Some pundits predicted that it would be a difficult campaign for Carlisle on their return to League One following the departure of manager Paul Simpson to Preston in the summer. However, new boss Neil McDonald has managed to maintain the club's forward momentum and last weekend's 1-1 draw at struggling Leyton Orient leaves the club just five points off the play-off pace. A victory at home to Chesterfield this evening could close the gap on the nine teams ahead of them in the League One standings and givemefootball's Mark Shail logged the thoughts of central defender Peter Murphy ahead of tonight's visit of the Spireites.
Q:OVERALL, YOU MUST BE PLEASED WITH HOW THINGS HAVE GONE THIS SEASON?
A:Yes, we've had some good results of late, although we slipped up against Yeovil, and it's important that we keep things going for the remainder of the season. I know we only drew at Orient on Saturday but they are fighting for their lives and at the end of the season we might look back on that result as a point gained.
Q:AND YOUR AWAY FORM HAS PICKED UP AS THE SEASON HAS PROGRESSED, HASN'T IT?
A:Yes, we struggled on the road in the early part of the campaign but our impressive home form always kept us in contention in the top half of the table. More recently though, we've managed to perform a bit better away from home and hopefully we can continue that in our remaining matches.
Q:IS THERE A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LEAGUE ONE AND LEAGUE TWO?
A:I wouldn't say so no. Both divisions are tough and you come up against some good players. Over the past two seasons we have always been up there at the top of the league (in the Conference and League One) and in that situation all the other teams try really hard to beat you – so in that respect it's difficult whatever league you play in.
Q:DO YOU THINK THE PLAY-OFFS ARE A REALISTIC TARGET THIS SEASON?
A:I certainly hope so, but I would imagine there are a number of sides thinking the same thing. A consistent run from any team in the top half of the table between now and the end of the season can give them a chance of a top six finish. At the moment there's a five-point gap between us a sixth-placed Tranmere but if we can string a few good results together anything is possible.
Q:ARE YOU ENJOYING WORKING WITH NEIL McDONALD?
A:Yes, he's done an excellent job. When Paul Simpson left in the summer some people were wondering what would happen to the club but he has stepped up to football at this level and recognised what was good about the team before he got here, and also what needed to be improved on.
Q:HAVE YOU BEEN SURPRISED BY HOW WELL SIMPSON HAS DONE AT PRESTON?
A:No not at all. Paul won two promotions in two consecutive seasons here so he had the right credentials to be a success. I suppose some Preston fans were asking the same questions at the start of the season that the Carlisle fans were, but Simmo has simply built on the good foundations laid down by previous manager Billy Davies.
Q:WHICH SIDE HAS IMPRESSED YOU THE MOST IN LEAGUE ONE THIS SEASON?
A:I liked the look of Scunthorpe when they came to our place earlier in the campaign. They're not necessarily the best side to watch, nor have they got the best individual players, but everyone within the unit knows there jobs and they work extremely hard for each other. We have to play them at their place in the last game of the season so that should be very interesting.
