United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) following Carlisle's 3-2 League One win at home to Sheffield United, Abbott saying he is ecstatic with the three points :
JP
7,721 coming to watch that, so many Carlisle fans will have gone home happy tonight, how happy are you?
GA
Erm, hopefully as ecstatic as them. The crowd has certainly delighted everybody at the club, at last we have got some back and hopefully the floaters have seen an enjoyable game, a little bit of excitement, some nice football and a fantastic victory in the end. We only get three points for it but fantastic against another good side that are going really well in the league, second at the start of play and I watched them destroy Hartlepool, 3-0 up after half an hour and you are thinking it is going to be tough. But, we have put in a great shift again, there are some fantastic individuals and people that are playing and representing this club at the minute and they are out on the green grass, and they are doing us proud at the moment.
JP
The goal that won you the match may well be the best goal I have ever seen one of your sides score. It is one of the best goals I think I have ever seen, the interplay on the edge of the area was exquisite but the three goals, all three of them, have you ever seen three better goals in a match from one team?
GA
Erm, well, you know, we have been often criticised, or the club has certainly in my tenure here in terms of playing drab and boring and negative football. But, I don't think anybody today could label that at us, we have played some terrific stuff at times, the build up for all three goals was excellent and the finishes were fantastic. Francois's two goals were superb as well as Jay's (Jon-Paul McGovern's), a fitting winner Jay's and that is great. If you can say that that you think it is one of the best you have seen then that is great for us, it is great for everybody.
There are still flaws in the group, but sometimes you have got to look beyond that if you want to play the type of football we are trying, attacking football, putting people on the back foot. You are obviously going to leave gaps at the back and sometimes get exploited but theirs were more like through physical and the wind that they got them rather than great play. I thought ours was terrific play and hopefully let's hope there is a lot more to come for the second half of the season.
JP
Going into this run of fixtures, Preston then Huddersfield and then Sheffield United, did you dream that you would get five points?
GA
No, I thought we were going to get seven to be honest because we didn't want to concede in the 94th minute at Preston. But, we did, it is history, it is gone, but there is a lot of character, there is a lot of character, a lot of belief now coming and I think not just within the group, the team, but from outside as well. 7,700, honestly, you don't know how pleasing that makes me feel to think people are now showing us that support as well and that the belief from outside as well as inside the dressing room, because we have never doubted ourselves. There is a long way to go but we know that on our day we can compete, and we have done again today.
JP
Was it important though to come up against one of these really good teams and put in a good performance and not come away and say yeah we have done ourselves proud, but actually come away with the three points?
GA
Well, we have done it against Sheffield Wednesday and we have gone away to good clubs and won as well. But, yeah, I think the benchmark is can they go that extra bit and win the games and see out the victories, and today we have done. Sheffield United, six out of seven they had won or something ridiculous like that.
JP
Looking for a seventh win on the trot (ed - in the league)
GA
Seventh win on the trot, well there you go, I mean that doesn't need me to say how good the performance and the result was today, that speaks volumes.
JP
Well, there is a stat from you but what about this one? Beaten once in ten now, how does that feel?
GA
Two in sixteen.
JP
Even better.
GA
Which is better? I am not sure.
JP
I like one in ten.
GA
Alright, one in ten.
JP
You have got to be happy with that though, I mean where is that coming from?
GA
That stat? I don't know. You I think.
JP
No, where is the form coming from?
GA
Well, we always think that there is quality within the group. You look at the season, I mean how many teams have we been beaten in the whole season?
JP
Six.
GA
Six in the whole season. Well, there is some quality in there and a lot of belief, there is a lot of determination and probably that is where it comes from. When you get on a roll and you get some momentum and you get some confidence then you become a better side without having any different personnel in, and I hope people understand what I am saying. They are now going out on the pitch, thinking we are going to win this one, we are not going there to nick a draw, we are not going there to sit back and wait, like Huddersfield, we went and attacked Huddersfield, we have attacked Sheffield United today. We are going to try to do that more often and see where we come out at, but at the minute there is a lot of belief running through, and that is probably the key to it.
JP
I feel like I did at Preston here bringing this up but could you have defended a little bit better for the goals they scored?
GA
We will leave them until later on in the week.
JP
You are going to do that again?
GA
It feels like the same answers are coming.
JP
I felt like that one might be coming but that is fine. Something that the fans don't want me to leave until the end of the week is the futures of Liam Noble and Christian Ribeiro, can you tell us anything?
GA
Christian is going back, definitely, he has got a new manager in at his club and he wants to see him, I know he was there for a week but he wants to see him. Liam is going to have a talk with Martin O'Neill, find out what his thoughts are about his future and he is going to get back to us. But, he is going to go back to Sunderland initially to iron that out, I am waiting for the outcome of that conversation and that would probably take about a week. Obviously, Martin has got a massive job on doing his thing with Sunderland, so we will wait until the outcome of that and then hopefully we will know more, and that is exactly all I know as we speak here.
JP
But, he can't come back on loan, if he did come back now he would be becoming a Carlisle player if he could?
GA
We would hope so yeah, we would like to do that and he knows that. But, that is an option for him after the outcome of the talks.
JP
If Christian Ribeiro is going back then do you have to move quickly in that area then?
GA
Well, Frankie (Simek) is going to be OK, Frankie is going to be fine for the weekend. Having Christian here today gave him that extra couple of days, but it will be one of those, Frankie will go back in and if anything should happen to him, like certain others where we have only got one in that position then we would then go to the loan thing. But, at the minute we are OK with that position, it is probably higher up the field that there is a priority.
JP
And higher up the field, I know obviously that you wanted to work quickly with Rory Loy being out injured to do something, are we hopeful of something earlier rather than later?
GA
Erm, possibly back end of the week, there have been a few enquiries for a couple of players. Again, with the amount of games at Christmas and the way it all is, everyone is keeping their squads together, now this period is over then people will say that yeah, I haven't played, the glut of games are done, we will see if we can let one or two out. We are waiting on the outcome of that so hopefully there are some enquiries gone in, and like I said, at the end of the month hopefully we are as strong at least as we are now.