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" In our eyes we haven't treated Workington as anything less than important than any other game that we have played, and we didn't get the response that we wanted. Sometimes you have to say to the players that they have got to ask themselves why that was, did we not prepare right?, if you didn't then why not?, let's get it better and let's push on. We've dwelt on it enough but we've started looking ahead now and I think that is the key.
" We have got to push forward and make sure that we get a response. I have had it in the past from the team, we've had disappointments and we've bounced back, and we pointed that out as well. I think that the season may have one or two more, we don't want them but it will have it, it probably will over 46 games. It's probably what you do next, well it is what you do next, that is very important and we will only know that on Saturday.
" I don't think that I will get strengthening the squad done before Saturday, but I've never shut the door. A week ago even you were agreeing with me that we have got a good squad and that everything was together. So we just keep everything in perspective, don't get throwing the ropes over the rafters yet, I think it is important that we stick in there.
" I will always look to make the squad better though. We have brought seven players in since January so I have added to the squad at one a month in this seven months of 2008. I'm looking at that and I'm still prepared to do it, we're looking at trialists, some don't make it, some may make it. We are prepared to open the doors and keep working at trying to improve the squad.
" We've been pleased with the list of the players that maybe last year didn't feature as strongly as they would have liked. Danny Carlton has had a good pre-season, Darren Campion, although he is disappointed last night, has had good games. This is a young man trying to find his way at first-team level and he is maturing and he is finding his way, so those two in particular. "
" Gary Madine, who was a bit part if you like last year but he is still not 18 yet, we have got to keep that in the right place as well. Those people have done very well and in general have been strong players and are improving, and I can see that happening through the team.
" On the other side, we know that we have got to get Michael Bridges fitter and that will make his touch better and that kind of thing. So we are aware of where we are and what we might need, we think that we are happy enough at the moment with the squad. We will never shut our eyes though to saying that we can try to make it better if people come along in that context.
" Everyone will go for the big boys and I think that they are right, Leicester and Leeds. I think that they will be strong financially and strong squad-wise to deal with things which we maybe found a little bit difficult towards the end. When you lose your centre-back and captain in Danny Livesey, and David Raven for a number of games in the final period, and Joe Garner has gone out of the team for that length of time. It was difficult for us but I think that they can cope with that.
" Huddersfield I think have recruited very, very strongly and have paid out quite a lot of money to get players in of seniority. Then obviously Brighton who finished just outside the play-offs have recruited Micky Adams back in to their group and he knows this league very, very well. So I've mentioned four or five there, I think that the new boys will be strong, Peterborough will be particularly strong and MK Dons will be interesting because they have obviously changed their management.
" I think that Peterborough though will be a strong opposition for everybody. I think that the MK Dons will keep going, because I think that (Roberto) Di Matteo will learn the ropes very, very quickly. He has got to basically but he has got a fantastic set-up to work with and a chairman that is exceptionally supportive both in the financial stakes and off the pitch if things are a wee bit tough as well. "
" So he is going to get a good chance to try to establish himself on the management ladder. They are a good club though and we'll be looking forward, I think that we have got them on televison so we have got a live television game at MK Dons. That is another new ground for Carlisle United to appear at, so we'll be ready for that but they will be quite strong.
" There are probably one or two in every team who you are saying you hope aren't playing. Maybe they are mostly forwards, they are mostly the guys that can change a game and have an impact on a game. There are probably the lads (Darryl) Duffy and (Richard) Lambert at Bristol Rovers, if we give a free-kick away on Saturday then Lambert is capable from 30 yards of scoring from any kind of angle.
" So they have all got their own strengths at each individual team. I think that you look at those, you are probably saying well maybe over a season you wouldn't swap them for our guys but on any particular day you want them to have the off day against you.
" We've got two reports on Bristol Rovers, they have been off to Scandanavia but they have come back and had two games, one up in Yorkshire and one down at Bristol on Saturday. We were at both those games and I have got the reports on my desk. There are a couple of alterations from last year but they are pretty much similar as they were last season.
" We got our fingers burned badly last year down there, two concessions after 15 minutes and at 3.15pm the game was pretty much lost. It was a horrible day and we couldn't get ourselves back in, so the lessons we hope to learn from the games at Morecambe and Workington need to pressed into Saturday, because we got stung there last year in the early part of the match. "
" They have played though and they are strong and they have got good players. The lad (Craig) Disley in midfield is a good breaker and a good forward runner, he picks up individual goals. Lambert is excellent at free-kicks, anywhere within 30 yards of your goal, so we are going to have to be strong in our defending areas.
" I didn't think that the Workington fans last night were old enough to remember me. It was quite incredible really because I had only actually been there for nine games, and this was 1970-71, so it's before many people who are listening now were born I guess. It was a big part of my career though starting me off, I got three goals in nine games and it was really interesting that anybody did remember that.
" I think that they remembered the side I played in though. There were some very favourite players in there, Jimmy Goodfellow, David Irving, John Rowlands, Mike Rogan, people like that, who were favourites at that time. It was a good club, George Aitken was the manager and I think that they remembered the time and just remembered my bit-part in that season.
" I certainly enjoyed it though and it was a kick-start to my actual playing career. Although I didn't stay there, I went back to Lincoln and played eight years in Lincoln City's first-team. So they helped me a great deal in my starting career. That's what football and sport is fantastic for isn't it, you can have these conversations, I like chatting to fans like that and people like that who go back and remember.
" It's what we do isn't it, there was one little lad there who was about six or seven listening to a conversation. I said to him that in 30 years time he would be talking to his mates about this game or something that had happened, and he probably would if he was a Workington supporter. So that's what football and sport does and it is why we all love it. "