Greg Abbott Talks About The Brentford Win

Last updated : 24 December 2006 By Thetashkentterror

Greg Abbott
United first-team coach Greg Abbott spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's Derek Lacey on Saturday evening as he gave his thoughts on the 2-0 victory over the Bees. Abbott chatting about the need to keep looking on the positive side of things :


"It was a battle and you expect no different I think, teams at the bottom of the league aren't going to come here and make life easy for us. Brentford didn't do that today, I thought they competed really, really well until we got the first goal, they might count themselves a bit unlucky but we're delighted that we scrapped through it all and ended up with the three points. We kept it all going, we kept the work ethic going and we kept the players belief going at half-time. In the second half we improved a bit and after we got the goals we obviously played a little bit of better football, we're just delighted with the win.

" We were a bit disappointed with the way that they kept the ebb and flow of the game, every time the ball went out it took them an eternity to get it back in, they came to spoil it and they had a gameplan. We've got to deal with it though, at the end of the day they have hit two 40-yard shots which you think generally wouldn't trouble you but they needed fantastic saves from Keiren (Westwood) to pull us out. They would have been special goals and they would have put us on the back-foot but they didn't go in as Keiren has got the saves in.

" Their disallowed goal was awful defending and I think that is the little bit of luck we've deserved because over the season we haven't had any luck. If players work as hard as our players are working and have the belief that they have got then sometimes you deserve a bit of luck in the game. We got that today with the goal being disallowed, I'm not sure if someone got a touch and he was offside or what. I'm not really bothered to be honest, it's about time we had a bit of luck and we took advantage of that, in this game that is what you have to do. We went on from that and got the goal at the other end, and maybe it was going to be our day after that.

" We needed the first goal today, we needed an early goal but we didn't get that so we had to scrap and scrap, battle away and fight. The players got a little bit anxious, the crowd got a little bit anxious but we just kept on at them at half-time that they had to keep believing. They've not become bad players, their confidence is just a little bit on the lower side, but we're positive, believe me we are positive. At half-time we said that we've got to show some spirit and some belief the way we played at the start of the season. Keep passing the ball, keep working the way we want to work it, keep getting the ball into wide areas, into the front players feet and we'll cause teams problems doing that. They did it better, not as well as we'd have liked them to, but they did it better enough to get two goals and win the game. (jokes) We deserve a rise for what we said at half-time, we were magnificent. "



" He (Neale McDermott) has got himself into good positions, he does that, he gets forward well, he plays a lot on the front-foot and tries to get forward. Sometimes he does it too early, too many runs too early, but if you keep getting in positions, if you look at midfielders over the years that make runs into the box, then they score goals. He does get in the box, and if the ball arrives there then he deserves his finish. Sometimes we think too much too early, but today he's got a reward, he's got himself in a good position and he'll be pleased with that.

" I think it was very important to get those three points, I think everybody is pleased with that. I don't like doubters, I don't like people doubting, people being negative, people saying this and saying that. We've been so positive in our dressing-room and the players have responded and have worked their socks off today. We fill them with positive things all the time, so that's three points, there are three more games to go over Christmas, why can't we go on and win the next game?

" They (Blackpool) have had a good result today but we beat them here and it was a competitive game, we'll go and make life difficult for them again if the players work like they have worked today. The players will behave themselves over Christmas, they'll look after themselves, they'll be up for it and we'll be up for it. We'll have a big following and we want to send the supporters home happy again on their travels which we haven't done as many times as we would have liked this season. The players are bang up for it, we don't have to talk to them about looking after themselves, they are a terrific set of players, dead honest, they trust us and we trust them, and with that we should do alright.

" They got their reward for the fighting spirit today with three points. In football nobody gives you anything, teams at the bottom of the league don't give you anything. The last time Brentford played at home Tranmere scored in the last five minutes to equalise, they conceded a goal in the last five minutes last week as well to lose at Port Vale. So there are no easy games in this division, when you look at the table – week in, week out top teams are losing to bottom teams and vice-versa. We've got to just maintain our own form, not worry too much about others, keep that work ethic, and keep that belief and confidence in our football players. "