More Match Reaction From Stuart Gray

Last updated : 13 December 2007 By Thetashkentterror

Cobblers boss Stuart Gray
Town manager Stuart Gray spoke to BBC Radio Northampton on Saturday evening after the 2-2 draw with Carlisle at Sixfields, Gray clearly pleased with the efforts of his side in the game :


" It was a lot, lot better, the pleasing thing is that you see the joy that the equaliser got. The reaction from the players is that we have under-achieved and under-performed in recent games but today I thought it was all credit to them. We probably created the better chances, the quality of the set-plays was very good and we maybe should probably have got one or two goals from the set-plays. The disappointing thing was the second goal was that we conceded, I just felt that it was a foul on Bunny (Mark Bunn). It was pleasing though that we got the reaction we did and that the players kept going and had that belief, and we got the rewards for the hard work that we put in.

" All credit to Carlisle, they are a good side and I think the conditions helped and were conducive to it being a very quick tempo game. The ball has skidded about but the disappointing thing was probably the referee. I think that in these conditions you've go to take into consideration that the ball is going to move a bit quicker on a skiddy surface. The amount of yellow cards I don't think it warranted, there were probably only two bad tackles in the game. The pleasing thing from a player point of view though is that they stuck at it and it was a great equaliser by Brad (Bradley Johnson) in the end.

" I've always said, and not being disrespectful to my team, is that we have to start at a tempo, we have to have urgency, we have to get on throw-ins quick. We have to look as though we want it because at the end of the day it's us that have to lift the supporters. If you put effort and commitment in, you can't guarantee me a win, but if you can guarantee me a performance then they are the basics.

" You've got to do the basics right but the most important thing now is that we've got to do it again on Tuesday against Walsall. At this moment we can't get back-to-back consistent results, I'm disappointed that we haven't got three points today. I'm delighted that we got back in and got a point out of the game but now we've got to go to Walsall and hopefully get through to the third round of the cup.

" I just felt that with Jason (Crowe's) energy, he's played in midfield before and Jason is a very good player. He's got his rewards, he's got his goal but, whether it's a goalkeeping mistake, like I said to the players though, I am always encouraging them to shoot and more so on conditions like they were today. So his energy was very good there and then little Danny Jackman just got a little bit of a calf strain so we just had to juggle it around a little bit.

" Poul (Hubertz) is obviously not 100% fit because he has got this achilles tendon problem, it's not stopping him as such it's just hindering him, so at this moment in time Poul is probably about 85% fit. If I'd started him today then I don't know if he would have been fit for Tuesday and we've got to have one eye on that as well because Dean Bowditch won't be allowed to play because he is Ipswich Town's player. Kirky (Andy Kirk) has got a bit of a hamstring problem as well so at this moment it will be a case of the medical room being quite full tomorrow morning. We've just got to evaluate it on Monday and see who is fit for the Tuesday game."



" Like I've just said to the players there, we're going to be missing two in Jason and Bradley for the cup game. Whatever two come in though you've got to say that I've got the shirt so I'll keep the shirt. At this moment in time not enough have been consistent enough, I wish I had a few more players because I would have probably left a few more out today after the performance we had at Swansea. They have got to show a consistency, not just show it at home but they have actually got to go away from home and do it as well. You might not be having the best game in the world but nobody can stop you working or running hard.

" I think where I have been beating myself up since I have been here as the manager of this football club is that we don't seem to have a problem with scoring goals at home. Obviously the last three league home games we haven't got a goal so it's nice to actually come away with two goals. The be-all and end-all is that I'm disappointed that with the chances that we did create and the quality of the set-plays is that we probably didn't get more goals than we probably deserved.

" There is nothing wrong with the team spirit or anything like that, we are just lacking a little bit of confidence. Hopefully that will just kick us on now, all teams go through a bit of a blip, it's the first time in my career as well as a coach or in management that I have had five league games and not had a goal. Because I am a great believer in positive forward play, it's just a case that we've missed chances, we've had opportunities, we've had penalties.

" Unfortunately I think we've got the statistic, which we don't want the statistic, is that we have hit the woodwork more than anybody else in this division. So it's thin margins, just thin margins, but the pleasing thing is that I saw a reaction when we went a goal down and I saw a reaction when we went 2-1 down. The pleasing thing is that everybody wanted to celebrate it, it's been a tough little period for us but we know we have still got a long, long way to go.

" I just felt that on their second goal Mark Bunn has come and he has taken an arm in the chest. Just by Bunny's reaction, because he's mild-mannered, normally I'd like him to be a bit more aggressive as in vocally in his box to boss in his box as such. I could just see him coming for the cross, I thought there was no problem and then he's just felt an elbow in his chest and got knocked over. At the end of the day though they have won a free-kick and they have put the ball between the posts.

" I keep saying to the players that we've got an equaliser by keeping the ball alive in their 18-yard box and Bradley Johnson has come up with a great finish. So it's pleasing and I would have been disappointed if we hadn't come away with something from the game. More often than not that has probably been Brad's problem in that he just whacks it too much whereas this time he actually just guided it in. This time there was a bit more composure, you could see that he was in calmer control of everything and his concentration was very good.

" I thought that individually today everybody put in a fantastic performance, they have put in 100% commitment. We've got to do that again on Tuesday and do that again at Nottingham Forest. We're not a team that can not do that, we cannot afford to carry two or three players, we have to be at it all the time. I put the pressure on the players and myself to produce that and the most important thing now is that has gone and now we've got to do that again at Walsall on Tuesday which will be a difficult game. "