Dennis Booth On The Yeovil Win

Last updated : 17 March 2010 By Thetashkentterror

Dennis Booth
United assistant manager Dennis Booth (DB) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) after Carlisle's 1-0 League One win at home to Yeovil, Booth happy that the Blues got all three points after Saturday's ten men exertions :



JP

Workmanlike is something you will be very happy with, with the three points against a side like Yeovil right there or thereabouts with you?

DB

Exactly, a great game on Saturday where we had to battle with ten men, it took a lot out of the players. So you are always wary coming into another home game and maybe we looked a little bit jaded at times. But I was pleased with that because sometimes these are the games we have lost in the past where we have had plenty of the ball and should have won the game and then we get mugged.

We said that at half-time that we don't get mugged because to be fair we kept Yeovil at arm's length and they didn't look really threatening. But having been in football as long as I have that doesn't mean anything, it is a one goal lead but it was a great goal and we thoroughly deserved the win without a doubt.

JP

Tell us about that goal from Adam Clayton, you were just telling me before we came on air that he practices that sort of thing?

DB

Well we do the shooting and he loves to hit balls like that. Maybe Adam should score more goals really, he has got that ability that if he gets further forward he strikes a very good ball. You just got the feeling once he had hit it, it is going in, and it deserved to win the game. Because we looked as if we were going to fall a little bit short, so it was a great goal to win the game. Three points now is massive for us at this time of the season.





JP

In terms of the game itself, were you happy with the level of what you got here? If you look at my notes, very few chances in the game, I only underline the good ones, no underlined chances for Yeovil. You talked there about having them at arms length, I am sure you would have liked to have got a two goal margin, but you did just hold them off all game long?

DB

Well that is right, you are always trying to get another goal but we are trying to be professional and say don't go and be silly, you have got to learn how to protect leads as well. It is alright bombing forward and getting caught at the back, which we have done in the past. We are 1-0 up and as the clock ticks down you have got to be professional and you have got to defend for your lives.

Opportunities will come but you don't throw people forward, we have got Gary (Madine) and Pricey (Jason Price) there upfront, get it up to them and we looked like we were going to get another goal. We couldn't do that but it is important that we kept the clean sheet at the other end.

JP

Adam Clayton then, a moment of brilliance from him the difference between the two sides. Looking back to the game down there in October, Yeovil had a young man on loan from Tottenham in Ryan Mason who was the sort of player who could open a game up. Do you think it made a difference him being recalled to Tottenham?

DB

Possibly, he looked a very good player down there, he is only 17. He has gone back and obviously they changed the system and played him in behind the strikers and he did it very well. He has gone back but that is what happens in football, players come and go and we have had a couple of injuries tonight and we have had to change the team around. We have had people come on that haven't played for a while, (Marc) Bridge-Wilkinson did well for us so that is why you need a decent squad.





JP

Ben Marshall getting his chance in the starting line-up due to that injury to Kevan Hurst and you have another right-sided midfielder injured, what is the latest with Ben?

DB

He has got a bang, it was a good tackle, you don't get wingers tackling like that, but he was very brave and he has got kicked on his calf. They can be very nasty, that will stiffen up quite a lot but he should be OK.

It was a shame really because he was causing the left-back (Nathan Smith) a lot of problems, he looked like the player tonight that was going to open up the game for us. So that was a blow for us but Bridgey came on and plays a different type of game giving them a different problem and we were pleased with him, but Ben shouldn't be too bad.

JP

Without quite asking you for a diagnosis, is that a dead calf then that he has got basically?

DB

Yes, a dead calf, they are painful, hopefully he should be fit for Saturday but you never know the extent until it settles down. He will be resting it and icing it but in the next couple of days we will have a better idea. They are difficult to diagnose but they can be very nasty injuries, but we are just hopeful at the moment and at the present time, but we won't know until we see him in a couple of days and Dolly (Neil Dalton) gives us the diagnosis on it.

JP

What about Danny Livesey? He looked like he tweaked a hamstring?

DB

Yeah, we feared the worst in that one but I think it was more of a spasm than anything, so that doesn't look too bad at the moment. But then again, we will have to wait and see further down the line, but we are hoping that it was a spasm more than a pull or anything like that.





JP

Just looking ahead to the weekend, another of those lengthy trips down to the Essex neck of the woods, not such a great time the last time you were down there but fingers crossed for better this weekend?

DB

Yeah well, we have won two on the bounce now, we are going down there, they have had their problems have Southend. They are in the bottom three I believe so we have got to go there, be positive and try to win the game. If we can get another three points then that sets us up marvellously for Wembley and the rest of the season.

JP

Going into Wembley, the form that you will be into, ten points since that Gillingham victory for you which is a pretty good haul of points you have pulled together and I am sure you will be very happy with that alone. If you can add to it at Southend all of a sudden it sets you up and you could well be on 50 points if you can get the right result at Southend and that would be a great way to go into that match.

DB

Well that is right, that is what we have talked about, we didn't want the season to fizzle out, we wanted to keep winning our bread and butter games. Wembley is a great day out for everyone to try to win the trophy but this league is the most important thing. We need to be in this league next season and as we have said, if we keep winning games and getting results then we can have a little look upwards instead of looking back over our shoulders.





JP

Southend are in the bottom four as you quite rightly say, Carlisle also 14 points clear of the relegation places. Do you never say never or do you think you are just about there now?

DB

I am not going to say.

JP

You are not going to say - quite right. Any other injury concerns just finally ahead of the weekend?

DB

No, I think that is about it, they are mostly little niggles and things like that but we just hope that everybody is right. Hursty should be OK, he got a bang on his knee, the ball hit him in the face and he twisted his knee but hopefully he will be OK, maybe not Saturday but certainly for Wembley he should be OK, so that is good news as well.