd, I don't know how the television on the internet works, I don't understand all that sort of thing.

JP

It is on the FA website.

GA

FA web dot com forward slash backward forward somersault. But yeah, it is a great game for us to look forward to and we look upon it with anticipation. But before that a bit of work to do in the league and we will be ready for that when it comes.

JP

Carlisle United though on the television again, kind of.

GA

Yeah, kind of, I don't know what sort of television it is, I can't get on a computer me. But yeah, it is something if you have got the knowledge and you have got a lot of money you can afford computers, you will be able to watch the game I believe.

JP

A few fans did wonder whether you might have made a couple of changes to try to shore things up towards the end, did that cross your mind? What was your thinking behind not doing so?

GA

Well the thinking was, we were defending quite well, they were huffing and puffing without really causing us that many major problems. We made a couple of substitutions on Saturday and we got our fingers burned. So we kept it as it was, it was doing OK so we left it as it was.

While we were doing that we were fine, I don't think they were carving us to pieces. And then to make substitutions for the sake of them and unsettle the side we had out there that was defending OK, I didn't think it was necessary.





JP

Any injuries coming out of tonight's game?

GA

Just the ball I think.

JP

And just finally, a few days now off, not off of course but a few days ahead of a big match at the weekend where you will be wanting to carry on the winning run now and get back to winning ways in the league.

GA

Well there is no time off in the league because I am going to go and watch our young lads, I have put a bit of pressure on Eric (Kinder) now and his youth team because they have got their FA Cup tie tomorrow. So I will be at that game tomorrow night and we will be working hard Thursday and Friday to try to get another result against Swindon.

Then the run we have had becomes a nice run again, one defeat in five or six and four or five wins along the way with that. So it is an important one for us Saturday, a big one to get through and if we can do that then the season is back alive and buzzing again.

JP

And I know we are relatively close but it is still the best part of two hours to get down here for fans. Over a thousand here, a third here of the crowd here were Cumbrian, that must make you proud?

GA

The crowd are brilliant aren't they and they are supporting the lads through everything. They are taking the good, the bad and the indifferent performances along but they still keep turning up. We need them, they know that, and they need us as well so it is a happy marriage at the moment, or happy-ish. But we need to keep winning and I think when they see the effort and the determination they will back us to the hilt.

The ones that went to Bristol were awesome and they were gutted because of the late thing. Tonight we probably haven't played as well as we did at Bristol and we have won a game. So the fans take the rough with the smooth but I think they will go home, at least we have got the win and they have got the Norwich game at home to look forward to.