Mike Williamson apologises to supporters for Carlisle’s “unacceptable” defeat to AFC Wimbledon

Mike Williamson apologises to supporters for Carlisle’s “unacceptable” 4-0 defeat to AFC Wimbledon on Saturday afternoon.

Matty Stevens’ hat-trick gave the Wombles a welcome return back to Plough Lane as they thrashed Carlisle, who sit bottom of the League Two table.

Wimbledon played their first home game since the stadium and pitch suffered damaged by flooding last month.

Stevens scored twice along a Cameron Harper own goal, giving the hosts a three-goal lead by half time.

Stevens then completed his hat-trick shortly into the second half as the home side picked up sixth victory from six home matches in all competitions this season.

Carlisle have now failed to score in four consecutive games and 7 points from 11 games played, 2 points from safety, horrid record so far though, winning 2, drawing 1, losing 8, scored 10 and conceded 23.

🗣️ Mike Williamson’s thoughts following today’s defeat. pic.twitter.com/I4hu7S96eN

— Carlisle United FC (@officialcufc) October 12, 2024

Ex-MK Dons boss Mike Williamson said to the club website: “It was a really poor performance, there’s not much else for me to say.

“There’s so many things that we need to improve, we’ve got to accept where we are as a football club from top to bottom, and we knew this coming in.

“The boys are in a very difficult place, they are finding it difficult and it’s hard when you’re on that football pitch and to take that responsibility, but we’ve got to find a way. That was unacceptable from top to bottom, for the fans that came all the way down here, travelling miles, hundreds of miles, sacrificing, that was unacceptable. We’ve got to accept where we are and we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

On unforced errors and misplaced passes throughout the game: “During the first half I don’t think we picked up a second ball, won the first contact, we looked nervous, we looked as though we didn’t want to play forward and then when we did, we made bad decisions.

“This is collectively, this is me taking responsibility from top to bottom, there is no hiding anything, the standards were so far off it and we’ve got to make sure that we drive it, but we’ll do it together.

“Those boys are hurting in there, they’ve given everything they possibly can, professional athletes don’t go on the field and give less than everything they’ve got, but sometimes when you’re in a bad moment and you feel that pressure, it can look like that you’re not giving everything, but I’m promising you they are and we will and again, like I say, we’ve got so much to face and we will do that.”

“I thought we had a five, ten minute spell of possession in the second half when Callum Guy came on, I thought he calmed everything down, I thought he had that bit of quality to come to a hostile environment like this and not be kind of flustered and obviously he’s got a lot of experience in that sense. Until then we didn’t, we kept turning over the ball and then when we did have a good passage of play, the decision making let us down. We’re in this and there’s an honest group of lads there and I know that we’ve got the personality and the courage to find a way out of it.”

On what needs to change: “It’s about our belief and our confidence which carries over to conviction. I said to the boys when you’re in a bad moment, you’ve got to find a way for your habits not to change and if they do change, it can only be very minimally because football is a very emotional game, and when you’re down the bottom of the league and you feel as if everything’s going against you, you’ve got to find a way of getting yourself out and dragging yourself out, dragging each other out, being there for each other and making sure that there’s no self-preservation, we take full responsibility and it starts with me.

“We can only change that by working hard, that’s it, we’ll get back in, make sure we look at everything that we can rectify straight away then we’ve got to show up and we’ve got to show our real personality and our characters. That’s what we’ve got in the dressing room, it’s going to be tough but I know we’ve got the lads in there and the staff outside, we’ve got the support network and we’ll find our way.”

A message for the 792 away fans in attendance: “Their reaction at the end was understandable, they’ve given a lot and travelled a lot and that was a completely unacceptable performance, we all know as a football club and we’re going to do everything we can to change that.”

Williamson added to BBC Radio Cumbria: “Gutted for the fans. We were miles off it from the start, which was disappointing.

“I thought in the second half we showed glimpses of a bit of personality but it’s far too late and we were dead and buried by then, so we know that’s completely unacceptable.

“The boys in there [the dressing room], there’s not anybody saying many words but it’s a realisation we are where we are and what ingredients we need to get out of this.

“I believe we definitely have the personality and characters to get out of this, and it’s what we need because we are rock bottom [of the table].”

🗣 Jon Mellish speaks after yesterday’s defeat.

His full interview is available to CUTV subscribers. pic.twitter.com/3p2h9sQ5My

— Carlisle United FC (@officialcufc) October 13, 2024

AFC Wimbledon manager Johnnie Jackson speaking to BBC Radio London: “You can’t get too much better. Maybe we could have scored a couple more goals.

“We scored some great goals and kept a clean sheet. Our performance with and without the ball was outstanding and I thought it was our best performance of the season.

“We made a good opposition look pretty ordinary today.”

On Matty Stevens: “He was outstanding. Brilliant for a striker to get the hat-trick.

“He deserves that because he’s a great lad, he works so hard for the team.

“You give him a job to do and he just does it, he’s so coachable.”

On James Tilley: “Tills is quality on his left foot. The deliveries in today, he was putting it on the money.

“When you’ve got someone putting in a delivery like that it’s important you go and attack it and that’s what we did today.”

AFC Wimbledon – Goodman, Tilley, Maycock, Bugiel (71’ Piggott), Neufville (75’ Biler), Smith, Stevens (71’ Kelly), Ball ©, Hippolyte (90’ Furlong), Harbottle, Ogundere (90’ Johnson)

Unused subs – Ward, O’Toole

Carlisle – Lewis, Davies (46’ Robinson), Harper, Lavelle, Wyke © (46’ Armstrong), Biggins, Vela (64’ Charters), Neal, Mellish, Sadi (64’ Guy), Barclay

Unused subs – Breeze, Ellis, Dudik

Goals:

AFC Wimbledon – (8’, 39’, 50’ Stevens), (45+3’ Harper (OG))

Carlisle – N/A

Match officials:

Referee – Neil Hair

Assistant Referee – Ryan Williams

Assistant Referee – Andrew Aylott

Fourth Official – Stephen Brown

Attendance: 8,331 (792 away)

This is how fans reacted as Mike Williamson apologises to supporters for Carlisle’s “unacceptable” defeat to AFC Wimbledon…

@havenmarra: I’m sorry, but if “they’ve given everything” then we are in a bad, bad place.

@FPLEdgeworth: ‘Hostile Environment’ The only reason why it was hostile is because you managed a franchise no one has a problem with Carlisle just you

@Blencath007: We need to have owners, fans and management accept this is now a relegation scrap. Promotion is obviously out for this year!!! And I think MW has to compromise & accept a change in playing style. For now at least. The fans won’t tolerate the club going of League playing as we are

@Gary_M_Wilkes: Great support from you guys and good luck for the rest of the season. It’s your manager that felt the heat, it certainly wasn’t aimed at you!

@Jordmcdowall: 💤

@Tom_C09: Can’t make any excuse’s about xg now can you 🤣

@alexafcw9696: I love that plough lane is becoming a horrible place for away teams again, like it used to be.

@DPre2008: Honest.. but where is the spark coming from .. he seems a bit overwhelmed.

@Paulwal93886844: Wow – deffo a relegation battle

@Chipstead_Gas: You were so bad today, defending was all over the place, all 4 goals were so soft!

@carlisl9125: They’ve given nothing. We can’t see any fight.

@1StevieKilner: You could put a rabbit in front of the ancient Egyptian Lighthouse of Alexandria and it would look less startled or dazed than our manager does in this interview. #cufc

@pjcm7777: He’s oozing personality & passion. 🥱🥱🥱🥱

@simmosbluearmy: Don’t try to keep the interview going .. say it was shite and kick some arse .. you watched the same shit as we did