Woking boss: Superior Carlisle United 'old-manned' us
The Cards manager admitted his players were 'anxious' on the opening day of the National League season as Mark Hughes' Blues prevailed.
And Ardley felt Carlisle's know-how proved telling as the Cumbrians secured a 2-0 victory.
'We went through their [Carlisle's] squad before, and there are loads of League One and League Two quality players,' said Ardley.
'We knew that we had to perform very, very well.
'We didn't. We're not going to dress it up. We played with anxiety. You can't find overloads and cause the opposition problems if your anxiety causes you to make wrong decisions, not work your patterns or play with clarity.
'On top of that we didn't do enough of the basics well.
Hughes: Carlisle United's display at Woking sets the tone for season
'Their back line worked quicker up the pitch than we did. We couldn't get in on balls down the side, they kept getting in on balls between us.
'They were more intense on closing us down from throw-ins.
'You can't not perform great with the ball then not do the basics with the ball.
Woking try to get to grips with United new boy Regan Linney (Image: Richard Parkes)
'It all spirals from being caught in the moment, it's 100mph, and you're playing against a team who can 'old man' you. They've got knowhow, experience, they're dogged and they know how to grind out results, which is why they'll be up there at the end.'
After a goalless first half, Luke Armstrong and Ethan Robson struck to send United to an opening-day victory.
While home keeper Craig Ross impressed with a number of good saves, Ardley accepted his side were not at Carlisle's level overall.
Woking 0-2 Carlisle United: as it happened!
'We came out a bit brighter in the second half but the two goals kill you,' he said in a club interview.
'We huffed and puffed. They've kept loads of clean sheets through pre-season and it showed.
'They looked at a higher level than us at the moment.
'We need to flip back to how we play and make sure we're better at not letting the opposition test our goalie.
'But we've got to accept we played against a strong team and we underperformed. When you put those two together, you're likely to get a negative result.'
Ardley reiterated his belief that Carlisle have a squad that should make them serious promotion contenders in 2025/26.
'They've recruited well. You go through most teams in League One and League Two, and if they [Carlisle] had a firesale, they'd take a load of their players,' he said.
'They'll be a strong outfit I'm sure throughout the season.'
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