Although Carlisle United’s winning run was ended by a 0-0 draw with Stevenage the solid defensive effort was what Blues boss Paul Simpson was looking for.
Simpson stressed: “It was all about no risks. The pitch had a bit of zip about it, a lovely place for playing football, and we just didn’t use it as well as we could have done, but it was about no risks.
“Stevenage put you under so much pressure to make mistakes, whether that be a mistake with a challenge and they’re able to load the box, whether it be a mistake putting it out for a throw in round the 18 and Smith comes up and launches it in.
“I thought we defended really, really clean for 99 per cent of the time. I thought we defended the set plays really, really well for 100 per cent of the time. Tomas came when he was needed.
“The lads had to make blocks, they had to show strength and put their head on things, they cleared their lines and there were no mistakes. We kept it really clean. As a team we looked after our final third really well, but as a team we didn’t attack particularly well.
“You’re waiting for that one moment to come, but you’re also hoping that nothing goes against you. They had a lot of balls into the box and they did cause some problems.
“They’re a good side, they’re not second in the table by fluke. After 35 games they deserve to be there on merit because of the way they go about it. We stood up to the challenge of it, but we’ve maybe just got to be a little bit better the next time.”
Simpson is now looking towards the last ten games of the season – starting at Bradford City tomorrow night.
He said: “We’ve just got to dig in and stick together and we hope that we can keep going.
“It is difficult because they’re human beings, so it’s not easy, but we’ve just got to keep going. We have to keep doing the things that we’ve been doing. We’re asking for a level of consistency.
“We’re now four wins and a draw on this little run. We have to keep it going and if we can go to Bradford and do the things that we think we do well, then we could make a real game of it. I also know that they’re a good side and it’s going to be a tough game.”
