United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) following Carlisle's 1-0 League One defeat away to Stevenage, Abbott saying that the result was disappointing after the Blues had a spell of second-half pressure :
JP
I have no doubt you still believe?
GA
Yeah, I mean it is hard at the moment you know, we have come a long way haven't we this season, that is 43 done and we are disappointed, really disappointed with the way that the game has ended after the spell we had in the second-half and the pressure we put them under. We tried everything we know, we changed the system three times in the game, we put different players on, we went a bit gung-ho right at the last bit to try to nick the equaliser.
But, up to then we thought............ They had a good spell in the first-half to be fair to them but in the second-half I thought we changed it around and we really caused them problems. At the end of the day I think that is the only chance or the only sight on goal they had in the second-half. The keeper (Chris Day) has made a wonder save from Danny Livesey's header, how Welshy (Andy Welsh) is just in front and we think he can finish that one off but he has screwed it wide.
They are things that you need to go for you at this stage of the season, they hurt you when it is a one-er, when I mean there is only one goal in it. It was always going to be a one goal game I think and we felt we were good value for it, and there is your disappointment that we haven't managed to get it. Now we have to pick the boys up and go again, we have still got three massive games to go and we go in search of nine points and how many we get I don't know.
But, the group has given their all, again you are throwing an 18-year old (Mark Beck) on to try to win us the game and he nearly did, he nearly got on the end of a cross and fair play to him, it would have been the fairytale. But, fairytales, I am not sure I believe in them all now, we should have had one tonight.
JP
Maybe so, he was almost too polite with Francois Zoko at one moment, he could have taken the shot on but was trying to leave it to Francois, seniority maybe?
GA
Well, we are like that aren't we, sometimes we are nice but you have got to be ruthless around, I see centre-forwards knocking people over to take shots, they don't wait for anybody else. He will learn that, listen, he is 18 and he is going to leave it to the senior, but next time I will tell him to knock him out of the way, whoever, it doesn't matter as long as it goes in. He is a young boy and he has a lot of respect for Francois and maybe that is what that was.
JP
You have talked about the Livesey header and the Welsh chance from about seven yards when it broke to him quickly and he just couldn't quite get it on target, what about when Welsh seemed to have been put clean through after a foul and the referee (Eddie Malone) gave you no advantage, not even a split second and he was through on goal?
GA
Yeah, but this rule has gone AWOL hasn't it. they blow straight away, they don't wait a second even now and then they blow the whistle and think that they have made a fool of themselves there. But, listen, I am not blaming the referee, you can look at all the reasons for why and for wherefore, but at the end of the day we are sitting off the back of it being 1-0.
We can't do anything about it, we can talk about all those things but at this time of the season you need things to go for you. Nobs's (Liam Noble's) shot on Saturday hits the inside of the post, the three or four chances we have had tonight, really good opportunities, we need them to go for us.
It was always going to be a 1-0er tonight I think and you are missing a striker (Lee Miller) that is your top scorer, so probably there are not as many goals in as there has been in the past. But, I don't think you can knock any individual or any player of mine for not having a right good go and seeing the game out and the season out right to the line, they are an absolute credit.
JP
Still, unlike the period when he (Miller) was out suspended, it looked like your team coped again better without Miller, it didn't look like they didn't know how to play, it just looked like they just couldn't quite get that goal tonight?
GA
Yeah, sometimes it is a fine line isn't it, Liam Noble's shot goes in and an inch the other way and it is a goal, and tonight, the keeper has made a wonder save, I am not sure what he knew about it and if one of the other chances goes in. So, yeah, you are talking about us not missing him, but we haven't got him now anyway, he is not there. But, they have coped alright tonight, they have really made Stevenage go to the wire to get their result.
As a manager again that is all I can ask for, I can only ask for the boys to give everything they have got, and I can't actually come on here and say they didn't give everything they have got, and for that you have to stand back and say well that is it, the result is what it is, we couldn't have tried any harder. Bits and pieces of quality at times but that is what we are, that is who we are and they have given everything they have got, and we have just come off second best slightly.
JP
Three cup finals for you now?
GA
Yeah, I mean three massive games and we keep going don't we, that is what we do. When we get in there on Thursday everybody has got to pick everybody up and everybody has got to rally round each other. But, we stick together, the dressing room is..........
They are good, good guys and I think the fans appreciation at the end there, near enough to a man again standing back and seeing the effort and the energy and the pride that the players are playing with, and you get your appreciation off the supporters, which is great. There were thousands, not thousands, hundreds of them tonight, hundreds of them, at Stevenage on a Tuesday night, absolutely fair play to them, magnificent.
JP
They must have been the best part of a quarter of the crowd tonight?
GA
Yeah, I mean to be fair it was a noisy crowd by the way wasn't it, they were great the Stevenage fans tonight. But, our fans were outstanding with the travel they have had to put in, and you are talking 43 games down the line and all the money that it has cost them. They are here again, I don't know, 600, 700 maybe, it might even be more I don't know. But, fantastic and it is nice that they can see us in the game right the way through and we haven't suffered one of those poor performances away from home when we were out of the game after 20 minutes and they are on their way home ten minutes into the second-half.
JP
I believe I am right in saying you have the option to recall Craig Curran ahead of the weekend, is that something that you will be looking at?
GA
Yeah, I mean it is something we will think about, but if we brought him back he is probably not going to play is he because we have got the lads up there. Francois, you have got mad Paddy (Madden) and you have got Cooky (Jordan Cook). Mad Paddy on the right wing, at times I am not sure he knew where the goal was, but great honesty about what he was doing.
He is the type of player that comes in and won't realise that we are supposed to be a little bit disappointed, he will just pick everybody up with the way he is, and for that he is terrific. But, he has caused a few problems for the left-back (Scott Laird), who was an attacking threat in the first-half. but Paddy put him on the back foot second-half.
JP
And just finally, all these players clearly relish the massive occasion, and what an occasion Hillsborough will be at the weekend?
GA
Yeah, I mean that will take care of itself that won't it, it will be 28-29-30,000, I don't know. But, we are not actually thinking about Hillsborough just at the minute, there is a disappointed group in there at the moment and they need to get their head round tonight and then we start thinking about Saturday.