Following Carlisle United’s exit from the Cumberland Cup to Kirkoswald, we spoke to Lead Professional Development Phase Coach Mark Birch.
Speaking to CUTV, he discussed a lack of ruthlessness in both boxes, the importance of attitude and standards and the learning experience for a young side.
Here is everything we learnt:
1. Disappointment despite chances created
“It’s disappointing. I think we had enough opportunities to win the game, but the lack of composure in both penalty boxes is what cost us tonight.”
2. Standards slipping at key moments
“Attitude is a massive part of football, and there were a few occasions where the attitude wasn’t right, the commitment, the running off the ball, and the recovery runs weren’t there.”
3. Punished for not maintaining levels
“They’ve taken a lot of plaudits for how they’ve gone about things this season, but when you don’t maintain those standards, you’re going to get punished.”
4. Ruthlessness needed in both boxes
“You can look pretty on the ball, but you’ve got to be ruthless in both 18-yard boxes, and we weren’t that tonight.”
5. Credit to the opposition
“Fair play to them. They put themselves on the line, attacked everything in the box and showed more spirit than we did.”
6. A learning curve for a young side
“We’re not going to use age as an excuse. If they’re good enough, they’re in it, but tonight showed how important energy and fight are.”
7. Bright moments despite the result
“Amaru (Smith) caused all kinds of problems, but it’s okay putting balls in the box, you’ve got to be ruthless getting on the end of them.”
8. Dealing with new challenges
“The long throw is part of football now, and it’s probably the first time our lads have had to deal with it. We didn’t handle it well, especially for the final goal.”
9. Injury concerns from a physical contest
“Will’s gone off to hospital for an x-ray and Alex McDonough took a knock as well. We were down to the bare bones in the end."
10. Focus firmly on bouncing back
“We’ve got league games coming up and the Youth Alliance Cup final to look forward to. We’ll look to bounce back, put some wrongs right and move forward.”
