North End goalscorer Jeffrey Monakana spoke to his club's official website after his side's 1-1 League One draw against Carlisle at Brunton Park, Monakana happy to net his first goal since the opening day of December:
“I am just happy to get the win and happy to get a goal finally. It has been quite a time since I got a goal so I am happy with that. I felt we could have won it, we had a couple of chances in the first-half, also I could have scored with a couple more chances. But, it was a good draw so we are happy and we move on. I think we did very well in the first-half especially, obviously when Nicky Wroe got sent off it made it a bit harder and they started piling on the pressure. But, we still had chances, like I said, I had a couple myself, so all in all I thought it was a good performance.
“I didn’t even know Nicky Wroe had a yellow card so I was kind of shocked at first when he got sent off, but then I remembered he had one. Being sent off was a little harsh but that is football. I think that is my first time in professional football playing with ten men so at least I got a bit of experience of playing in a situation like that.
“I think as a team we dealt with it very well and were hitting them on the counter-attack. Jack King was extraordinary again and did great things in holding up the play as well as David Buchanan on the left and Paul Connolly behind me. So, it was a good performance and we still had chances to win the game. Carlisle have got great fans, they got behind their team, and so did our fans, but I think that their fans helped them and our fans helped us to push on and carry on going. But, it was great that we never conceded when we went down to ten men.”
Meanwhile Lilywhites right-back Paul Connolly told his club's official website:
“I thought that was a point well-earned today. The boys are shattered on their feet in there. It was a real tough encounter, I don’t want to keep moaning about wind and pitches but they were real tough conditions today. I thought we dominated for most of the game but it was a tough, tough game, although we should have been two or three up at half-time. The sending off was a little bit harsh and I thought we were on top most of the game and we were comfortable.
“They have had a couple of long range shots that Thorsten Stuckmann has dealt with but apart from that we were cruising really. This is a tough place to come so it’s all credit to us really. Sometimes when you go to ten men it is easy just to shut up shop and close the door and we did do that well, but we also broke on the counter attack quiet well and had a couple of half chances. I think we can be really pleased with our effort today. There is no harm in coming here and getting a point.
“I was struggling a little bit towards the end with a bit of cramp in the old calf but I was really pleased with the 90 minutes and I am enjoying it here in this loan spell, I really am, it has been really fruitful for me. The lads have been working hard since the gaffer (Simon Grayson) has come in and even when the old gaffer (Graham Westley) was here. The lads know each other’s games inside and out. There hasn’t been a massive change in personnel in the squad; the gaffer has kept the same squad. Only 11 can play but there are about ten or 11 lads who can come straight in and not even look out of place and they did that today so all credit to the lads who did come in.”