John Ward On The Yeovil Win

Last updated : 01 September 2008 By Thetashkentterror

John Ward
United manager John Ward spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's Derek Lacey this evening after Carlisle's 4-1 home win over Yeovil, Ward chatting about Cleveland Taylor's efforts later in the interview :


" I'm delighted with the performance because I think that there have been two ways that we have had to win the game. We talked yesterday about us being patient, and they have had to make a change in the warm-up and I think that it has slightly altered their team pattern. Where (Marc) Bircham came into the starting line-up and played as a sitting midfield player.

" I don't think that they were probably going to do that if they had kept their starting line-up, and would still have kept three in midfield, but would have probably had three more open players. So we had to deal with that, it was just against the planning that we had put in yesterday slightly. So we had to be patient, and then of course when we conceded the first goal they are not going to come out and we have got to be patient.

" We had to try to get into wide positions where we felt that was somewhere where people like Cleveland (Taylor) and Simon (Hackney) would give them problems. Even allowing for the slowish first-half performance by us I felt that we could have found more than the one goal. We had a lot of the play without it being too clinical at the top end, but in the second-half we stepped it up considerably and gave them a real problem.

" Strikers will always miss more than they put away, the important thing for me is that they keep going in those positions. I think that Danny Graham and Danny Carlton have got a considerable partnership going on there. Danny Graham of course will go home with the matchball, we have just sold it to him, but Danny Carlton has worked tirelessly. Because he has had to come around Bircham a little bit and just change our way of thinking.

" So there is a willingness amongst this group of people to allow things to happen or do things that are probably slightly different, and allow Danny Graham to get into positions where he can get his three goals. It's a fantastic day both for him and for Gary Madine who found the fourth goal, his debut goal. It has been a good week in terms of how we have gone about things and how we have come back from Tuesday night's disappointment.

" He (Cleveland Taylor) deserved a standing ovation, I said last night that I don't quite understand why people have got any doubts about the young fellow. He gives you nothing less than everything that he has got, yes sometimes he gets things wrong but doesn't Simon Hackney, doesn't Danny Graham, don't all the other guys on the pitch. "



" Today though he has won everybody over from where they are probably thinking that he is not doing so well, then suddenly he is involved in three goals. That is what the young fellow can do, they have got to work at their game and when the openings arise then Cleveland has paid off today for us. I did bring him off so that people could show their appreciation to him, and I am delighted in the way that they did that.

" He comes off smiling, he has turned round and applauded the stands around and so he should do. There will be days when he has tough ones and we have got to stick with him, but we have done that. We stick with all of them, they are an honest bunch, and today they have stuck at their jobs and stuck at what we have asked them to do.

" I've got probably two guys in midfield, Bridgey (Marc Bridge-Wilkinson) and Thirs (Paul Thirlwell) who were playing against three. We said that yesterday, you have got to put up with that, they might not get much credit for the victory today but they have been very strong in midfield. They have been playing support roles rather than Bridgey bombing into the box and finding a goal. Everyone has looked and thought about the work we asked them to do though and we have got a fantastic win to show for it.

" I didn't see enough of him (Thirlwell) last season and when I did he wasn't anywhere near the form that I am seeing now. He is one of those players that you know is a good player but you are wanting it come into your team. The benefit he has had is the pre-season work, the full six weeks, the full monty, a lot of games.

" He is getting fitter and stronger and he is a tough player as well as being a good player. You need that around this team, we have got a lot of flair, we have got a lot of pace. We need other things though like Paul Thirlwell's reliability to provide those people with the opportunities to show what they are good at in the top six end of the pitch, he is very, very good at it is Thirs.

" We won't get silly in terms of this, it's a terrific result, we will look at the league table and be pleased, but we know that we have got to do it all over again and that is going to carry on until next May. So we are delighted now but come Tuesday or Wednesday we will be thinking ahead. "