United boss Chris Beech confirmed at his Thursday morning press conference that Tuesday night’s Papa John’s victory had left plenty of food for thought for the management team, with a number of players having put on good individual performances with what was a professional team display.
“We were pleased with the attitude and energy on Tuesday,” he said. “A lot of work goes on behind the first team and it’s important that we get that type of performance off the back of it.
“We have, since I’ve been here, had four major sales of players within that timescale. You’re developing the future to make and have an effect on a Carlisle situation at first-team level.
“I think everybody that played on the evening was very, very good. Very energetic, very technical, and the speed of the game was good.
“I have great respect for David Unsworth and Everton, he’s done ever so much in producing young players, including Morgan Feeney, and we’re fortunate to have him in our ranks.
“All of them played well and that’s what you want to see. Winning’s imperative with our sport, it helps everybody feel better, that three-point feeling is something I’ve talked about many a time.
“It even makes the ladies washing the kit feel happier, it makes journalists happier, it makes a manager very happy. And of course the players that have played well, or had a positive individual outcome, if you ask them that question they’ll feel great.”
“We’re a team and a club that offers opportunity,” he continued. “I’ve been reflecting on that, and Everton are included with Jarrad Branthwaite heading their way, because young players have come through and ultimately moved on.
“There is opportunity at this football club for every player. I was pleased with the younger and older players on Tuesday because it was approached in the right manner and we saw some very high technical aspects to our game. Everybody who played Tuesday is available to be selected.
“Whoever plays we’re really looking forward to playing a very good opponent on Saturday. We’ve got to make sure we’ve got some vigour about us to do that.”
On show in midweek for the first time was a new defensive partnership of Morgan Feeney and Jonathan Dinzeyi, with the Everton contingent commenting afterwards about how impressed they’d been with their former u23 captain.
“That’s excellent to hear because it isn’t just me saying it,” he told us. “It means he’s made improvements that people can see.
“He’s a great lad and we all know that if he’d had a more fortunate pathway, without the injuries, he possibly wouldn’t be at Carlisle now.
“I have good knowledge of young players, and when they become available you try to upskill not just technical aspects but also the mentality needed to go on from where they are.
“Morgan is a winner, he wants to win football matches, and he did captain their team and win trophies with them. I have no idea why his goal was given as offside, because it did come backwards off Brad if it even did touch him.
“He did very well against a lot of his old friends and I did tell him he’d be fined £10 for every handshake, so he owes us a lot of money!”
“Jonathan has had a baptism of fire, it’s far different to what he’s been used to, but he’s becoming more ‘us’ and I’m pleased with how’s he’s going about being more intense and energetic, especially when he’s on the ball.
“Both of these lads just need to keep playing like that within the different challenges they face, it’s as simple as that.
“Everton are very quick in the way they play, and they’re agile, but they will be that way as players. I watched Dobbin play at Chorley in pre-season and he got a hat-trick, and he made his debut for the first team recently, but he didn’t really get a sniff, and that’s due to how we played and how the players we’re talking about went about their jobs.”
“And, of course, Brad worked hard and got his goals,” he said. “He’s a fiery little player, we’ve noted that already in his couple of cameos.
“He’s been a little bit disappointed in the 20-30 minutes he’s had in the past, to not have more oomph in that game from his perspective, to get a goal or hit the target a few more times, but that will do him the world of good and it does us the world of good.
“That’s where we are, I’ve got very committed, ambitious young players, whether they’re on loan, whether they’re ours, whether they’re waiting patiently to get first-team opportunity, along with some older, more established players.
“The mix of that is very good. We’ve just got to get that right when the challenge is stronger in League Two.”
