Last updated 12:02, Saturday, 08 November 2008

Greg Abbott’s breezy appeal to Lady Luck on Wednesday rolled the mind back to an interview which remains my favourite from three years of covering the Blues.

Greg Abbott

Abbott will take any type of victory against Grays today, knowing that public judgement will be delivered on results, however they are achieved.

“We might win 1-0 with a goal off somebody’s backside, and that will make me a good manager,” mused the caretaker manager three days ago. “And a goal off one of the Grays players’ backsides makes me a bad manager. What that tells you is that a backside is very important in this game.”

Now rewind to September 2006 and the1-1 draw at Bradford City – Carlisle’s equaliser coming when a Kevin Gall shot bounced off Chris Lumsdon’s posterior and rolled into the net.

“I get lots of stick off the lads in training because of my fat bum, but it’s come up trumps for them,” declared Lumsdon afterwards, unaware that Danny Graham would also contribute to Carlisle’s record of attacking from the rear against Leeds in the play-offs a couple of years later.

“When I saw Kevin go to hit it, I tried to get out of the way. But my bum didn’t move quickly enough with me, and it went in off my right cheek.

“I put it in ice after the game because I want to make sure it’s ready for Saturday. It might go on a run now.”

No wonder Abbott is so keen for Lumsdon to butt back (a thousand apologies) into the first-team fold after a four-month injury absence.