ANDY: BOYS STUCK BY ME
Team-mates in support after red card
ANDY CARTWRIGHT says the bond of the England C squad helped him get over his red card nightmare in Zilina.
The Blyth Spartans fullback was dismissed for a rash tackle on David Ivan four minutes before halftime with the Three Lions already a goal down in the International Challenge Trophy final.
It forced manager Paul Fairclough into making a double half-time substitution to limit the damage, but the silky Slovakians took full advantage by adding three second-half goals.
Cartwright cut a forlorn figure as he watched the rest of the match from the stands, but after apologising to his team-mates in the dressing room at the final whistle, the Geordie revealed he received nothing but support.
“The lads have been great, they’re a really good bunch,” he said. “We've all got close in the four days we’ve been out and they were very supportive afterwards. I felt really bad for them because we were still in the game at the time, but from then on, it was an uphill battle.
Rash
“The tackle itself was a bit late and a bit daft, but if it was at home I think I would be still be on the pitch. Out here though it’s a different game and the referee was always going to send me off, to be fair.
“I need to be more streetwise going into tackles like that, especially given the timing, when we’d just conceded at the end of the first half and we were under pressure trying to see out the first 45 minutes.
“Yes, the referee could have let me off, but I’ve got to hold my hands up; I should have done better and should have been more patient.
“It’s been a brilliant week, but it’s a shame it’s finished on a bit of a sour note.
“But I’ll certainly learn from it and hopefully it will make me a better player in the long run.”