Magpies boss Chris Kiwomya spoke to BBC Radio Nottingham after his side's 1-0 League One win over Carlisle at Meadow Lane, Kiwomya saying it was a difficult game for the Magpies:
“It was a difficult game for us, they stopped us, they pressed us high, they were very good at closing us down. We tried to play, couldn’t play, so we had to start playing off the second ball sometimes. Which when you play off second balls is now a gamble where the second ball is going to drop. We had to get round it, but with all due respect to the lads they kept going and they kept going and sometimes you need everybody to play their part.
“I thought the back three were excellent today, clearances, headers, and the goalkeeper (Bartosz Bialkowski) was man of the match, he was unbelievable, I just shook his hand in there and said well done. I actually turned around and that one or two of the shots were already in, that is what I was thinking, but how he kept the ball out of the goal was astounding.
“But, it is hard now because teams are coming here and they are knowing how we are trying to play and the pitch is difficult when you want to play. So, you have got to try to play the game as it is happening, you need to know that we are being pressed high so we need to turn them, and we still played so many balls infield, backwards, infield, sideways, backwards and we were going nowhere. We had to get it forward and play in their half, so overall I will take the three points because we have played better than that in a lot of the games I have been in here and not won, so I am happy with that.
“Andre Boucaud is a very good player, a very good player. His defensive part of it is very good, his passing is normally good, it wasn’t great today but he has got that. He can shoot from 25 yards and in the next few games we are going to try to get him doing more of that. Sometimes you play the position and if you have got people like Alan Judge, Francois Zoko, John Cofie, Jeff Hughes, these players on the pitch, then you have got to balance it out. So, you can’t get too forward too early because teams counter-attack you.
“Jeff is fine, he is a good warrior is Jeff and he gave 110% out there, I think all the players did. It wasn’t quite happening for us but, like I say, we have played a hell of a lot better than that and not won. But, we showed a lot of character out there so I am very happy for the lads. The hard scenario is that we know we have to win games now, if we are out there at 0-0 then we know a draw is going to be no good for us if we want to get closer to that top six.
“So, at the end when we were 1-0 up I was saying let’s take the three points from here onwards. We have still got to play all the top teams, we have got to play Brentford, we have got to play Swindon and we have got another home game on Wednesday against Leyton Orient. So, if we can get three points there and as long as we keep clawing back a point or two points every game then we will be there or thereabouts at the end, and that is what I am hoping.
“If we had beaten Tranmere then we would have won three on the bounce and those are the fine margins as a manager. But, what we have to understand now with not many games left is that you run out of time, so like I said at half-time, it might not be pretty for the next 25 minutes. But, no team is going to come here and lie down, they have got a gameplan and we have to try to figure it out while the game is going on as to how we are going to win the game.”