Greg Abbott On The Huddersfield Defeat/Victory

Last updated : 09 February 2011 By Thetashkentterror
Blues boss Greg Abbott
United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) after Carlisle's 3-0 Johnstone's Paint Trophy Northern Area Final second leg defeat away to Huddersfield that saw the Blues win the tie 4-3 on aggregate, Abbott saying it was the worst possible way for Carlisle to get to Wembley :


JP

Tough for you but you are there at Wembley once again?

GA

Yeah, it is a fantastic achievement, make no mistake about it, we said the worst possible way to do it was to lose 3-0. But, it is done and it is a cup tie that is over two legs, two games, and over the two games, we battered them at our place, Lee (Clark) knows that.

Tonight we got a bit more of that treatment, but in a more one dimensional direct way. Huddersfield just threw the ball forward, put our back four under massive pressure, they didn't play that great football. But, they did what they had to do which was get a head of steam up, they got their goal and that gave them some impetus.

Then the set-pieces, the two goals from set-pieces, (Jamie) McCombe coming in and (Alan) Lee, big players, powerful players and we found it really difficult to contend with. But, over the two games the attitude of the players is magnificent and to be fair we are at Wembley again.

It is no small feat, Leeds last year, these are the massive muscles of the division financially this year are Huddersfield and we have turned them over over two legs. You have got to say to the players a massive, massive well done.





JP

We made the point in commentary that it will look like on paper a 3-0 bashing for Carlisle but you can't look at it like that, you do have to look at it as a two-leg tie?

GA

You do, you get a bit of a bashing at times, a bullying. But, go through their team and look at the quality they have got through there, and you are going to come under pressure, there is no doubt you are going to come under pressure. We have got people there, (Liam) Noble has played four league games in his career, (James) Berrett is having his first season.

Other people like that, they are young players and are learning their way, Rory Loy it is his second league game and the first full start I think in his career. We have had a massive amount of determination and that has what has got us through, nothing else, massive amounts of determination.





JP

When they got their third goal with so long of the match to go did you fear a little bit at that stage?

GA

No, I thought we would get there.





JP

You didn't.

GA

Especially when Alan Lee dived and missed from about six yards, I thought that it must be somebody up there smiling on us in terms of our determination. This is a big club, I hope they go up, I hope they go all the way, I wish Lee and his team all the very, very best.

We have had five fantastic magical games against them, we have come out on top in this, they have come out on top in the league, and I just hope they get promoted and we get to Wembley and win a trophy. Then you can safely say that most managers would be satisfied with that.





JP

What do you do now with everyone after a game like this? Can you use this, I know it is a 3-0 defeat but you have got through to Wembley, can you use the euphoria now to try to get everyone back?

GA

We have to do, we are just finding things a little bit difficult at the moment, let's not hide behind anything. It is my job now to get amongst them on Thursday and bring them down and concentrate on getting six or seven league wins to push us right the way up the table and in a really nice place to go and let the whole town enjoy Wembley.

I think we are in better shape than we were last time around, but there is a big job to do between now and then. That is our job Kav (Graham Kavanagh) and myself to rally them round and bring them down and get our league programme going. We have got some really difficult games coming up.





JP

You really do don't you, and all on the road as well, not back at Brunton Park until the 22nd of this month against Exeter. Coming up next first Southampton then Oldham, both away, that is going to ask a lot of you?

GA

Yeah, but when asked they can deliver can't they this lot. So, we are at our best when we are up against it, we were up against tonight in terms of the quality of Huddersfield and the run they are on. We have stood up, we have stood up, over two legs we have stood up and we are there.





JP

Your last run of really good form came out a run of not so good form, I think it was one win in nine when you went on that run starting with Bristol Rovers. Do you think that this is the sort of thing that can galvanise you and set you off again?

GA

Yeah, I mean we are two wins away from being in the top sort of eight or nine and we are two defeats away from looking over our shoulder aren't we. So, listen, let's just look after tonight now and then let's think about the rest of it on Thursday morning.





JP

How important then do you think this could be in terms of getting everyone back onside and getting everybody into the right positions?

GA

Well, all my players are going to be fit anyway aren't they, all the players are going to be putting in performances because nobody will want to miss out in a month's time. So, it keeps them fighting and it keeps them right, if we had got knocked out tonight it would have been a real, real hard one to swallow. It would have knocked us back sideways and backwards and forwards.





JP

Gary Borrowdale came in for you and made his debut tonight, how do you feel about him?

GA

Composed, he was composed at times, he ran out of steam a little bit towards the end but to be fair it was like the Alamo. They just boot the ball forward and competed for everything, and Gary has found it difficult. He won't be used to that, he will be used to playing with (Adel) Taarabt who wants to do somersaults, flipflops and all that sort of stuff, and there were no flipflops and somersaults tonight were there?