Williamson: Victory at Fleetwood must be 'catalyst' for Carlisle United
Mike Williamson said Carlisle United’s much-needed victory at Fleetwood Town must act as a “catalyst” for further improvement.
The Blues head coach said the potential value of the 2-1 victory at the Highbury Stadium cannot be understated.
Carlisle reduced their survival gap to five points after Sam Lavelle’s late winner, which came after Ronan Coughlan had cancelled out Cedwyn Scott’s opener.
There were memorable scenes at the end as Carlisle’s vocal 1,087 travelling fans saluted the victory.
And head coach Williamson said that, while far from perfect, the display is something United must build on.
“I can't understate it,” he told the News & Star.
“I saw the relief in the players and the connection with the fans. It was special and we've really got to use that.
“It's got to be the catalyst now for us to want that even more.
“Not that we did need any motivation in that respect, but we've got to really use it to move forward now going into the rest of the season.”
Carlisle’s first win of 2025, and only their second victory in 11 League Two games, came as captain Lavelle forced home an 85th-minute cross from substitute Sean Fusire in front of a packed away end.
It took United off the bottom of the table and restored some much-needed hope that they could yet fight their way to safety.
Williamson was particularly pleased with how United responded to the setback of conceding in the second half.
“The two elements that get you to bounce back is spirit in the group and quality, because there'll be certain days where you're not having a good day, but you've got quality and it gets you out of the trouble,” Williamson said.
“I think we've brought in quality, which is there for everyone to see. I think the spirit has always been there.
Cedwyn Scott, centre, scored on his first start to put Carlisle in front (Image: Richard Parkes)
“We've just not been able to take our chances and we've been hurt ar the other end, but hopefully off the back of this – a really positive first half, a second half where we had moments on the counter-attack, and then the bounce back – I think we've taken a lot from it.”
Williamson acknowledged that debutant Josh Williams’ “power and pace” were crucial factors in how United got on top of Pete Wild’s side.
Carlisle in general moved the ball more positively in the first half and the head coach said: “That's the plan. If a team gives us space in behind, we want to explore it straight away. But we've got to do it from a platform of trying to put the odds in our favour.
“We don't want to just get the lads up and put it into the middle of 20 bodies and hopefully it lands to us. We just try and calculate things.
“I thought that [in this game] the intention to want to play forward and then even pick up second balls in the first half was pleasing.”
United led at the break through Scott’s close-range finish but were then pegged back by Coughlan’s strike.
Williamson accepted Carlisle, in a second-half spell, lost a grip of things.
His assessment of how United handled that period was “not very well…that’s why we've got to be honest. We've won, but winning does cover up things.
“But it's up to us to look at it because when a team really steps on, we've got to be aggressive in our play and know when to take…I wouldn’t say risks, but the decision to play short. But when we go over, we go over on our terms. We don't just put it up in the air.
“We go over where we've overloaded a part of the pitch to put the odds in our favour.
“But we didn't handle it too well until the last ten to 15 minutes where we had the spirit and we had the character. We missed a couple of chances and then we were able to see it out.”
Williamson, whose side go to Notts County on Tuesday night, had most of his ten January signings in the squad and on a first win for the new influx, he said: “We’re stood here a couple of games in from our ‘pre-season’ together.
“We've been talking about how it takes time and there's a lot of signings and gelling, but because of the situation, everything is just crucial. Everything's intense, everything's magnified. There isn't time.
“So, I think in terms of getting the three points, and in the manner of going ahead, missing a few opportunities, having the setback and then responding to it, it is as important.”
