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" I'm on the team coach just going across to the hotel now on the M25. We've been lucky because we've flown down so there was very little traffic in the air, but there has been quite a bit I think on the motorways. Hopefully our fans will get through quickly and safely though.
" We've got Paul Reid in and we're delighted to do that, it's something that I've been trying to do for some time. We brought Richard Keogh in earlier in the season to stabilise that position and now we've got Reidy in. He's delighted to be here which is a plus as well, he wants to have a go at this and be part of what is happening in the next few games.
" I think we've got a really good player, a lot of pedigree behind him, he's captained a team in the Championship and he obviously knows Carlisle United very, very well and cares about it, and that's important. We spoke about Paul during January as well when we were looking to try to strengthen the football club but he picked up an injury and we had to leave that when the window closed.
" We've followed him though and progressed with him and we've got him in at this moment in time and we'll see what develops from this. I've not really seen him as a midfielder, we've brought him in to bolster up the back part of the team, but it's always nice to get a guy that can have more than one string to his bow.
" We really put our concentration into a defender, and as well as Paul we spoke to two or three other guys from the Championship and we've obviously been delighted to get Paul in. That was the priority though because at the moment everyone else is in good condition. "
" I know things can happen but it was always going to be difficult to get a player to come and tell them that I wasn't going to pick them at the moment because the team is doing very well. Obviously loan players want to play and clubs that loan them out want them to play. So that was a wee bit difficult for us but we're delighted to do what we have done, and hopefully it will stand us through.
" He (Paul Thirlwell) is training very well at the moment and we're looking at, if the season goes the way we are looking at, we've got him back for the last three games of this season hopefully. If it goes through to the play-offs then he will be ready and available for those too. No new injuries for tomorrow, everybody is fit and well and I've got a full bus of fit young men, so hopefully we can do the right job tomorrow.
" We don't think the Toronto thing is going to happen, we've spoken to Kevin (Gall) this morning and he's actually on his way back to see us. So we think that there is some reason there that that is not going to happen and has probably fallen through, we picked that up this afternoon.
" We said that we need to keep our nerve two or three games ago, we saw it in the two weekend games last week and I think that you can rest assured that the players kept their nerve there and won their games. Then it's the same approach for this game tomorrow, we know we've got a lot of football to play but we've got these fit young men who are very determined to try to be successful and hopefully they can do that.
" Greg (Abbott) and Dennis (Booth) have gone to the Doncaster game, they are on their way to that match now and they'll join us later this evening at the hotel here. They both saw Northampton v Nottingham Forest last weekend before the Leyton Orient game as well. So everybody at the football club is dipping in and doing everything that they can to give this team and these players behind me the best possible chance. "