Greg Abbott On The Bristol Rovers Draw

Try to make some sense out of that game for us.

GA

Well, there is a lot of sense to be made out of it, you have just watched a team that have had a couple of defeats, we know we have had a few problems this week and prior to it.

But, you have seen a team that is prepared to battle and roll their sleeves up and play some fantastic football, and nearly win a game of football at a very, very difficult place to come against a very good side. So, that top and bottom of it is the sense in that game. It has been a terrific game for everybody to watch and we played our part as well as Bristol Rovers have.

JP

One of the local journalists analysing it afterwards said that it was a great advert for League One, it really was that today wasn't it?

GA

Yeah, it is one of them where there is a lot of mistakes but there is a lot of exciting football and there is a lot of passion and a lot of determination. There was some quality on both sides to be fair going forward as well, but if you want to dissect it you would probably work out why all the players are playing League One level and not higher.

But, it certainly gives you that excitement because neither team has come to stop each other playing, they have both gone to just try to win a football match, and that is what we talked about this week, was trying to win a football match.

JP

Would you have taken a point going into this one?

GA

Well, I think you would always take a point at really difficult trips away from home and as far away as this against the type of opposition we have got. But, you look at the game and we are probably kicking ourselves that we haven't won and probably Paul (Trollope) is kicking himself that he hasn't won. So, we get on the bus and the fish and chips will taste OK but not brilliant had Gary (Madine' s) penalty gone in.

JP

What is Gary Madine like after that?

GA

Gary is alright, absolutely airight and we are airight with him because that is the way we are as people. We don't individualise anybody, we didn't criticise anybody for the mistakes last week and we are certainly not going to have a go at Gary for that. He has worked himself to a standstill in the game and it happens. There are better players than him who have missed penalties.

JP

Yeah, the fans will see on the Football League show today that it was a very good save (from Mikkel Andersen) as much as Gary didn't quite get it in the corner.

GA

Yeah, listen, people save penalties, they get missed and they get scored. That is football and that is why it is such a fantastic game. But, I am certainly not into individualising and criticising people. We wanted him to score, fullstop, I wanted him to score more than anybody else in Bristol but he has missed and we move on now.

JP

What about the amount of chances you created after going behind in the second-half? They created a lot as well no doubt, it was open as you said but so many good chances that Carlisle got in on goal there, it seemed like when and not if with the goal?

GA

That must please you, that must please everybody that there is that spark there and that determination to do the job at both ends. We thought we might be able to get a clean sheet but that probably looked unlikely, and so did theirs. But, in the end 1-1, it could have been 3-3, 4-4, we might have nicked it 5-4.

But, that is great, we scored three goals last week, we know we conceded some, we looked a little bit better defensively, but we still got caused problems by (Jo) Kuffour and (Will) Hoskins at times. You know where you are with our back four but resolute enough and some really good creative stuff going the other way.

JP

With the equaliser as well, some very good elements in that, Ben Marshall, it was really good the way he crafted that goal and (Mike) Grella sniffing in the right areas, you needed a bit of that upfront?

GA

Yeah, we changed the system a couple of times in the game and we got Ben on and we know what he can do. I don't think he has shown his best stuff, in the nicest possible way I think Ben has got a lot more to offer and we have not quite got him back where we were last year.

But, in the last couple of weeks he has just started to show signs of that. I thought today his period on the pitch was dynamic with a lot of pace and he really hurt Bristol Rovers, and with a bit more luck we might have nicked another one.

JP

Lubomir Michalik coming back was a relatively standard return from injury, he looked like he hadn't lost a great deal, but Danny Livesey coming back, what great news that is for him and Carlisle?

GA

Yeah, we had to do that because of the way we wanted to get the 4-4-2 system in and get the left-footers on their natural side and right-footers on theirs. In the end we threw Danny on for 20 minutes, we knew he could cope with that, or we thought he might be able to cope with that. Once you get on the pitch you forget about what has gone on, and he did a sound job and enabled us to do that so he has played his part also.

JP

And we know you are still in the hunt for a longer-term replacement for Sean McDaid, but Matty Robson again — not a great deal came down the Bristol Rovers right today?

GA

No, probably more caine down our right-hand side, especially in the first-half. I thought that Frank (Simek) and Lubo on this side, inbetween them there was a lot of trouble and a lot of pressure and Will Hoskins was in the front of that. But, we dealt with it in the end and we live to scramble around for another day. Maybe on another day it might have been a bit better also.

JP

And back at Brunton Park on Tuesday against Tranmere, should be a very good one that, should be very entertaining after today?

GA

Well I hope so, I hope it is as good as this because we seem to keep saving the most exciting stuff for away apart from last week. Fans have been concerned about the lack of excitement and stuff over the last two or three games really, the early stuff was OK. But, let's hope we can put on a show and get back on winning ways, that is for sure.





JP

Do you really want it to be as exciting or would you prefer a nice straightforward 3-0 win?

GA

I think I would like to win but let's hope we can win and win exciting. But, it is another tough one and we will dust ourselves down and be ready again on Tuesday.





JP

And just on the players who have come back and the rest of the squad, any injuries picked up that might be a problem ahead of that?

GA

No, I think we are alright at the minute but I don't tend to hang around much in the dressing room afterwards and find out who has got knocks. I just tell them to get themselves ready to dust themselves down for Tuesday.