Accrington Stanley 1 - 1 Carlisle: Keith Curle praises Carlisle's 'resilience and determination' against Accrington

Posted Wednesday, February 17, 2016 by PA

Carlisle boss Keith Curle insisted he was in it for the long-term - and he was proud of the resilient performance his players produced in the 1-1 draw at promotion-chasing Accrington.

The Cumbrians were reduced to 10 men inside the first minute when Jabo Ibehre was sent off for what referee Jeremy Simpson saw as a high challenge on Matty Pearson.

However Hallam Hope put the 10 men ahead in the 17th minute and Carlisle looked in control.

Adam Buxton saw red for Stanley on 54 minutes for a second yellow before Terry Gornell headed home the equaliser four minutes later and both sides had to settle for a draw.

Curle has just signed a contract until 2018 at Brunton Park and said: "To be honest, I am disappointed we didn't get all three points.

"We showed resilience and determination when we were down to 10 men and we kept our shape in the first half so they didn't hurt us.

"It would have been a totally different game if we had kept 11 on the pitch.

"I don't know what I can and can't say about the sending off except it was a poor decision and I would just like to think it was an error as people do make errors on the football pitch.

"I felt it was a diabolical show at Newport on Saturday but that has been eradicated by two performances against Accrington where we showed our personality and character.

"I have signed for the long haul and the club has bought into my philosophy. If I get the results, I get the rewards as do the players if they hit their targets and that's important. I have Premier League standards and I expect us to be professional in all that we do."

Stanley have gone up to fourth in the league, and still have games in hands on the teams around them.

"This could turn out to be a great point at the end of the season," said manager John Coleman. "They possibly needed the win more than us as they are six points behind us and a win for them would have cut it to three.

"They were terrific after they had a man sent off, which I think was harsh, and they deservedly took the lead.

"They had us on the back-foot and not many teams have done that here. Then we had a man sent off which was a ridiculous decision and then maybe Carlisle took their eye off the ball and we got back in the game.

"After we scored we looked the only team likely to score again and win the game."