Greg Abbott On The Bury Draw

Last updated : 16 October 2012 By Thetashkentterror

Greg Abbott 3United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) following Carlisle's 1-1 League One draw away to Bury, Abbott saying that there was an immense excitement in the tempo of the game: 

 

JP

I bet you feel a lot warmer after that equaliser from Joe Garner?

GA

Yeah, we are not cold at all to be honest because it was a game of immense excitement in terms of the tempo of the game. There are not many sides, I will tell you now, that will play as quick a game as Bury did in the first-half, it was unbelievable. It was back to front, it was chase everything, it was run everything down, we did say at half-time that they can't do it for 90 minutes, we would have been staggered if they did.

We think we rocked them back a little bit second-half and edged and edged and edged into the game and finally got balls into the box, which we didn't do for long periods of the game. But, we got to be fair our best ball into the box from David Symington, Mark Gillespie has ended up making an unbelievable save because they cleared it, and ran the length of the pitch and then he gets that and then we go back up the end and Joe gets his goal.

We have deserved the point tonight and it is a big point because these will win games, I am telling you now, I will tell you now, these will win games because of the levels of intensity and they are fighting for their lives. It wasn't pretty at times but exciting, it certainly seemed it down there anyway, some poor football at times, some edgy football at times, some good football at times but some exciting stuff never the less, and some last ditch tackles and clearances at both ends. We go away from here having earnt a point and that was earnt, that was earnt, because they put us under a lot of pressure tonight with their intensity.

 

 

JP

Yeah, coming at the time it did I am sure you feel that that is a valuable point for you, but going into the game would have you hoped for more out of this one?

GA

These will win games, let me tell you, let me tell you, don't look at the table now and think because it is Bury and they are the bottom of the league, these will win games. It will be a matter of time, they got beat in the 95th minute at Crawley, I think they were 2-1 up or 2-0 up or 2-1 up, and then Crawley have managed to batter them down.

They are ready to win games and these will be points that you will look back at and you will think yeah, OK. We are not overjoyed, you look at the table and think yeah, we want to come and we want to win, but you look on the reflection of the game, that has been even stevens at its best for everybody. Both teams I think will be walking away from here probably relieved that they have got something out of it.

 

 

JP

Is it a bit of a worry for you that you have only kept the one clean sheet this season and another slighty sloppy goal to concede, good as it was the finish but the build-up before it?

GA

I thought we defended well tonight, a lot better, a lot more determination in our defending tonight. I think Mark (Gillespie) has made the wrong decision to come, stop, got caught in no-mans land, hasn't really recovered his feet and the lad (Zac Thompson) has put in a good finish. They will happen but we didn't look as open or as vulnerable as we did on Saturday by a long, long way.

The defending, I thought Peter (Murphy) and Mike (Edwards), they have had the toughest game that they will get, let me tell you, they have had as tough a game as it gets. Because, they were just put under pressure and pressure and pressure, not through fluent football, just by the ball gets cleared and it comes back, it gets cleared, it comes back. It was an old fashioned League One team that tonight, an absolute old fashioned League One game.

 

 

JP

For those fans who will look at the table going into this one and they will think Carlisle should be beating Bury, one or two saying that on twitter, Carlisle should be beating teams like this. Are you saying that you think that quite quickly Bury will be doing a lot better than they have?

GA

Listen, there a lot of things that should happen in football that don't. But, you are hitting teams with a new manager, with a new zest and a new tempo, we have probably got them two weeks too late, Kevin (Blackwell) has got them organised, he has got them up and at it. Listen, I have been at the game tonight, so never mind the people who were watching it or listening on twitter or whatever they do with this facebook situation, I don't understand it myself.

But, if they had been here they would have said that was a hard earned point, and the fans that were here will say that was a tough, tough point well earned, not two thrown away on the reflection on the way the game went. That is all you can deal with, is the way the game has gone on the night.

 

 

JP

Was there an element that your team were recovering a bit after the way things went at the weekend?

GA

It will have been for you guys and for the fans, they will think what is the recovery? Our response is always decent, even if we had got beat 1-0 the response was right in terms of the effort and the determination. Sometimes you can't play any different to the way the opposition lets you and this team will push the ball forward, they will turn people round, they will chase for everything, they won't let you settle, and that takes a really, really top side at the top of their form to do something about it. When we get them at home at Brunton Park when they are not as full of the early new managerial sort of thing we might be better off against them, but over the next few weeks these will be a tough outfit to play against.

 

 

JP

Are you confident you can now try to build on this ahead of another tricky away trip for you?

GA

Yeah, listen, we have had our talk about Saturday and I have forgotten about Saturday. It will never be erased from my memory in terms of what we have to do about it, but it will always be a reminder of what will happen if we don't prepare ourselves properly and play with that determination that we have done tonight.

If we had been as determined as that tonight we would have been a much better proposition on Saturday, it was one of them, it is gone, it is done, there is nothing we can do about it. We have to build from this well earned point, I know in some peoples' eyes they might be thinking it should be three, but on reflection of the game, and I can only say what I have seen, we are going away here pretty happy, especially scoring in the 93rd minute.

 

 

JP

I know you tell me not to talk too much about formations, but you did switch formation tonight, what was the feeling behind that?

GA

Yeah, to make us tougher to beat, and we score goals in that system, we have done plenty of times. We felt we didn't pass it enough first-half but credit to Bury, they just smothered everything, they didn't give us any time on the ball. It was a difficult area in the middle, the midfield was 150mph if it can be like that.

Like I said, it was at times like a throwback to the 70's League One style, Chris (Billy) probably has been part of quite a few of those games. Me and Chris had a lot of games where we didn't see the ball because it kept going over the top of our heads, but there wasn't anybody in the middle of the pitch that could get it down and really control the tempo of the game because it was that frenetic.

 

 

JP

I am not sure he will thank you for comparing him to 70's football though?

GA

Late 60's.

 

 

JP

In terms of the way the game was going when it was 1-0, we in commentary were saying what a great effort it was from Bury, but did you feel that you would always get that opportunity to break them down, even in the 88th minute still at 1-0, Chris said still time and it came?

GA

Well, I don't think we have not given up and not given an inch in any shape of form tonight. We have given a good account of ourselves and we have kept trying to defend properly when we have needed to and we have attacked and made as many changes as we possibly could. The one disappointment was with two wide players still on the pitch we didn't get any crosses on the board into the box for about an hour.

Then we started to get the ball in the box and cause them problems. They did run out of steam, we did peg them back and we did get them on the edge of their penalty box, whereas in the first-half it was more halfway line and towards our goal. So, we have worn them down if you like and eventually we have got a reward for absolute persistence.

 

 

JP

I know you want to credit Bury and they should be credited for their performance, but do you think you maybe didn't quite create enough to get that equaliser to get the second goal as well?

GA

It wasn't a creative game, you look at the type of game it was up here, and it was that frenetic and that fast that we couldn't get control to get our foot on the ball to pass it well enough to create stuff, the perfect goal. It was always going to be a frenetic sort of situation that would lead to the goal, their goal was that, the keeper maybe shouldn't have come, there have been a lot of balls bombed into the box that might have just dropped our way or might have dropped their way. Then the goal was a decent goal, well taken in the end, but it wasn't a fluent creative move that you say sometimes we are capable of. But, you take it in the 93rd minute.

 

 

JP

You certainly do, looking ahead then, did Matt Robson pick up a bit of a knock this evening? He seemed to be struggling a touch with his achilles?

GA

No, he is OK, again it was just we tried something different just to see if we could freshen it and change it around a little bit. Sometimes it is your night, sometimes it is not, sometimes you make a change for effect and at the end of it we have got a point out of it, so the changes have worked if you like.

 

 

JP

Any other knocks come out of the game?

GA

Just Cads (Danny Cadamarteri) has got a tight groin from beforehand, but apart from that they look alright to me.

 

 

JP

Is he a doubt for the weekend?

GA

For missing tonight, probably not.

 

 

JP

Jon-Paul McGovern for the weekend, is he a maybe?

GA

I will have to see, I haven't seen him for a couple of days.

 

 

JP

Yeah, of course, you have been away, and on the goal itself, what presence of mind from Mark Beck and what lovely footwork from Joe Garner, we thought he had maybe taken a touch too many, I am sure you did as well but he tucked it away?

GA

I just wanted him to put it in the net, it seemed to take ages, I thought the final whistle was going to go before he actually put it in. But, he has got it in and he has got his goal and it makes him a happy bunny again and he knows that the dressing room is a lot................ It is nice when you score, it is a couple of times in the last couple of weeks we have got late goals and I think we earnt it on the balance of play, but it did take a while coming.

 

 

JP

But, respect to Bury for the way they fought?

GA

I think so, and listen, you have got to be humble and you have got to be dignified, and sometimes you give credit where credit is due. They threw the kitchen sink at us for 60 minutes and eventually we wore them down, we kept at it one, we didn't concede another and then we got a reward for matching them and then overtaking them in the second-half at times.