Mike Williamson admits the importance of Carlisle United’s clash with Cheltenham Town today cannot be overstated.
The pressure is on the Blues to produce a much-needed win (Brunton Park, 3pm) amid their struggles at the wrong end of League Two.
Second-bottom Carlisle start the day three points adrift in the relegation zone and sorely need a more positive outing.
Williamson says he accepts the pressure that comes with the situation and says this afternoon’s game is vital.
“I don't think I can overemphasise the game – it's huge,” said the head coach.
“The players know that, the fans, the football club, we know that.
“Obviously the pressure is mounting, we understand that – that's part and parcel of why we're in the game, for big occasions.
“We know that we [have to] turn up and we play the way we want to play, on the front foot, we set about and we make sure – at the start of the game especially – we're really aggressive and we start the way we mean to go on.
“We've got every confidence that we can get the win.”
Carlisle are without a win in seven in all competitions, and their 3-1 defeat at Walsall in midweek brought heightened criticism from frustrated fans.
They take on a Robins side sitting 17th under Mike Flynn, the visitors having taken four points from their last two games after their own struggling start.
They have won four, drawn two and lost seven, while their away record mirrors Carlisle's home results: one win, one draw and four defeats.
“I think there's a lot of clubs in similar situations – it is very tight and they [Cheltenham] have built some momentum in the last couple of games,” said the Carlisle boss.
“They've obviously got an experienced manager who's been about.
“I think they're going to come here and they're going to step on us, they're not going to allow us to play out, they're going to be aggressive and they're going to fancy themselves – but likewise, so that's what makes it such a big game and we're excited about it.”
Williamson's main fitness issues concern Sam Lavelle (broken nose) and Charlie Wyke (illness) ahead of the clash with Flynn's side.
United’s attempted transition to a more possession-based style of play has come in for some criticism in light of recent results and the way Carlisle conceded early on at Walsall.
On how to make the team less susceptible to such moments, Williamson said: “We've just got to be resilient in what we do and we've got to be brave, we've got to play with courage.
“You can't put the way we played down to the first goal because we've conceded many goals when we've gone long and we've lost the first contact we've been broken on, so there's vulnerability in however you play.
“We've just got to make sure that we're on that front foot and we don't allow setbacks to affect us, because every team will make mistakes in the way they play.
“We know that we might not be able to play directly through the middle of them because that's where they're going to be really aggressive, so we've got to make sure we go round or over with quality and that's the focus.”
Williamson has insisted that, in games like Tuesday’s, United simply “putting our foot through it” and getting the ball forward would have brought Walsall back onto them more frequently.
Asked, though, if there was a better middle ground for the current side between direct and possession-heavy styles, he said: “No – there's a method to the way we play and we play through when we can, if not we go round, if not we go over.
“There are solutions that make it multifunctional, so if we haven't got the quality going direct then it's going to come back, if we haven't got the quality going round then we're going to get trapped and we're going to lose the ball and if we haven't got the quality going through then we're going to turn over and we're susceptible to counter-attacks.
“So you talk about middle ground, and everyone can talk in general theories, but actually, the way we play, there's many solutions to it.
“Obviously every football team has an understanding and an idea, some a little bit more clear in their identity than others, but ultimately if you make mistakes in any game, if you make mistakes in set pieces like we have done this season and you can see it, direct from a corner, is that down to a game model, is that down to a method or is that down to just [the fact] we have to be better and we have to win our battles, win our duels and the fundamentals of football will never change?”
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