United winger Matty Robson (MR) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) following Carlisle's 3-0 Capital One Cup defeat at home to Tottenham, Robson saying that the class of the Premier League visitors showed in the end:
JP
It was a very good effort from Carlisle and 3-0 almost in the end flattered Tottenham a bit?
MR
Yeah, obviously our intention was to stay in the game for as long as we could and just in the end the class of Tottenham showed. 3-0 maybe flattered them a bit, but they have come and done a professional job.
JP
It took them almost all of the first-half to actually break the deadlock didn't it despite their best efforts and some great defending from Danny Livesey in particular, it took an amazing free-kick didn't it to liven them up with the ball in the box from (Gylfi) Sigurdsson for (Jan) Vertonghen to score?
MR
Yeah, I mean I think it was eight minutes from half-time and that one bit of quality that they did get in the first-half was a fantastic ball in, right in the corridor, and it is one of those where the defenders don't know whether to head it or clear or the keeper doesn't know whether to come. That is what they get paid for really.
JP
Do they call that the corridor of uncertainty?
MR
That is what they do, and that is the bit of class that gets them into the Premier League.
JP
Yeah, only £17million those two cost between them so not a great deal between the sides?
MR
Not a great deal no. I mean there were some fantastic players on show but to be fair we are disappointed in ourselves tonight. They were a bit fitter and stronger at the end and unfortunately it was three down.
JP
We have talked before the game and we will talk after I am sure with Greg (Abbott) and the club about how important it was this game financially just to get these fans into Brunton Park. But, for you as players how important was this experience to see what the top teams are like and to see how you can do against them?
MR
Yeah, I mean I played here and there was 12,000 I think we had for the Leeds game, but they were in our league then. But, to play against Premier League class and to see the difference, when you watch it on television sometimes it looks easier than it is, but when they pop it about like that you do understand how hard it is. Sometimes we couldn't get anywhere near them tonight.
JP
You are one of the fittest players I think at Brunton Park, it is probably an official stat that as well isn't it, were even you mesmerised by just how fit and quick they were all over the pitch?
MR
Yeah, I mean they have got a big squad so they can rotate around, there are some players who have had very little pitch time as well so they were a lot fresher. The finances that they have got there is undoubtedly going to help towards the conditioning side of it. But, we held our own for large parts of the game, the lads worked hard from front to back, Cads (Danny Cadamarteri) ran his socks off again and deservedly got man of the match again.
JP
And even when you were chasing shadows a bit towards the end when they were really starting to go through the gears, but even that is a good experience isn't it because that is great training for you guys to try to get ready for when you will be doing that in League One?
MR
It is, I mean we won't come up against that in League One, but it is great preparation for us really, getting a bit of fitness in towards the end as well. But, there are very few teams that can do that in League One. We have got to look at that and in the first-half in particular I thought we were very good. We got in and about them and we have got to try to take some of what we have done tonight into our league form.
JP
What was the dressing room like at full-time in there?
MR
Disappointed to be fair, you don't like getting beat, but we will dust ourselves off and we will go again. It is just a shame that we couldn't have gone further.
JP
Do you come back down to earth now for the game against Crawley at the weekend or are you ready for that sort of match?
MR
Yeah, we remain grounded tonight, at the end of the day it is just another game, yes it is against a Premier League side but it is our job, we are here to play football. We don't get ourselves excited, on Saturday we will do another professional job hopefully and get a good result.
JP
And we don't have it as often as perhaps Carlisle United deserve crowds like this perhaps at Brunton Park, how proud were you as a player to be involved in a game like this with a gate like that tonight?
MR
I mean I haven't had many crowds like that in my career. For the young boys as well coming through, Dav (David Symington) and (Mark) Beck, it will have been a fabulous experience for them to come on and play in front of a crowd like that. Hopefully a few that don't come regular will maybe see what a good bunch of lads we have got and maybe come through the gates.