Carlisle United have struggled to make much of an impact in League Two. The introduction of Mike Williamson has offered some promise, but a 2-0 loss to Wigan Athletic has confirmed their exit from the EFL Trophy.
The Blues fielded a fairly inexperienced, youthful line-up in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy, as they continue to combat their plethora of injuries. A total of nine academy players featured for Carlisle, with a great opportunity for each and every one of them to play in the first team.
Wigan themselves opted for a very combative approach, ensuring their progression in the competition. Goals from Michael Olakigbe and Josh Stones overpowered Williamson’s young team on the night. In particular, the Latics mustered up ten shots, with 20-year-old Gabriel Breeze offering six saves – four of which were inside the box. This quality performance from the youngster is exactly what the former Milton Keynes Dons manager is looking for from his players.
A dangerous situation is currently being faced at Carlisle, with the Cumbrian side sitting just one point above the relegation zone. It is important that things start to click at Brunton Park, or a possible back-to-back relegation would send the club and its fanbase into disarray.
Since Williamson’s first match in charge, in which Carlisle won 2-0 against Swindon Town, the Blues have only picked up one point. Subject to postponement, their next meeting will be away to AFC Wimbledon, who have started their season off strongly despite pitch issues. Subsequently this has only seen the Dons feature in seven league games; they are still mathematically able to top the table if results-in-hand go their way.
The Carlisle media team spoke to Williamson after the disappointment of the Wigan fixture. The 40-year-old offered his thoughts on injury situations as well as the on-pitch performance.
“I thought it was tricky because we played against a very good team that have got a real way of playing. With the way it started, it was hard.
“I thought we grew in character and obviously wanted to look after a lot of the first-team boys that picked up knocks at the weekend.
“It gave us the opportunity to see a lot of the young lads, and I though we grew into the game and in the first half we showed some good periods with the way we controlled it. In the second half we came out and we showed the same bravery.”
In terms of the key events that dictated the tempo and the result of the game, the former Newcastle United player suggested what the turning points in momentum were and why his team fell short:
“In the last 15-20 minutes we went down to 10 men, so we just had to see that through, but there were a lot of positives to take.
“The penalty disrupted us, then there was a mistake and we’re 2-0 down. That’s when you’re staring down the barrel of a really tough night.
“I thought the boys just showed as much character and personality and stuck with it. I said after the game that as young professionals, you’re going to have a lot of adversity. From what we’ve seen and how they finished the game, it’s the real characteristics to come through that.
“What we don’t accept is a lack of character and resilience, but we got that in spades. It’s a real testament and a good workout for the young boys and obviously getting some first-team boys back, which is a real positive.”
Williamson cleared up some of the long and short-term injury situations that had been developing at the club, by giving a rundown on unnamed players’ progression:
“Terell (Thomas) is missing through international duty and its about assessing the rest of them in the next few days. We’ve got a couple of lads who will be doing part of the session tomorrow and then see how they are on Friday. Hopefully we’ll know more by tomorrow afternoon.”
After handing a few first-team debuts to Seb Mason, Hayden Atkinson and Dan Hopper, the Carlisle boss reflected on their individual performances:
“Hayden recovered well after giving the penalty away, and that’s going to be the test of his level; his ceiling; his reaction to setback. He showed a lot of personality and a lot of character because it wasn’t easy. He’s somebody you can see the enthusiasm and he wants to do well.
“He’s got great honesty. To give a penalty away can really get in a young player’s head, but he worked through it and he grew. I thought he got better as the game went on.
“It was good to get Dan and Seb on the pitch against a really good team that are organised, that play football and can hurt you all over the pitch. It’s fantastic exposure for them.
“They came on and just showed a willingness to run and do the right things.”
Writer’s View
A generalization of Williamson’s comments suggests that he and the club remain optimistic of their situation. Difficult injury situations have obviously led to the fielding of young academy players, but the 40-year-old seems to be proud of their efforts.
This will do a world of good for the players’ confidence as they continue to develop with the Cumbrian side. A relegation scrap seems like it could be on the cards if results don’t start to change, but as a former League One side, they should have enough to settle the early nerves and push on to a mid-table conclusion.
Williamson, who loves to dominate possession in games, will no-doubt be looking to replicate the positive form shown in spells during his time at MK Dons. It could be a matter of games away before we see Carlisle really start to kick-on and create results for themselves.
