Greg Abbott On The Leeds Win

Last updated : 20 January 2010 By Thetashkentterror

Blues boss Greg Abbott
United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) after Carlisle's 2-1 Johnstone's Paint Trophy Northern Area Final first leg win away to Leeds, Abbott saying there is still a big mountain to climb despite the result :



GA

You have seen how tough that was, every single question that we could be asked and we have responded terrifically well. But the second leg is going to be a hell of a battle and they are going to throw everything they have got at us, they have got some good players. We are halfway there but there is a big mountain to still climb and we are going to have a right go at climbing it.

JP

Why do Carlisle United always play so well at Leeds?

GA

I don't know, I think we have been playing quite well for quite a while to be honest, a few performances apart. But we come here, we roll our sleeves up, we get stuck in, we show a great determination, we had a real much better shape to our team tonight and we have asked them a lot of questions as well at times. In the first-half especially I thought we were excellent.

JP

Saturday's game against Brentford seemed to suggest that you really needed a striker, today's game against Leeds suggests that maybe you don't right now. What was your feeling about the way your forward line looked tonight?

GA

You have quickly changed your mind haven't you in the space of three days.

JP

I am happy to say when I am wrong.

GA

Well you are not totally wrong are you, the comparisons are there aren't they. What we have got to do is keep performing like we are doing, we have got different types of players and if they work that is fantastic for us, and if they don't and we think we need to do something about that we do. But tonight the two lads have put in a great shift for us and collectively as a team we were much, much better.

JP

Did you work on making them not have to play their role as a targetman, get the ball into feet rather than airborne?

GA

We have to work to players' strengths and that is what we do. We know what our players can and can't do and all the way through the team you are trying to work to players' strengths. That is to get the right players on the ball in the right areas and others that have to defend to defend properly and defend narrow and defend tight. Tonight we got a lot of answers from a lot of our players and collectively it was a really good performance against a really top side.





JP

I remember watching the Everton game and wondering if Everton might not have been better spending £9 million on Matty Robson than their winger (Diniyar) Bilyaletdinov. Tonight once again he was an absolute terror for the Leeds back line.

GA

Well, again strengths you know. We need to get Matty going towards the opposition goal and running in behind his defenders as much as he can. You can see what problems he causes when he plays the ball backwards, we want him to open up and go forwards as much as he can because that is the type of player he is.

We have got Evan Horwood to do the left-back's job and he can do all the defending. But Matty is a threat, he is a pacey one, (Kevan) Hurst is a clever one and I thought right the way through the team we had some really good performances tonight.

JP

What have your team shown you coming to Elland Road and playing this well in response to Saturday's match?

GA

They have shown me what I know they can be, which is a really good side and a tough side to beat, and a really competitive side. That is what we have to see, Saturday, if the little bits and pieces had gone our way in the first half an hour then we might have got something more there. But we weren't as good over the 90 minutes on Saturday as we were tonight and that is the levels of consistency we are looking for.

JP

You gave Lenny Pidgeley a go in goal tonight, what did you make of his overall display?

GA

I thought he was terrific, he made a couple of great saves. We needed to give him some pitch time, he has had three to four weeks doing nothing and if anything happens to Adam (Collin), who is our number one keeper at the moment, we have got a keeper that is absolutely cold and had no match practice at all. So he has come in and done a smashing job and it has given him 90 minutes at the proper level that we are looking at.

JP

The save as well at the end from the (Luciano) Becchio header I believe it was, it perhaps just made you the favourites to go through in this tie, albeit with a lot of work to do.

GA

There is a lot of work to do, let's leave it at that.





JP

2-1 here though, and Stockport I do believe were beaten this evening in League One, Stockport 0-1 Swindon, an interesting game for you at the weekend?

GA

Well it is a tough one again, listen, there are no easy games, our fans know that and we all know that. Don't think that Saturday's game will be any easier than this, it just won't be, but we have got to take the momentum into Saturday, we have got to take the confidence of coming to places like this and getting a result. This result doesn't mean a great deal if we don't get one on Saturday, we need to build that momentum, try to build up another run of unbeaten games and push ourselves forward.

JP

Your new signing Adam Clayton, back in on loan until the end of the season, how do you feel he performed?

GA

I thought he was terrific, his energy levels are good, his passing is good, they were probably too eager at times Tom (Taiwo) and Adam, they were that keen to do well. That is the type of players they are but you can knock that off a little bit, you can't always add it on.

They have got energy, enthusiasm and that is what we are looking for through the team. Add to that you have got some experience in there as well that you hope will calm them down and help them when things aren't going so well. But we are pleased with the two young kids, they are 19 and 20 I think and terrific.

JP

And they have been the big talking points along with Vincent Pericard, but has one of the finds of the season come from within your own squad in Evan Horwood with another fine performance tonight?

GA

Evan has been quietly getting along with his job hasn't he. He is one of those players that you are now not noticing him so much, and I mean by that if full-backs go relatively unnoticed you mean they are doing their job quite nicely. If you single them out or you are talking about them all the time it generally means that things aren't going so well. But he has been consistent, he has cut out a lot of the errors that he was making and he is finding that level to his game that we were looking for.

JP

And how is the squad shaping up ahead of that weekend's return to League One action?

GA

I don't know, they are all stuck into their pizzas now, re-hydrating for Saturday. So I need to hurry up and get mine otherwise there won't be any left.