John Ward On That Elusive Away Win

Last updated : 26 February 2008 By Thetashkentterror

John Ward
United boss John Ward spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's Derek Lacey on Tuesday night as he talked about the 1-0 victory at Gresty Road this evening, Ward, like all Blues fans, understandably delighted with Carlisle's first away win in four months :


" I thought the win was thoroughly deserved, we've worked exceptionally hard tonight. We saw Saturday's performance at home and the previous one against Huddersfield and we were asking this team to replicate that and put it in again. Certainly I've said to you many times that the attitude of the team comes before ability and they have shown that tonight and shown some good ability too.

" Chris Lumsdon has had two weeks without a game, unbeknown to you guys he has been ill for a week of that as well. So we realised that he needs a game in the reserves tomorrow, Grant (Smith) was in good form on Saturday. Chris Lumsdon has accepted that, he understands that and it's come off, it's come right and we got the decision right, we'll now get Lumsdon fit with a game tomorrow in the reserves and everything will be better.

" It was a good goal because our finishing had been wayward, in the first-half we had had a lot of the ball around the Crewe penalty box. Our shooting was not just over the bar but it was over the stand and it was all over the place. We'd got in there enough times to find a goal and that was my concern at half-time, that we'd wasted opportunities when we'd had good possession of the ball. When that move came though it was good flowing football, it was a good ball across the box and you just fancied Scott Dobie to put it away. It was clean and clinical and that's why we like him.

" It (Joe Garner) is a jarred knee basically at the moment, we are going to have a look at it tomorrow with Neil Dalton. I've just spoken to them down there and he's jarred it and shaken it up a little bit. Joe is OK with it at the moment but we need to look at it in the next 24 hours. Joe was uncomfortable, he wouldn't have been able to carry on and we felt that it wasn't right. So it wasn't precautionary, hopefully there is nothing too serious in it but he couldn't carry on in the game, of course we had Scott there and it was the right thing to do.

" Keiren (Westwood's) was the match winning save, or match winning saves if you like. We've had a lot of the play as I've said, we've attacked the Crewe side, we've pressed them on and then suddenly they kick you up the backside. I'm expecting to see the ball go in the back of the net and all that hard work coming undone but Keiren has pulled off what were match winning saves. We said at half-time not to waste that, let's see if we can build on it and take the game, win the game, and we can all thank Keiren for those saves. He's won it just as much as Dobie for me. "



" I think that result has been coming away from home. Quite rightly I suppose we get criticised because people get flavoured by the results a little bit. Some of the performances have been poor though now and again, but in the main we've put that kind of approach in and tonight we have got a reward for not just tonight's hard work but a lot of hard work on the road.

" We've just now made people sit up and say that Carlisle can do that so we're really pleased. We think the signings we have made have made the squad better. They are appearing in the first-team now a little more regularly and the competition in the squad is excellent.

" It's a simple thing to say but the games in hand are no good unless you get points when you play them. I think the annoying thing for other people in the top six tonight is that they haven't played and they are all sat there hoping that Crewe are going to beat us and they haven't. We can go home with a little smile on our face and say that we have taken advantage of that game on the Saturday when we didn't play here.

" What we've got to do now is press on, the next game is Nottingham Forest away live on TV, fantastic. I've just mentioned it in the dressing-room and my players have all lit up with a big smile thinking bring it on. We won't get clever and we won't get carried away but it's a certainly a game to look forward to.

" We've got a reserve game tomorrow at Rochdale and some of the boys tonight who need a game will play in that. Then we've just got to figure out our training schedule, we've had two really punishing games in terms of effort from the team in the last few days. We've got to get the rest back in them and the energy back in them because Nottingham Forest have had that opportunity.

" Of course they'll be really difficult opponents on Monday but we go in with a smile on our face, rubbing our hands and saying that this is what we want to be involved in. Credit to the lads, we're in a good strong position to see if we can get something from Nottingham. "



" The fans were terrific, we just said at the end there, it's not often that I go, or my staff go across. Because of this away business though and the questions, you're going to have a problem now knowing what to ask me aren't you for the next game. It was nice, they stuck with us, they've been at Oldham when we disappointed them big-time, and games like Cheltenham where we've battered and got beat 1-0.

" Port Vale where we have been a goal up and conceded in the last five minutes, they've been there. I think it was right tonight that myself, my staff and all the squad of players went across to show our appreciation to them because tonight it's a reward for them as well as us.

" Winning was totally the most pleasing thing tonight, just winning, it doesn't matter how we did it away from home but we've done it quite well with a good performance against a side in good form. It belies their league position at the moment, their recent form has been good but winning was the vital factor because otherwise you'd be asking me again next weekend about this away form. You can't ask me that any more now, not for a while, it's great. We've not lost the last two so it's not bad.

" I think you can probably tell in the tone of my voice, it's exciting, it's good and it's satisfying. Because we've felt that we've threatened enough in some of the recent defeats to have got something at least out of the game. To come here and win, particularly when it counts as one of those games in hand if you like in front of a good travelling away support it's an excellent feeling. I'll enjoy it tonight, I'll enjoy it tomorrow and we'll start to look forward to Nottingham Forest in the next couple of days and see if we can push the team on to try to get another good night.

" It does get better because we can go first but we haven't, and we're a bit away from Swansea, so it can get better but that is going to take a wee bit of doing for anybody I think. It's a strong position though, I've been saying to you since October that if we can be in the top six at the end of this month and that month and we've gone on. Now we're at the end of February, we're going into March and we're not only just in the top six but we're in the top two which is wonderful.

" It's really, not in our hands, but it's up to us to continue what we are trying to do and just be as successful as we can. I've just said to the players to go and enjoy what we are doing, it's a super place to be and a super position to be in. Let's enjoy it and put every effort into trying to make it a bit better if we can. It's there for us to have a go at, and we shouldn't be sat in May having regrets, and at the moment coming up to March, the beginning of March, there are no regrets about anything and hopefully it will stay that way. "