United media officer and first team kitman Andy Hall (AH) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) this afternoon ahead of Carlisle's League One game away to Oldham, Hall first talking about Paddy Madden coming into the Blues starting line-up in place of former loanee Jordan Cook :
JP
Paddy Madden gets the nod today, big game, big opportunity, but a big test for the youngster?
AH
Yeah, he is lively isn't he Paddy and when we look at last week's game, we created more chances from wide, left and right, than we had done all season. Is that a coincidence with Andy Welsh coming in and getting his start? You don't know because everybody was up for the win anyway, but that is up to Andy Welsh to show what he can do again, and certainly Paddy Madden, we know what he can do, we have seen it at the club, he got his goal earlier in the season, what a fantastic finish that was. He wants to kick on, we definitely want to kick on because the job is clear, we have got to win.
JP
4-4-2?
AH
More or less, you know what Francois (Zoko) is like, you throw figures at him and he will just do his own thing anyway.
JP
So, it is the 4-4-1-who knows?
AH
Exactly that with Francois. But, again, if he is playing like last week, he could have scored five easily last weekend, he got two and that is all you can ask for from Francois. Because, is he going to be Lee Miller style, prolific? No, but he is going to get you goals, he is going to cause problems and he is a fantastic player to watch on his day.
JP
We have been linking and will be linking throughout the afternoon with our colleagues on our sister stations at BBC Three Counties for Stevenage and BBC Radio Nottingham for Notts County obviously. It seems like everyone is writing Carlisle United off out of this, surely with the history of the Cumbrians write United off at your peril?
AH
Well, we do it the hard way and there is no harder way to do it than this today. Because, we are on paper completely the underdogs, but anything can happen, there will be a lot of nerves at Stevenage because it is in their hands. We have seen that, it was in our hands just a few weeks ago, and once it goes on a little bit of a wobble it is hard to get it back again. Notts County, they will probably be on a bit of a high with the way they came back last weekend because with three or four minutes to go they were out of it and Wycombe were surviving.
So, that is what can happen in football, and I have seen in the past teams with the ball in the corner protecting it, trying to wind the clock down, not understanding that elsewhere around the country another team have scored that has put them out of the equation. So, you have just got to play for 90 minutes, you have got to hope that the job that you do is enough, and sometimes in this game that we all love and watch it does work that way, so do your job and you never know.
JP
You and I are flanked by illustrious former professionals in Andy Ritchie and Derek Mountfield here today. They will know all about what it is like when it comes to this business end and you are under pressure, what has it been like in that squad, in the dressing room, in the changing rooms, in training itself leading up to this match today?
AH
It seems to be the reason why we are where we are this season is the way that the dressing room treats every single game that it goes into. The mix that we have got this year of the youth and experience has been massive, and the experienced lads, some of them are quite young you know because they have been through Wembley semi-finals, getting to Wembley, they have been through big finals and been disappointed, big finals and won it.
Some of them at the club have been in this situation before not that long ago when Leeds gave us a bloody nose after we had done the hard part of the job. So, we are there, we know mentally that we are there, it is just getting over the line on the pitch, and unfortunately it is not all in our hands, but do our bit and let's wait and see.
JP
There are going to people at home that are going to be just as nervy as those people over there, maybe even more so actually because they maybe won't get the filter of information as it comes through and flows through in a crowd. Wherever you are today, whether you have had the great opportunity to be here or whether you are listening in Cumbria or around the world, what a day and what an opportunity to have a season that has again run 46 games and always something to play for?
AH
And it is all at the right end of the table as well, that is the key you know. Four seasons ago we had to beat Millwall for all the wrong reasons, right reasons as it turned out because we stayed up in this division, and by heck we have kicked on from there haven't we. This is the most nervous I have been since the Conference play-off final against Stevenage, because that was massive. Potentially this is just as big you know, because if you get that golden egg of the Championship you get just a little bit more money, well quite a bit more money, and as a club that is exactly where we want to go.
Then let's not forget, although we have been quiet about this, we want to move stadiums, we can all start to really look at where we are, what we want to be as a football club and how we push it on in what are very difficult times. Part of that would be getting to the Championship, Carlisle United, Cumbria and everywhere else would respond to that in my opinion, so let's just get there.
JP
Can you just imagine at the awards do tomorrow, players of the year and all the awards being handed out in Carlisle if we are in the play-offs?
AH
It would be magnificent, it will be a good night anyway because, let's not forget, if we don't make it today, whether we lose, draw or we win and everybody else wins as well, if we don't get there today this has been an exceptionally good season on and off the field for this football club. All we want to do is keep that going, we have said it before, we are going to make mistakes, every football club makes mistakes along the way, but if your momentum is forward then you are not doing too much wrong.
JP
The very best of luck to you and the club, I am sure you would like to wish the same to everyone listening?
AH
Absolutely, apart from Stevenage and Notts County.