Abbott is wary of backlash
Jan 19 2010 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal
CARLISLE United will be just 180 minutes from Wembley tonight, but manager Greg Abbott thinks their cause has been harmed by Exeter City.
The Cumbrians head to Elland Road tonight for the first leg of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy northern final, boosted by the signing of midfielder Adam Clayton.
The occasion is arguably more important for Carlisle than the hosts, whose top priority is securing a place in next season’s Championship. But Saturday’s surprise 2-0 defeat for Leeds at Exeter may have tipped the balance.
“I wish we’d been playing on the Tuesday after they’d played Man United but they’re back down to earth now,” said Abbott. “To have drawn at home to Wycombe – which is a bad result for them – and lost to Exeter, I would imagine there will have been some harsh words said in the dressing room.
“We were the same this week. We felt we should have had enough in the tank to beat Brentford, but we weren’t able to.”
The Trophy is the most lightly-regarded of those in English football, with even Carlisle fined £3,000 for fielding an under-strength side in the first round. But since then the competition has been very good to a team who twice reached its final in the noughties.
“Every season this competition offers our best opportunity as a club to get to Wembley,” reasoned Abbott. “But the way to look at it is it’s another game and one we’re trying to win.
“The competition’s been good for us this season.
“When you start winning games and scoring goals it brings confidence. We scored four against Macclesfield, three against Chesterfield, three against Bradford.
“Financially it’s a big boost for the club to play at Wembley, and from a football perspective it keeps the season alive, so it’s a really big incentive.
“If we went out of the competition we would just be left thinking about the league.”
Clayton has rejoined on loan from Manchester City, having played 11 games for Carlisle earlier in the season. The 21-year-old showed a liking for the big occasion in his previous performance for the club, the FA Cup third round defeat at Everton.
“He’s a good player and we’ve missed his energy,” said Abbott. “He’s a tigerish sort of player and we’re pleased to have him back.”
Clayton’s reappearance slightly softened the blow of Vincent Pericard’s departure but the striker was sorely missed at the weekend. Carlisle lost their first match since the former Juventus, Stoke City and Portsmouth player rejected an extension to his short-term deal 3-1 at Brentford. It punctured the feel-good factor at Brunton Park and led to inevitable conclusions.
“People are always going to make comparisons but I will leave them to that,” said Abbott, who has no fresh injuries tonight.
“They wouldn’t be footballers if they were talking themselves down just because one player has left the team. It’s life without Pericard now and we’ve just got to get on with it. We’ll have a look over the next seven to ten days and decide if we need to bring anyone else in.”
The game takes Abbott back to the club where he began his coaching career, taking charge of Leeds’ youths, then reserve team. That, though, is not why he is looking forward to being at Elland Road, however.
“I’m not that much of a sentimental person, so being back at a club I used to work for doesn’t mean that much to me,” he said.
“But it’s a great game because it’s such a big club.
“We’re just looking forward to having a couple of games against Leeds.
“It’s always a nice atmosphere, a good ground and the games have an edge to them.
“There’s a lot at stake now for us, and for Leeds as well.”
