John Ward On The Orient Draw

Last updated : 23 August 2008 By Thetashkentterror

John Ward
United boss John Ward spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's Derek Lacey this evening after Carlisle's 0-0 draw at Leyton Orient, Ward suggesting that the Blues dug in strongly during the second-half :


" I'm surprised that it was 0-0 at half-time, I said to Martin Ling with about five minutes to go that it could be 3-3. It was a very open game, as we've had in our previous two. We felt that Orient had a point to prove, not because of us last year, but they have had a couple of tough results. Martin made his feelings well known even in the programme, so we knew that there would be some sort of fightback.

" From our point of view though we created a good number of chances, as did Orient, but neither team were clinical enough to finish one of them off. So it was an exciting game in that respect, it was as good a 0-0 draw as you are going to get. I thought that the second-half was a little bit tighter and a little bit closer to call with not quite so many opportunities.

" In the main though both teams have had a go to try to win it, and they have been applauded off at full-time by both sets of supporters because they have seen their teams have a go at it. I think that the surprise of the day is that we haven't seen a goal, but we have seen a darn good game I reckon.

" Ben (Williams) is a good goalkeeper, he is fine. He has pulled off his saves which we would expect him to, he has commanded his box which we like to see, so he is bedding into this team really well now. He has got two clean sheets in four games so he will be really delighted with that.

" He (Danny Livesey) has had a drop on the shoulder and he has got a little cut just in the hairline, that was the second one that he had to go off for. Danny is a centre-half though and he looks like one as well. He is happy to be there, he gets his knocks because he plays a major part in keeping a clean sheet for his team, along with his mates at the back, so he'll be fine for Tuesday if I need him.

" There is a heck out of a lot to take out of the game and not just the point. We are unbeaten, we have had to dig in in the second-half. I think that you saw both teams physically tire in terms of the pace of the game, it would be difficult to keep that up in the first period. It's a very warm day and I think that both teams have performed really, really well. "



" So I'm happy with the general performance, even the substitutes, Cleveland (Taylor) has come on and hit the bar, Michael Bridges some good touches, even (Richard) Keogh at the end. We put him on to just bolster it up when we had lost Scott Dobie, so everybody has played a part here and that is what the whole season is going to be about. The next ten months will be about more of that.

" I'm going to give you the football managers one on Scott Dobie and it is true actually. I followed the flight of the ball and when you hear the referee blow his whistle 25 times you know that something serious is going to happen. He lets you know that by the blasts on the whistle, which I think causes a little bit of unrest with the group of players. I'll have a look at it on the video though. Scott is very upset and very disappointed and we'll have a look and see what we think about it, but I didn't actually see it at the time.

" The support was terrific, they are excellent aren't they. They come in their numbers, they have a weekend of it, some are even staying over for Tuesday's game at QPR. They coincide it with a bit of social activity but they are here to see their team and they wouldn't be down in this part of the world if we weren't playing. I think that they have gone home seeing a real battling performance from their team today. We haven't let them down and they haven't let us down, so we thank them and hopefully we can get some more trips away that they can go home content with what they are looking at.

" Martin Ling will be doing his press conference and he will be saying the same as me, opportunities to win the game on both sides. We didn't take them so we can both lay claims to that, the fact is that we weren't clinical enough, neither of us. You fancied (Adam) Boyd to put his header in when he was clean in there, you'd fancy Scott Dobie to put his header away in the first-half, those guys generally do those things.

" Today they didn't though and we have both had to battle out for a point and we're probably OK with that in a sense. There are things that we want to be better at but I know that over a season of 46 games there are going to be a mix of games and mix of results and the ways to achieve them. What we have done in two of the away games, at Shrewsbury and here, is that we have battled really, really strongly. Don't forget that we have played three out of the four away from home and we remain unbeaten at this moment in time, so that has got to be pleasing. "