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" I think we've got the can't wait feeling in the football club now, they come in and see people queuing for tickets. We know exactly where we stand, it's Leeds United away on Monday night, it's live television, it's a massive game for Carlisle United. There is a lot of excitement around in the city, but in particular in the football club here amongst the boys.
" It's just a question now of getting that tempered into the right sort of action mode and seeing if we can go and do the job on Monday. A really big game for us against a very big club, we go in as the David against Goliath I think, and in some ways that is not a bad situation to go. As long as we go in with determination and we can cope with the situation on Monday then we'll see if we can give them a game.
" Leeds have got to get up haven't they basically, they are a great addition in League One as Forest were and Swansea were. Because they attract people to come into your clubs and they are big, big clubs. So they've got to get up basically and that is the feeling that will be coming from their chairman and their manager to the players, and their players have got to deal with that.
" We want to get up, there is no doubt about that at all, we've missed out, that disappointment has gone a long time ago now and it's pushing on and looking forward to the next bit. So in a sense, I won't say that we have got nothing to lose because we have, but we've got it all to gain, put it that way, by trying to get through to this final.
" They will be very difficult games and we are going to have to work hard on the night. It's not a question of you get beat and you can put it right, you've got to be strong in both legs. That is going to be a test for my players that we can find our form in those two games. Because this is knockout stuff, there is no recovery here, it's knockout stuff and you have got to be right in both the games. "
" Jeff Smith is actually coming back into training today (Thursday) with the squad for the first time. We've obviously got Danny Livesey back after his suspension last Saturday and for the second leg we will have David Raven back. So there are a lot of decent things happening at the minute.
" Hopefully we're not missing out on anybody with prolonging the season. We don't stop doing that just because we have got a couple of extra games in the play-offs. I think that is an attraction for players as well that there is a club here in the top six of this league that can push forward and wants to go on. So I don't think so, we're making phone calls, we're chatting to people, obviously the games take priority but there is myself, Dennis (Booth) and Greg (Abbott) who are working on that.
" Thursday we train, Friday the boys will have a rest day and then on Saturday and Sunday it will be training days towards Monday. We always gear it to keep it as normal as possible, so we'll train two days prior to the game, we travel down on Monday, we are not going the day before, we just travel down on Monday and play the game. Just keep it as normal if you like as we possibly can, but knowing that it's not normal is it.
" You can't say that we will put the points in the skip and come home because there aren't any points, there is another game to play. We need to come back from Leeds still in the tie, I think that is really important. I'm not trying to be cautious or careful but there have been nine goals in the two games that we have played against Leeds.
" An odd goal defeat at Elland Road, a 3-1 win here for us. Two fantastic games, I'm not suggesting that there will be nine goals again, but I think that it will be reasonably open. I can't see two League One teams shutting up shop and being cagey and careful, I think that we'll both have a little go for it.
" We're not practising penalties yet, can't do that, can't even get the thoughts around it. I've been asked that, it doesn't come into it until the second leg anyway so let's see where we are after Monday and we might consider that. Unless you can bring another 16,000 people with you to the training ground though then I'm not sure how we can replicate it anyway. "