Greg Abbott On The Peterborough Defeat

Last updated : 24 February 2009 By Thetashkentterror

Blues boss Greg Abbott
United manager Greg Abbott spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's Derek Lacey after Carlisle's 1-0 defeat away to Peterborough tonight, Abbott suggesting that the Cumbrians had the lion's share of the game and deserved something from it :


" We are disappointed, the dressing-room is low at the minute. It is low because we have come here and I think that we have played terrifically well to be honest. It is hard to be very, very pleased after you have just been beaten but I like the dressing-room, I like my dressing-room, I like the players that I have got in it.

" What you have seen there is a club that is united and it has forced Peterborough to go to the wire. We said that if we get beat then we get beat over dead bodies and they have had to go right all out to beat us. Players have put in a real big shift tonight and I am disappointed for them, they are a bit down at the minute.

" They have got some terrific players, they have got pace, they have got energy, they have got some quality there. We have read the reports of the last few games and how they probably should have won by three or four on Saturday. We have had our gameplan and we have stuck to it manfully, to a man right throughout the team.

" Ben Williams in goal has been terrific again, and is keeping people and critics quiet. He is starting to perform and is getting the confidence, that is what he needs, that is what everybody needs. In front of him everybody has put a shift in, put in some terrific work. We have not just sat back and defended, we have caused them loads of problems. "



" One criticism, maybe our final ball in or people getting on the end of the final ball. Lewis (Neal) has put in some terrific balls in the first-half. Then in the second-half right at the death Danny Graham puts the ball into Dobes (Scott Dobie) and he just can't quite get a decent connection and it goes straight to their keeper (Joe Lewis). We have had chances and Danny Graham and Joe Anyinsah have run the two centre-halves ragged I think all night but without just getting that little bit of a break in front of goal, we are disappointed.

" Danny is disappointed with his big chance because that is his bread and butter goals isn't it. I think that the keeper has just not known what it has hit, I think it has hit him on the heel or something and it has rebounded away. I don't know, it is just one of those nights where I think that we definitely deserved something out of the game.

" Their manager (Darren Ferguson) has changed their shape twice, he has made his substitutions in the first-half. He has had a right go at them at half-time and we pushed them to the wire. I think that if we get 1-0 up then we win the game 1-0 and it was always going to be a 1-0 game. We looked quite comfortable, for the threats that they have got I never thought that they were going to score. I just thought we defended well enough, we were picking up the second balls in midfield, we were getting good service out to the wide men and the front players, it is just a hard one.

" On Saturday I didn't think that we did a great deal wrong. We probably played against a better team today than, and all respect to Stockport who I think have done terrifically well and take no credit away from them, but these are a very, very good side with some quality individuals. So looking at that, we are away from home, we have got beat so it is a decent performance for getting beat but if we play like that on Saturday then the chances are we are going to win the games.

" If we play like that until the end of the season then I will take it all ends up because we will win games playing like that. It is when you get beat and you don't know where to turn next but we have had the lion's share of the game again tonight and not got anything out of it, and that is the disappointment. "



" He (Aaron McLean) is Johnny on the spot isn't he, he has got inside of Lidds (Michael Liddle), Lidds I think has done terrifically well tonight coming in. He has got his shot away, Ben has made a good save, it has just smashed into his legs and it has bounced out and it has fallen straight to McLean who is the one person you wouldn't want it to do.

" Maybe that is the break you get when you are at the top and you don't get it when you are bottom but you have to make that happen. They kept putting the ball in the box and at times, they have got a lucky break really and probably think that they have got out of jail tonight with getting the three points.

" It was a nine minute break in the first-half, it was a neck injury I think but I don't know the extent of it. I just hope that the lad (Gaby Zakuani) is OK, it was an innocuous challenge and I think that he has just fell over going back to his own goal and has landed on his neck. I think that Dolly (Neil Dalton) said that he was talking by the end of it so the signs are hopefully OK and I wish him all the best.

" There have just been knocks to pride tonight, just knocks to pride, I think that the lads are alright. They have just put in a good shift and there is nobody complaining in there at the minute about injuries so we will just have a look at that tomorrow and then go back at it on Thursday and try to get a result.

" I suppose the next games do take on more significance, we need some points, we want to get the points wrapped up quickly. I think that playing like that though, we have got to set our standards high, they were set high tonight. The players have performed, we have got not a result so obviously we can't go overboard with the performance. We haven't got a result but I just think that if we can continue that sort of progress and play that way then we will have more good days than bad days. "



" Taking chances is why the strikers are paid such a lot of money, that's why their strikers have got their goals and they are worth a hell of a lot of money. That is why Danny Graham is hoping to get his goals and be worth a lot of money too.

" He generally gets on the end of stuff, he has got on the end of stuff tonight, just missed the target, the keeper has made a good save, got in the right places. He will get his goals, we will get our goals but we have to make sure that we are creating chances, we are getting in goalscoring positions and hopefully that will come, but you win football matches by putting the ball in the net.

" We are going to assess Evan Horwood on Thursday. We don't know anything to an extent because his knee was swollen up, so Dolly couldn't determine what it was. So we are going to look at him on Thursday and hopefully it is not bad because he has come back into a bit of form as well and was playing very well.

" An able deputy tonight though, Michael has come in and done terrifically well and I am really pleased for him. He (Kevin Gall) has gone and got some football, he needs to get some games. So he is going to have a month there (Port Vale), we will see it how goes and then we will assess that situation at the end of that month.

" That is it now though, thoughts are now that we have to pick the boys up, because they are disappointed because they have had two half decent performances and nothing out of it. We have to still get a bit better than this and on Saturday if we can take that performance I'm sure that we will get a positive one. "