Cheltenham Boss John Ward Speaks

Last updated : 21 January 2006 By Thetashkentterror
John Ward
John Ward, who was speaking exclusively to Cheltenham Town's official club website www.cheltenhamtownfc.co.uk, talked about the awful state of the Brunton Park pitch and the attitude of his players going into next week's FA Cup tie with Newcastle United :



"I'm delighted with the point. I thought we should have picked a goal up in the first half hour of the game. We had a lot of possession and a lot of play and we were looking to score then because you know it's not going to last when you play Carlisle away from home.

"We didn't score and then we lost a goal so we said that we had to keep believing and keep sticking; and if we need to change it to chase the game then 'trust me.' We got away with it in that sense because we went three at the back and threw everything forward then got a break in their box right at the end. There is a lot of belief in the players. A week ago we were feeling worse than Carlisle do today because we lost the game when we were leading it.

"Today we've seen two good teams trying to play good football on an awful pitch. The Carlisle fans behind the dugout were fair because they knew we were a decent team and they have a good team as well. We both tried to entertain as well as win the match and at least we did that.

"Shane Higgs made a fantastic save in the first half but they had a let off with Kay's header and David Bird also had a very good chance early on. It's not just about Higgs but I've got a good team and a good goalkeeper and when he is called upon to pull something out he usually does. That keeps you in the game because 2-0 down is much more difficult to come back from, especially with the quality they've got. At 1-0 there is always a chance and we stuck at it today and took our chance."



"They got on top going into half-time but for the second half we told the players we had to make Carlisle fight for the right to play again, that the same rules apply at 4 o'clock as they do at 3 o'clock. We stayed mentally strong and I'm delighted with the way the players have performed.

"We gave Mickey Bell his debut today and also young Michael Wylde, who got a taste of it at the end when we went to three at the back. The young players are coming through because I can't match teams like Carlisle off the field -their crowd today was double what we've been getting - but on the pitch we can give them a game.

"I'm also very pleased that there has been no apparent thought from the players about any game other than Carlisle. We may not win the LDV or the FA Cup but we will still be in League Two when it's all over and we didn't want Carlisle to get 10 points away from us.

"There are a lot of guys running on empty but the point is they are still running. The players are very fit and that is a credit to my backroom staff and people like Ian Weston and Jason Murphy, who do a lot of work on their fitness. They play a big part in results like this one.

"David Bird has been putting in manful displays for a 21-year old. He has got stronger and stronger and the pleasing thing is that people are telling me we are not missing McCann, who is one of our best players. That is because Bird and Finnigan have been very strong in the midfield and still getting good results for us."