We spoke to Carlisle United Head Coach Mark Hughes following the Blues’ 3-2 win over Reading in the Emirates FA Cup.
Speaking to CUTV, he discussed a winning mindset, confidence flowing through the team and a birthday treat.
Here is everything we learnt:
1. A brave performance
“I'm just really pleased for the lads. I thought they stuck at it, never lost any belief. We were 2-0 down, even at that point, I thought that was a little bit unfair on us, given how we played.
“But I think as we went on, as soon as we got one goal back, there was always that sense that we were going to just kick on. We just got stronger and braver in possession and knocked the ball around really, really well.”
2. Buckets of belief
“I just said to them that it's about a mindset, it's about a mentality. We've got that belief now that we expect to win when we go into games.
“It doesn't matter who we're up against; if we play to anything like our potential, then we'll cause good teams a real problem.”
3. Regan Linney magic
“It's not a surprise anymore, the kid's (Regan Linney) got something. I've said this straight from the off, as soon as he gets just half a yard, he's able to get so much power in his shots.
“He's always likely to hit the target, and the power that he gets in his shots will cause keepers problems, as we saw.”
4. Bouncebackability
“We've bounced back from a couple of games where we didn't reach our levels. I think we've proved today that there are good teams in the National League; we're one of them, clearly.
“It's one of those things. I think you get a day like this in the FA Cup. It's a special competition.”
5. Never stop believing
“We just kept going, and we kept on believing. Like I said, we got one goal back, and we thought, just keep doing the things we're doing, there will always be one more chance.
“Thankfully, it dropped to Regan (Linney), and we're back on level terms. From that point onwards, we're a stronger, more experienced and more progressive team.”
6. Utilising the squad
“We're going to have to use everybody. I think that's the strength of the group at the moment.
“If they train well and they're ready, and if I need them, I know I can call on them because they've trained correctly and they're ready to go. I was able to do that and freshened it up a little bit today.
“We're really pleased for everybody. Everybody connected, staff and players alike.”
7. Managing the pressure
“I thought we saw it in our play and understanding of what was required at that stage of the game.
“We never really came under too much pressure, and no momentum built against us. I think it was the consequences of us managing the game really, really well at the end.”
8. Channelling the energy
“That's something of a little bit of concern with the extra time and whatever.
“We're playing confidently, we're in a good place. We're just looking forward to every game at the moment.”
9. Next round hopes
“We're just ready to face anybody.
“There's some good teams in there. If we can get a home tie, then that would be great.”
10. A happy birthday
“I've had a great birthday, I've even got a cake.
“I've got three hours on the bus to eat it all.”
Watch the full interview on CUTV HERE!
