Reaction From City Boss Stuart McCall

Last updated : 20 December 2009 By Thetashkentterror

Stuart McCall
Bantams manager Stuart McCall spoke to BBC Radio Leeds after his side lost 3-0 in their Johnstone's Paint Trophy Northern Area Semi-Final tie against Carlisle at Brunton Park, McCall rightly suggesting the game changed after the sending off of City right-back Simon Ramsden in the 39th minute :



" Again, for the wrong reasons, I'm talking about an official (Tony Bates), for me it spoilt the game completely. For me the second booking, I haven't seen it again but I trust my players and I was amazed when he gave a yellow card the second time. The first one - blatant yellow card, the second one is an embarrassing decision. It spoilt the whole game for us.

" Having said that, with ten men until the second goal goes in, how we have not scored? We have absolutely, well I would not say laid siege to the goal, but we have had three or four kicked off the line. We have played ever so well, great spirit in the lads, and I felt for them at the back end when we lost the second.

" As soon as the second goal goes in it is very hard, but we kept at it, and then the third one they breakaway from a corner. But proud, the spirit was excellent, in the first-half we played some good stuff and had some nice chances. It was a good game until he (Bates) spoiled it for us, he ruined the game.

" It is hard work then against any team, but against a team who are in a division above you, when they have got an extra man and they are at home. But we stuck at it and how we never scored in that 20 minutes after half-time I will never know, but terrific endeavour.

" We came back after half-time and had a great spirit, to be honest I was saying at half-time to not go rushing things, if we can get to 15 minutes to go then we will have a right good go. But what we did is we came out and we started positively and brightly. I didn't want us to run out of steam early on and let them score on the break early but we were at it. "



" Everyone deserves credit but I am disappointed in the manner in which we have lost the game. But there are ways to lose, it sounds stupid, there are ways to lose, and sometimes you can come off the park when you have been beaten and be proud of them and I certainly am tonight.

" I feel for the fans tonight because they have come tonight and it has been spoiled by that decision. Normally you go three down, most people get yourself back off home, but no they stayed, and I don't know how many we brought there, there was 600, 700, 800 maybe, terrific support.

" They stayed right to the end and the lads appreciate that and I think the fans have appreciated the effort that the lads have put in and the spirit. Everything, even the good football, we have had chances, we have had lots of chances against a team in a division higher than us on their own park with ten men. So I couldn't have asked for any more, obviously apart from a goal.

" It is great for Omar Daley to get back out on the pitch, he is still, again, a long way off. Unfortunately the reserve game is cancelled tomorrow and we haven't got a game now for a while so we will have to get him some games being played. But he is always going to be a threat and until he gets back up to full speed then we will use him off the bench.

" I thought there were some excellent performances throughout tonight and obviously that was a bonus for Omar coming on and getting through the 20. But I thought there were some big performances throughout again, the difference between James Hanson and somebody like (Drewe) Broughton who we played on Saturday is just experience, buying free-kicks. "



" You look at (Vincent) Pericard tonight, ex-Premier League, he is a handful but he backs in, he uses his elbows, he gets our defenders booked for just challenging for the ball. It is something that James will learn in a game, but again, up there on his own tonight I thought he was excellent, I really did, and he is learning all the time.

" Scott Neilson has been a bit quiet in the last couple of games but his first-half was excellent for us, he had a couple of good chances. Gareth Evans was a bit quiet in the first-half but in the second-half his energy for the team and his work-rate and his effort came through. Michael Flynn and Lee Bullock in the middle of the park, all over, I thought we gave everything we had and really disappointed, it was never in my eyes a 3-0 and it has changed with the decision.

" Life is difficult for us but we have got to show the spirit we have shown recently and throughout the season to be honest. We have been up against it with a lot of things, obviously the injuries and the decisions like again tonight. Aldershot will be sat at home watching the game thinking they have got a free week and we have got a man sent off and we have had to play a full half with ten men.

" But regardless, we will go there on Saturday and give it a good go. We have got to come back with something from Aldershot, a tough place to go but if they show the same play and the spirit that they showed tonight then we are confident. As we said before this game, I think nobody expected us to come here and get anything apart from us because we have been doing well away from home.

" I think, without going back to it, what, 44 minutes they score and it changes the game with ten men and losing a goal right on half-time. But we have to regroup and we will see what other injuries we have picked up tonight, with suspensions it is difficult, but we will go and we will have a good go. "

 




Meanwhile City's Jamaican winger Omar Daley, on his return from a long-term knee injury this evening commented to his club's official website :

" It was a bit hard coming back with ten men, I wasn't expecting that. I was hoping to enter the pitch leading 1-0 with 11 guys but came on 2-0 down and chasing the game. It took me five minutes to get there but I did in the end. And I checked the pace - and I've still got it.

" It's so much better getting out there on the pitch than training. The feel of a proper game is what it's all about. But I'll take any chance to play. I just need the games now to build up my sharpness. It was a bad result but I thought the lads played well. It was always going to be hard coming on but it felt good. I appreciated the chance to do the business again. "