Carlisle United Football Club

“I think Saturday was a bad day for everybody,” he said. “We obviously got down to Crawley on Friday evening and we saw how bad the weather was on the way.

“We had an idea it wasn’t good but to find out so late on the day that we couldn’t play was devastating. We also heard that the fans got there just as the bus driver and the staff were leaving the ground so it must have been awful for them to have travelled all that way.”

“In terms of preparation we all did things as if the game was going to be on,” he added. “All you can do is make sure you’ve done everything as if you are going to play. It doesn’t matter what you think might happen because the important thing is to be as ready as you can be.

“There’s absolutely nothing you can about the game being called off. The hard part this weekend was getting your head round the long journey home. Once you’ve done that it’s then about getting your focus on the next one which, for us, is on Tuesday night.”

And with one clean sheet from two appearances it’s no surprise to find that he’s looking forward to getting back into action for what is a big game against Coventry City.

“This has been a really positive move,” he agreed. “I wanted to get in the team and that has happened for me. I thought we were unlucky not to beat Gillingham in my first game, particularly with all the chances we had, but we put that right against Bradford when we played really well.

“We got the early goal in that one and the clean sheet was a great thing for me. I think I settled quite quickly anyway on my debut because I got a couple of early touches and made a save. That helped to build the confidence levels up. The fans seem to have responded well to me but I think that comes from doing the best you can. I think they saw I was trying to do that and it’s good that they’re on my side at the moment.”

“I work every day with Tony Caig and he has just told me to keep doing what I’m doing,” he told us. “It’s all about playing games and that’s where match sharpness and confidence comes from. I’ve played two and I’m hoping for a good run to follow. 

“Getting that clean sheet against Bradford was huge for us all. We had the lead at half time and it was crucial that we held onto that. To be fair, I didn’t really have that much to do. The lads in front of me defended well and it ended up as a good team performance.

“Communication is always going to be important and I do try to talk to the defenders all the time. It seems to be working for us at the moment. We have some experienced players, who know their jobs, and Sean O’Hanlon wins just about everything he goes for. 

“Pascal [Chimbonda] is the same out wide because he has stopped some good wingers from playing their game in both games so far. Courtney [Meppen-Walter] and Matt Robson have worked beside that and we’re playing well together at the moment.”

“The other really good thing about being here is the competition for places,” he confirmed. “It makes you want to be the best in training. We all get a lot out of that and it’s really good for us. If you’re doing your best in training then that’s bound to go into the games with you. We have four decent keepers at the club so that can only be good for everyone.”

“I think we’re all looking forward to the Coventry game,” he commented. “They look like they’ve been doing well in the league but there’s no reason why we can’t go there and get the three points. All we can do is keep taking each game as it comes and we’ll see where that takes us.”