Keith Millen sees positives after Carlisle draw with Hartlepool

Posted Wednesday, January 19, 2022 by PA

Carlisle manager Keith Millen watched his side drop points at home for a second successive game but had few complaints after a goalless League Two draw with Hartlepool.

The Cumbrians are now unbeaten in five league outings and have conceded just twice in six games.

Millen is guiding them well away from the drop zone and said: “I am proud of them and where they are as a group of players.

“I cannot ask much more of what they are doing. Yes, we had opportunities and dangerous positions where the final ball and final decision weren’t quite right.

“But there is so much good about us so I am not frustrated. They are doing everything I am asking apart from showing that final bit of quality or individual bit of skill.

“We had good positions and hit the crossbar. Those are the fine margins in the game.

“For all their possession they had one shot across the goal in the first half. And they had two opportunities in the second but apart from that they never looked like opening us up.

“There is a lot to be pleased about. We are in a place now where I look at us now and I know who we are. We have a real identity to what we are doing.

“Overall, we probably should have won but they had two chances so I am not being greedy.”

Carlisle keeper Mark Howard made two vital saves from David Ferguson and Reagan Ogle while Brennan Dickenson rattled the Pools bar with a 48th-minute free-kick.

Pools boss Graeme Lee said: “A point and clean sheet so you are happy. But I think we are better than this performance.

“I couldn’t question the work ethic. I just thought we could have done a lot more in possession. We had a lot of the ball but we didn’t capitalise.

“We didn’t pass with a real purpose. But they are a tough team to beat. The new manager has come in and made them hard to beat.

“We knew it was going to be difficult to break them down but I thought there were areas of the game we could have done it a little bit better.

“We lacked a bit of desire and movement to stretch them in behind.

“We lacked that real spark but that could have been a reflection from Bristol Rovers because you could see we suffered a body blow at the end of that game after the performance we put in.”