John Ward Talks About The 2-0 Win

Last updated : 21 October 2007 By Thetashkentterror

John Ward
United boss John Ward spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips on Saturday evening as he talked about the 2-0 home win against Gillingham, Ward chatting about a tough set of fixtures coming up for the Blues :


" I'm really pleased, we've had three wins out of the first four for me which is excellent in terms of me coming in and not disrupting anything. So I'm really, really pleased with today's performance probably as much as anything because it's a reward for really, really hard work.

" We said that at half-time, if we have to really dig through this and get our victory then that is what we have to do. I said that about the second half of the Millwall game, you're not going to be 4-0 up at half-time every time so you have to really work hard and be thorough, and I thought we did that today.

" There is an expectancy on us, I came with Cheltenham, I told the boys that I came to bore you to death, not to try to win it. At least they came with two upfront but they've really packed the rearguard. We've had a fair amount of ball particularly in the middle third of the pitch and trying to create and open things up when they have got a lot of bodies in there is not easy.

" We did that though, even at 1-0 up they are not going to really change so we had to go and find the second goal. Unfortunately we got it early-ish in the second half and the game become more open then. So I'm really pleased with the way the boys have dug out this win, I think it shows a lot of good things for the future because there will probably be more of these than there will of the Millwall matches.

" The first goal came from an unlikely source but we keep putting balls into areas and passes and shooting and things like that, and say can you pose questions to the opposition and see if they can find answers. We've posed a few today and that was one of them that they couldn't deal with so that's fine.

" If we don't put that ball in and ask those questions then we don't find the answers, unfortunately for Gillingham they made a mistake on it and we capitalised. We've got to stay positive in putting that ball in the right area in a difficult type game like it was today. "



" The second goal took a deflection but it's Simon (Hackney's) goal, there is no way I would take that off him. We talked at half-time about trying to play quickly and that was the result of us doing that. There was a nice bit of quick play prior to that and Simon was very positive checking in onto his favourite left-foot and again he let go. I said to go and ask the questions, he's done that, it got a touch on it by the defender I think but it's Simon's goal no question.

" We've done that topic (Joe Garner and bookings) and you know what I think about that. I'm pleased he's got that, in terms of the man-of-the-match award I mean, because I think that again is a reward for his hard work. Him and Danny (Graham) at the top end, I will always judge my strikers on the days they can't find a goal - what they offer to the team and I thought that they worked exceptionally hard at the top end.

" Danny has just had the one that hit the bar and probably deserved his strike but it was a good save off the keeper. In the main though there is a lot of hard work gone on by those two fellas and that really helps you at the other end of the team.

" I said to the boys yesterday at training - when you drive into the ground and you see the fixtures, Gillingham, Forest and all those, and Leeds United up on the board. It's very important that we don't look at the other two and that we make sure that the Gillingham game is thorough and done with and we've done that.

" That'll disappear off the board now and the others move up as you know and that's when you start to get excited. Some games have that little extra edge and certainly those two coming into Brunton Park will have an extra edge for everybody.

" Leeds have shown some clout, when you get your two strikers suspended for one game and you can go and bring two more in for a month, and use them for one game and then leave them out when the other two come back. That's quite good isn't it, we haven't quite got that, and over 46 games it is tough to deal with those people. "



" Over one game or two games though which we have against them we'll try to give them a really difficult game. Let's not again get too far ahead of ourselves because we go to Southend next week who have won again today 2-0 and that is another one that adds to that month of matches which is really exciting for us.

" We just thought that at 2-0 they are going to come and push on a little bit when we took Joe Anyinsah off, pace is always an asset, Kevin Gall has got that in abundance as you know. We thought that if we can break when they are pressing on to try to get back in the game somebody like Kevin can unlock it.

" He very, very nearly did, he had a couple of little opportunities there but it was nothing about Joe. It's just trying to throw different things, I'm asking the players to ask questions and I'm doing the same from the sideline.

" He (Jeff Smith) was sore over the couple of days training on Thursday and Friday. He's had the stitches out today, or he was due to have them out today, but we knew yesterday that he was very uncomfortable with that. It shouldn't be a problem, another two or three days and he should be OK.

" The other problem we have is that Paul Thirlwell is going to miss the next three or four weeks so that's a bit of a blow, well a big blow to me and to him. I haven't yet seen Paul play and I know what a good player he is but we are not going to have him for the next few weeks which is a shame.

" I thought that the support was really first class today, because in these awkward games when we are expected to win, and you're right, people expect that. I've told the players to deal with that, it's very important that the crowd stay with us and I felt that today.

" I didn't feel any real major frustration from them, they get annoyed like I do, but in the main they stayed and supported the team. I think that that again is the reward for the team's hard work and the hard work of the supporters so thank you very much to those guys. "