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" A draw, I think today that we were the team in the ascendancy, I think if you asked neutrals who had come in. I think that we were unfortunate not to win today, I know John (Ward) and I know Greg (Abbott) at Carlisle and they are good people. You can see why they are where they are, the keeper (Keiren Westwood) has made a couple of wonderful saves. A couple of times defenders have just thrown their bodies at the shot incoming which is what you need.
" I thought that we played extremely well today but I can see the qualities that Carlisle show. I was pleased, I was proud of the players. It's the first time that I have used this word, I used it before the game today in the dressing-room. I said "if", that is not the word by the way, but I said that if this club is to be relegated then it will go down kicking and screaming. I was given a performance today that was kicking and screaming so that is what I am very pleased about.
" I can agree that it didn't look like there were 27 points between Carlisle and Port Vale but football is a strange game isn't it over a season. We know that we have had our problems, one swallow doesn't make a summer, Carlisle are third in the league and we are bottom but one. We've held Carlisle, in my view we could have won the game, should have won the game, but we've got to take that into Tuesday and Saturday.
" This season is not over, and that's why I said before the game that if we are relegated, and it is a huge if, then we will go down kicking and screaming. There are a lot of games to play and if we can apply ourselves like we did today against a very good team then anything is capable. "
" You've observed Port Vale all season and I've only observed them since November 5th, so I'm not surprised at the goal if you look at what happened two minutes before. George Pilkington gets clattered, he receives lengthy treatment, he's a little bit groggy, the ball gets pumped down the pitch, he goes up for a header, it comes off a tangent straight onto (Joe) Garner's foot who volleys home. That is Port Vale 07-08 though isn't it, anything can happen.
" That's not feeling sorry for yourself, that's just looking at the bizarre side of things. You do scratch your head but saying that I thought the reaction of the players was first class. I think I'd have to have a look at ours, it looked like a penalty from where I was, I'd need a better look on the DVD before I actually commit to that. The reaction was first class though wasn't it, we didn't feel sorry for ourselves, we dusted ourselves off and built momentum again and in the end we could have snatched it.
" He (Paul Harsley) did take it well, that's two in two, Kyle (Perry) got the penalty, I watched him up at Bradford City in the reserves and he got the penalty and took the penalty and put it away. I wondered if he was going to take it but Paul had seniority and dispatched it very well because he is not a bad keeper to be fair that lad. He made a couple of good saves so it was going to take a very well taken penalty I believe to beat him.
" People will latch onto the debuts (Krystian Pearce and Kyle Perry) but I thought that the whole eleven, come twelve or thirteen players, I thought they all did extremely well. I thought that they applied themselves first class but obviously people are going to look at Krystian and Kyle because they are making their debuts, I thought they both did first class if I'm honest. It's against a team that are riding high in the league and I think Kyle and Toby (Tobias Mikaelsson) made their presence known against two very capable centre-halves.
" When you have got one six-footer playing against you then you can maybe swap centre-halves can't you, when you have got two up there then you can't. I thought that was an important factor in the game, I thought that we edged it down the middle to be honest. I thought that our two centre-forwards caused problems for the two centre-halves. I thought that Paul Harsley and David Howland did extremely well in midfield picking up a lot of balls and starting stuff off and Krystian and George Pilkington held the Carlisle front two. "
" There were many plusses today and we've got to take those into Tuesday. Some fight has been demanded, it's been demanded since November 5th when I took over but it's been a tough season, I'm sure that it will be hard and tough and it's just going to be one of those seasons. You show the spirit that the team showed today and anything is possible.
" It's up to them to build from it isn't it, and they know how well they have played today against a very good opposition going for honours at the top of the league and that should give them great heart. It's important that whatever our destiny is come May 3rd that we take charge of it and it won't be for not trying. It sounds a funny thing to say does not trying but I am linking it in to if we go down kicking and screaming then whatever the result we play like we did today, if we do that then anything is possible.
" It's funny how football goes isn't it, earlier on in my reign we were not conceding many goals but not scoring, then we started to score goals and started to concede them. So putting Keith Lowe to right-back, I had a little shout on from the crowd about him being a centre-half but I thought that he did very well at right-back. He has played there before, not in my reign obviously but I did check that with the staff.
" It's important that we don't concede, that is going to be a very key factor to our survival that we can stem the flow of goals that have been coming in lately. I think that all the back four did extremely well in that aspect and, to be fair, weren't afraid to put their foot through it like all good teams do. You don't have to play perfect pretty football all the time. I think that in our position it is going to need a bit of mixing up.
" I said to the players after the game that I was pleased with that aspect of the game, we did play our short play but we also played a little bit more direct. I'm not talking about alehouse football here and playing balls up to two six-foot lads who can cause problems. If quite a few teams do it in the league then why shouldn't we. "