Carlisle United Football Club

“It was a game which demanded professional performances and most of the lads gave us that,” he said. “Speaking for myself, I was poor. It was just one of those games where I couldn’t get into it.

“That was summed up with the manner of my goal. It seemed to hit me and then it went in. I think Jabo wanted to claim it so I’ve had to wrestle it from him. Mine have dried up a bit so I think I’ll take it.

“As I say, it was just one of those days and I know there’s better to come from me. Fortunately the rest of the lads were on their game and we got the result.”

“You’re there to be shot at in this type of game,” he commented. “It was on TV as well so we knew there were no hiding places for any of us. 

“We got the goals at good times and I think the first one was crucial. If you give teams from lower leagues something to hold on to it can become a very difficult afternoon. When you have goal scorers like Charlie [Wyke] and Jabo [Ibehre] up front you’ve always got a chance. Thankfully Charlie did the business for us today.

“It will mean everything for him to have got his hat-trick. You get confidence when you score goals and he’s had a few recently. He deserves it because he’s got everything as a centre forward. He can hold it up, lead the line and get in behind, and he brings goals to the team. That type of thing gives us all a chance to have a successful season.”

On the performance by the hosts, which kept the United lads on their toes, he said: “The fact they kept coming at us didn’t surprise us at all. They’re a Conference side and there are no mugs at this level. 

“They have some very good players and it was always going to be a tough game. It’s somewhere I’ve never been before so the slope on the pitch was something new to deal with. To be fair, the pitch held up well and there are no complaints there.”

“We’re on a good run at the moment,” he told us. “We got into the habit of losing last season and it’s a tough one to kick. Things have turned round and you have to make sure you enjoy it while it lasts.”

And on the floods which hit the region over the weekend, he said: “It was weird to watch it all happen. I’ve seen things like it on the news before but I’ve never been in a position where I’ve been able to put some perspective on it like this. 

“Seeing the pictures was devastating and especially when you think that it’s so close to Christmas. Hopefully everyone will get sorted sooner rather than later. A few of the lads were worried about their cars but I think the damage that’s happened to people’s homes is far more important than that. You just hope things will be put right as quickly as possible.”