by The head of Carlisle City, Dan Kirkup, said it was a worthwhile feeling that Fred Conway Cumberland Cup won.
City got the better of the Northern League Division 1 Penrith by winning the final in Brunton Park.
The impressive goal by Jordan Irving secured the Trophy 2024/25 for City when Kirkup’s first season ended with cutlery.
The enthusiastic manager told him News & Star: “I found it a really tight game – everything we expected to be fair.
“The two league games were so tight and we were a little of the green to decide.
“I thought we were the better team. We had the better chances. As I said, the last time they hit us, Karma always comes back to bite into football, and it has certainly done it here.
“I am very happy about the boys. Everyone has a shift in the shift.
“I’m really happy. It is what you play in football for, not true -at the end of the end of the year cup final like this? We had our cup final and we are ahead.”
Penrith had good chances in the first half before City became stronger after the break-and the man of the game Irving then opened the decisive blow with an excellent strike from the left, which dipped over opposition powers Aaran Taylor.
“I said at halftime there was a goal in it – it was really nip and tick and I felt that it would make a mistake or something special,” added Kirkup.
“We got this special from Jordan Irving that won the game.
“I don’t think we have come under too much pressure in the last ten minutes. I had expected the cuisine to get to us as it was in the league in the league, but it didn’t really do.
“I thought we finished what we thrown us pretty well on us.”
City has better Penrith to raise the trophy (Image: Barbara Abbott)
City became stronger in the course of the game and Kirkup said that a change of approach after the break won the trophy for the first time in 2022.
“Callum Birdsall started the game after not playing for four weeks – he was not fit, he played on a pretty leg, but I wanted him there, he is our captain and I thought if we had the chance to win, we need him there,” said Kirkup.
“But actually when he started [early in the second half] I thought we turned into a little better team because we injured a little more pace in front with balls with balls at the back, instead of going to Callum that I think they felt pretty comfortable with.
“They were big boys behind them and I don’t think they like it [opponents] Run at the back.
“Credit to everyone, I am happy for everyone in the football club. It was a difficult season, there is no agreement in the league.
“We had our cup final and it has a kind of papers over a creaking season. But if they asked me at the beginning of the season whether we could finish where we could have done it [18th] And win a cup that I would have grabbed by hand. “
After his first campaign, which was successful after Jim Nichols’ succession, Kirkup said: “Some people in management never really win anything to win a big competition like this.
“It is for everyone in the club. There is a lot of invisible work behind the scenes – sometimes the players only have to appear and play and they do not appreciate what goes in.
“Nights like this are for the people who run the club and they will enjoy it.”
