United media officer and first team kitman Andy Hall spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips shortly before Carlisle's League One match at Gillingham, Hall first talking about the long trip down to Kent for the Cumbrians :
" We literally breezed through down here, there was one little sticky patch but other than that it was a great trip. We stopped at Peterborough, they have got a fantastic council owned training facility, on the way down, that gave us a chance of a good two hour session to finalise a few things.
" A few free-kick routines that I saw that I hope will we get to see today I have to say, I won't say anything too much on that one. But to be able to do that, I think we will use Peterborough's facilities again in a couple of weeks time when we come down to Colchester. Because it is great for the team to be able to do it.
" The usual suspects were trying a few different things on the free-kicks around about 22 yards all across the front of the 18-yard box. Most of them were coming off but they tend to do that in training don't they, so it will be interesting to see if we try a few of them again today.
" Josh Gowling's comments are a bit of a surprise really, I know that Josh obviously wasn't happy. Those of you who followed him on facebook know that he wasn't comfortable in Carlisle. But it is surprising to see the way he has come out so venomously, in today's match programme as well actually, he has actually used the comment that he hated it in Carlisle in general.
" So it is disappointing but everybody is entitled to an opinion. We were talking about this with Greg (Abbott) last night and he said that if a player isn't being selected then you do want to see some kind of reaction. It is good that Josh had that hunger and that desire to want to play, but like Greg told him at time, there are other players at the moment who are in front of you. "
" But Josh obviously didn't take that too well and he has commented, as he is entitled to, this week. I think putting one over on him has not really been spoken about other than by me as the media bloke letting Greg know that we had all kinds of people ringing me over the course of Thursday and Friday to get a reaction to it.
" Greg's reaction was not to, he wanted to concentrate on the fact that it is another very important League One game. A lad has made a comment, he obviously feels strongly, let him do that, what we want to do is concentrate on the three points that are up for grabs here at the KRBS.
" Greg was saying in the team-talk that if we let them get on the front foot, and I am sure Mark Stimson will have been saying that to his players. They play well here and that is because they come out and they get on the front foot. So it is really important that we don't do what we did in the last game and come out half asleep for the first 15 minutes or so. Because if we do they will bully us and we will probably find ourselves with a mountain to climb.
" I know for a fact that we are here to look for the three points. The way Greg is setting up his team, whether it is 4-3-3 or 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1. Whatever it is I know that they are here because the role that Kav (Graham Kavanagh) played down at MK Dons, and he has done it a couple of times as well just behind the striker Vincent Pericard. It is a cracking role when it works and when it clicks.
" Joe Anyinsah has had a little niggle, it is difficult to describe, it is just something he is not comfortable with in his hip. I think Dolly (Neil Dalton) took the decision yesterday when he had a bit of a twiddle around in that area, as these physiotherapy people do.
" He wasn't comfortable to let Joe go on and play, I think Joe probably would have you know because that is exactly the kind of character he is. So they have had a look at it and they have decided that the cautious thing to do is to sit Joe out today. "
>> Terms & Conditions