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 match away to Hartlepool, Hall first talking about the news that United's talismanic striker Lee Miller will be out injured until around January:
JP
It is a lovely bright day here, looking forward to some football, but we must start though on some bad news for Carlisle United. Confirmation from Lee Miller himself that he faces up to or around five months out with his ankle injury, that is dreadful news for everyone involved, including him?
AH
Do you know what? We are taking it as good news, I sat with Lee yesterday before he went back up home, he has got a pot on at the moment so not a lot he can do other than very basic general fitness work. But, sat with him and we were actually expecting mid-February from the initial prognosis, so that was devastating. To have six weeks or so shaved off that if all goes well then you have got to take that as a positive for the player, for the club and everybody.
Because, the one thing that he has got to do is keep himself up, and one of the things that stuck with me, I don't think he will mind me saying it, was the fact that one of his tweets was along the lines of 'horrible year, just need to get this out of the way'. Every single one of us will echo that for the lad who has had a bad year, let's get it behind us, get him back in January and march on with him.
JP
It is bad news for him in what has been a bad year for him and I am sure he can't wait for it to sort of end this spell. But, from a purely club and sort of fan persepctive does it mean that with him out for such a long period of time that Carlisle almost have to sort of entirely rethink and get back into the transfer market now that has been confirmed that he is out for such a substantial period?
AH
I don't think we were ever out of it, the work has been ongoing and we have come so close. There are times like this when you are sat there as the media guy and you wish you could tell everybody what has been going on. But, for the sake of the players who have been involved from other clubs, for the sake of other clubs you just can't.
Things fall through, work is done, sometimes it comes off and sometimes it doesn't. But, certainly with the fact that Lee is such a key player, you are looking not so much to replace him but to get players in who are going to do a job that will take the club forward. So, that is where Greg (Abbott) is at the moment, he is working away, that loan window thing is open yet again, whatever they call it, is it emergency loans?
JP
Something like that yeah.
AH
The 999 line is open for all clubs and it seems to work over and over again, so we shall wait and see.
JP
Looking for positive news, anything come out of yesterday's meeting with the council about the proposed one day ground move?
AH
Just sat with John Nixon on the bus on the way over here, and we are going to put a statement out, probably over the next 24 to 36 hours. I think from his point of view he wants to be able to talk to the club's directors first and foremost. He will get a chance to do that with most of them here today, so he wants them to know what happened at the meeting because it wasn't an all-in type meeting, it was specific people who went along to talk to the council officials. He will let us know what happened after he has let them know, and I think that is fair and proper.
JP
I won't push you any further on that then. A bit of really good news coming through, the fourth youngster, it is a breakthrough of sorts, like the three (Mark Beck, Brad Potts and Dave Symington) who have made it through, Mark Gillespie with his second start now and this is a proper start in League One, nobody can say that this was just a cup competition, give him a chance in that one, he is now starting for the second game running, what a great opportunity this is for another youngster who is coming through at Carlisle?
AH
I don't think you needed to hesitate, I thought you described that absolutely right, we have talked about the four outfield players from this year, lump Josh Todd amongst it because he is one heck of a prospect. Mark Gillespie is another one of them, he has had to be patient because he has come through the youth ranks a couple of years ahead of them, but because of his position it is not one of those that you can just drop him in and out.
It has got to be absolutely nailed on that he is ready, he wouldn't have played on Tuesday night if the coaching staff didn't think he was. What an opportunity now because he has kept his place, wasn't tested if we are going to be honest on Tuesday night, what he had to do he did right so this is the test.
JP
A big test as well for Adam Collin now who finds himself on the sidelines for the first time in over 140 games, a lot of fans, some wanted to see Gillespie get his chance, but a lot of fans were saying as much as anything maybe Adam just needed a bit of a break from the frontline. How has he reacted?
AH
Adam is fine, he is never going to be happy, he is the number one choice goalkeeper in his mind because he earned the right, he had to steal it off Lenny Pidgeley, he had to work really hard to get that position off Lenny Pidgeley. So, he wouldn't have wanted to give that up in a million years and a consecutive run of 146 games, what an achievement that is, you are going into the club history books for that alone. So, he won't be happy about it but it is a test for Adam now because how does he react, how does he respond. The good thing is that we have now genuinely got two goalkeepers kicking each other up the backside for that number one shirt.
JP
Yeah, very positive signs. On this game itself against Hartlepool, a couple of years ago a really good result for United, last year Hartlepool certainly avenged that with a 4-0 victory themselves, hopefully more revenge this time around for the Cumbrians?
AH
My memory is not the best, but we were out of it with 20 minutes gone weren't we, we had a player sent off or something?
JP
Yeah, and four goals shipped, a brilliant performance from a teenager who is still only 17 in Luke James.
AH
It is the kind of thing you have to guard against at little grounds like this, it is actually a nice little ground to be fair. But, if we don't get amongst them, if we don't stop them playing then they will come, they will hurt us and we will be out of the game again. So, we know that, that is League One, if you don't perform and you don't compete then you don't get anything. So, that is the message from Greg today as well.
JP
Just on the team itself, is it 4-4-2 as it kind of looks or is there an opportunity that (Jon-Paul) McGovern might play more in the hole and go back to 4-3-3?
AH
I think you will see Thir (Paul Thirlwell) sitting a little bit deeper just to protect that back four and you might see Cadz (Danny Cadamarteri) dropping a little bit deeper as well, so 4-4-2 in theory but it will be very fluid.
JP
We will keep our eyes on that, many thanks for joining us then and the best of luck today.
AH
Thank you.