Carlisle Reaction - Nov 19

On BBC Radio Solent after the match, AFCB manager Kevin Bond is quoted as saying: "Shaun Maher didn't think it was [a penalty] either but it was poor defending anyway in the first place to let him get that side of it straight from the goalkeeper. You can't allow those things to happen, you're asking for trouble if you do. And then it has given them something to hang onto and they manageed to find a way, god only knows, to hang on for the remainder of the game. Although they had set their stall out to play one up front, it was going to be a case of frustrating us anyway but that was even more the case once they got the goal. They sat deep, left no space in front of their back four or behind it and the only route for us in the end was to try and get the ball wide, try and get the ball into Fletch and see if we can win one or two second balls. We had three or four teriffic chances with balls that dropped to us. Their goalkeeper played really really well but it just wasn't our day. We played okay. In terms of our play we were by far the better side but they had something to hang on to after the fifth minute and they weren't there to entertain anyway, they were there just to contain and that is what they managed to do. They got what they set out to come here for, they achieved their objectives. We played okay, I have no problem with that, but one stupid lapse has cost us dear".

Neil MacDonald, Carlisle's manager was pleased with their first away win, being quoted after the match as saying: "Defensively we were very, very sound, the only disappointing thing is that we never really passed the ball and we never got into our attacking play. We've done that plenty of times this season and come away with nothing though, before the game I asked the players to put in a better performance than they did last week at Swindon and I certainly got that. I asked them not to lose as well and they have come up trumps by winning their first away game, it feels very, very good. Everybody was committed, we do work very, very hard on the training ground to try and put things right and to make sure that we are all prepared. I think that showed today on the defensive side of our game. The system today needs everybody to be on the ball, switched on and concentrated because if one switches off there becomes a hole to exploit. I don't think they had that many holes to exploit today, they had a couple of chances towards the end but in the first-half I thought we were quite comfortable. In the second-half towards the end you get a little bit edgy and a little bit nervous but I was so sure that we were going to keep a clean sheet and we were going to win the game. They (Kevin Gray and Peter Murphy) were outstanding today and they have been with the games that we have played, those two have been outstanding. Their contribution to the team was fantastic today but I think they were well supported by everybody else".