Ahead of Carlisle United's clash against Boston United at Brunton Park on Saturday, we spoke to Head Mark Hughes.
Speaking to CUTV, Hughes discussed time on the training ground, the importance of responding to recent results and the focus on securing a strong league position heading into the final stretch.
Here is everything we learnt:
1. A productive week on the training ground
“It's been a clear week, so we always take advantage of that and put some good work into the guys.
"We were able to get a bounce game on Tuesday, which we were pleased with, and it gave a lot of the players good minutes.”
2. Valuable minutes for the squad
“It enabled a lot of the guys to get some good minutes, so we were grateful for the Scottish team that came down.
"We had a number of senior players who needed good minutes, and everybody came through it okay, so it was really good exercise for us.”
3. Game time boosted
“It’s food for thought, it always is. Bounce games are a little bit different from actual games, but you can get an indication of where people are, what they need and whether they need more minutes or reintegrating.”
4. Looking for a strong response
“We need to bounce back. I think we’ve shown character all year and more of the same hopefully.”
5. Reflecting on a tough away performance
“I was disappointed with what we were able to produce. I felt we could have done better in some aspects of our play, and as a consequence, the game went away from us.”
6. Positive reaction needed
“When we have poor performances, we invariably bounce back quickly, so hopefully that will be the case again.”
7. A different test this time against Boston United
“They’re a good team and probably a different proposition now. Paul’s (Hurst) come in and had a really good impact, and they’ve brought in players who have made a difference.”
8. Focus on securing third
“We’ll keep going and try to get that position. It’s really important because everybody knows the difference between finishing second or third compared to fourth to seventh.”
9. Challenges ahead
“A lot of the games coming up are against teams fighting for their lives. That can make it more difficult because they’re desperate for results.”
10. Strong home form to build on
“The home form’s been good. Over the last four games, we’re right up there in the form table, so we just need to add to that.”
