Keith Millen thrilled to see changes pay off as Carlisle claim valuable win

Posted Sunday, December 12, 2021 by PA

Carlisle manager Keith Millen was delighted that his plan came together after watching United beat fellow strugglers Stevenage 2-0 at the Lamex Stadium.

The Blues opened the scoring on the cusp of half-time through Jon Mellish, despite a difficult opening 45 minutes for Millen’s side.

However, the goal seemed to spark his team into life, limiting Stevenage to scraps in the second half before Jordan Gibson won and converted a penalty in the 65th minute.

The victory sees the Blues leapfrog the Boro into 21st in League Two, with Stevenage now just three points clear of the relegation zone in 22nd.

“The plan, if you like, worked today,” said Millen.

“What pleased me most is that I looked at the game, and I changed the team a little bit because for a while now, we’ve been doing a lot of good things, but we’ve not been scoring goals.

“I felt I just needed to think of something a little bit different and change our luck, momentum and belief. It’s worked out perfectly because it wasn’t great conditions.

“Both teams were obviously fighting for their lives. There’s no denying it was a pressure game. It wasn’t a six-pointer, and it wasn’t a must-win, but we know that they are a team that is around us.

“So, it was a big game, and I’m sure the players knew that, but I didn’t want to put the pressure of it being a six-pointer onto them. I don’t like those sorts of comments.”

Mellish opened the scoring in the 45th minute when the ball fell perfectly for him to smash it into the back of the net from close range.

Gibson then won a penalty for the Blues when he was fouled by Luke Prosser with 25 minutes remaining, and he converted it by placing the ball in the bottom left corner.

“We were disappointed to lose, and I’m full of mixed emotions,” said Stevenage manager Paul Tisdale.

“I thought it was a big step forward in some of the things I’ve been asking them to do during the week, especially in that first half.

“But then we were certainly disappointed with how we found it hard to change the course of the game, and I’m a lot clearer on what I need to do in the next week or months to make sure we become more effective.

“I hate losing games, but I can certainly see some progress in the work we’ve done, my problem is having enough hours in the week to do the work, and that probably won’t be enough.

“There are always going to be moments in a game, and I thought up until their goal we were the better side. We had the most half-chances and the most momentum.

“They applied themselves without creating a clear chance.”