Caretaker boss Gavin Skelton believes his Carlisle United squad will gain confidence from their performance at Newport on Tuesday.
Although the Blues had to settle for a point from a 2-2 draw it was an improvement on recent displays and he feels could be the catalyst for better things to come.
“I’m pleased with how we played and stuck to it, and I’m happy with the number of opportunities we created. It was good to see us work their keeper, he made some fantastic saves, he’s probably their man of the match, but it’s disappointing that we didn’t go on to win it.
“I’ve just had to pick the lads up in the dressing room because they’re disappointed that they didn’t get the victory. They had the belief that they were going to, but they didn’t quite get there,” he said.
“I’m pleased with how we played and stuck to it, and I’m happy with the number of opportunities we created. It was good to see us work their keeper, and he made some fantastic saves, He was probably their man of the match, but it’s disappointing that we didn’t go on to win it.
“I had to pick the lads up in the dressing room because they were disappointed that they didn’t get the victory. They had the belief that they were going to, but they didn’t quite get there.
“We were disappointed to go in behind at half time, to be honest, particularly with us starting the game so well. They had a lot of possession, but they weren’t hurting us, and they started to get frustrated with that.
“We had one occasion when we jumped out of our shape and they picked us off. We can’t hide away from the fact we should have defended that one much better on the edge of our box, and the second goal was a poor one to concede as well.
“He waltzed through us and you have to defend that better. To get to where we want to be we’re going to have to protect our goal better, and not just as a back four. As a team we gave those goals away too easily, and we’ll never be happy with that.”
They had turned round 2-1 behind but the way the second-half panned out Skelton tjhought it was just a matter of time before an equaliser would be found.
“When you’re creating good chances your confidence grows, and the players start to pass the ball. The surface was fantastic and. was a brilliant night for a game of football and the fans will have enjoyed it,” said Skelton who went on to mention the travelling supporters.
“I must mention our supporters because they sang their hearts out and a few of the lads spoke afterwards about how much they were able to take from that. It spurred them on and it’s great to see when the supporters are behind you. The noise they made was great.
“The last few away games have been difficult at the end so I think the players were pleasantly impressed. It feels great for them to have the fans clapping them off rather than giving them a bit of stick.
“It’ll help them grow in confidence. Coming away from home on a Tuesday night, on a long trip to Newport, and going back home with a point is definitely something to build on.”
