Last updated at 12:32, Thursday, 23 July 2009

Of all the Carlisle United players who impressed in Tuesday night’s encouraging performance against Hull City, few left their mark quite as profoundly as young Tom Taiwo.

Tom Taiwo

Not just for the thundering tackle which sent Richard Garcia to the turf – although there is little doubt that the Hull midfielder will still be inspecting that particular wound today.

It was Taiwo’s general exuberance in the midfield skirmishes against players of such stature as George Boateng, the Holland veteran, that truly impressed.

Brought in as a predominantly sitting midfielder, Taiwo also loosened the shackles to embark on a number of attacking surges, one of which – via a crafty one-two with Marc Bridge-Wilkinson – almost led to a debut goal for the 19-year-old Chelsea loanee.

“I was thinking about lifting it over the ’keeper, but then the shin came into play and it went a little bit wide,” reflected the former Leeds prospect.

“The gaffer told me off about that and hopefully I’ll get it right next time.”

You suspect Greg Abbott’s rebuke to his young charge was brief, if the manager’s own public comments on his performance were anything to go by.

“Tom Taiwo was different class,” said Abbott, who struggled to contain his enthusiasm after watching his side front up impressively to Phil Brown’s Premier League men in a tight 2-1 defeat.

It means Taiwo is already delivering on his pledge to be competing fiercely with Abbott’s established central midfielders for a place in the League One opener against Brentford in just over two weeks’ time.

“If the other lads are playing extremely well then it may be tough, but it’s all about the challenge,” Taiwo said.

“The gaffer has told me to go out and express myself and I thought I did that against Hull.

“You have always got to be confident in yourself. When you have got top players around you like Bridgey, Thirs [Paul Thirlwell] and Kav [Graham Kavanagh], there is going to be that competition which can only be good for the club and the gaffer.”

It is also testament to the teenager’s hunger that Tuesday night’s 2-1 reverse, while encouraging in many respects, also left him with a biting frustration.

“It’s always about results and if we had come away 2-1 winners we would have been a lot happier,” he said.

“The message from the gaffer afterwards was to be more clinical. Carry on the same pressure and intensity, but show a little bit more quality in the final third.

“I think that from the off we pressed hard and earned the right to play. We got in their faces and when we got the ball we used it really well. Especially with Bridgey playing in that different role – they couldn’t quite handle that guy dropping off the frontman.

“And if you don’t relish playing against the likes of George Boateng, who has played for Holland at the highest level, you shouldn’t be out there.”

One of Taiwo’s many wholehearted tackles on Tuesday night left the youngster limping off for treatment to his foot, but he insists there is no lasting damage.

It will take more than that, it seems, to hold the teenager back from making a proper crack at establishing himself at Carlisle United.

“Even though the club were in a relegation battle last year, it’s all smiles and everyone has welcomed me,” he said.

“There is a really positive mood about the place, results in pre-season have been good and everything is looking positive. I’m enjoying myself.”

Such was the vigour that defined his performance against the Premier League visitors, it would be easy to forget that he also played 24 hours earlier when a younger United XI dispatched Gala Fairydean 8-0.

Two games in two days, while commonplace in years gone by, is unheard of in the modern game. So, will Taiwo be ready to go again, when Middlesbrough turn up at Brunton Park on Saturday?

“Definitely,” came the reassuring response. “I can’t wait.”

First published at 11:31, Thursday, 23 July 2009
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk