Carlisle will make amends

Nov 10 2009 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

GREG ABBOTT is expecting to see a positive reaction to Carlisle United's FA Cup draw with Morecambe when they take on Chesterfield in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy Northern Area quarter-final tonight.

The competition would not normally be high on Carlisle’s list of priorities, but Abbott feels his players have some making up to do after the weekend even though they avoided an early FA Cup exit after throwing a two-goal lead away at home to the League Two side.

And, with a Wembley final appearance another step closer should they manage win at Chesterfield this evening, Abbott does not believe motivation will be a problem for his players.

He said: “We had harsh words at full time on Saturday because it’s a game that we felt we should have won. However, we didn’t lose, so it keeps our own little unbeaten run going.

“We were guilty of not closing the game out, but we can now go down to Chesterfield and start to put that right. We let our standards slip a little bit and Morecambe took advantage, and that’s not something that we will be willing to accept again.”

Bournemouth brought an end to a run of nine games unbeaten at home for the League Two promotion hopefuls at the weekend but Abbott is under no illusions as to where the Spireites’ main threat will come from.

“They are very strong at home and they seem to have a knack of scoring goals,” he said. “If we let them build up a head of steam then we will struggle, I have no doubt about that. They are a top-six side in their division for a reason, and we mustn’t forget that.

“The likes of Drew Talbot and Jack Lester may not do much outside the box, but they are good for 20 goals each a season and that’s a great asset to have.” A suspended £1,500 fine hangs over Abbott for a first-round breach of competition team selection rules, but that’s not something the United boss is overly concerned about. “We felt that we had genuine reasons for the way we lined up against Morecambe, and anyone who was at the game will have seen that we were there to win,” he argued. “This competition is one that we take really seriously at this football club. If we do it right, we will be just three games away from Wembley.

“How can that not be a motivation for the players, the staff and for the fans of every club that is left in the competition?”

BRENTFORD goalkeeper Nikki Bull could be ruled out for up to four months with a shoulder injury.

Bull sustained the injury two weeks ago and is set to go under the knife on Tuesday after a series of injections failed to clear the problem. The Bees sit in 16th place in League One, level on points with Carlisle.