Carlisle United Football Club

"We sat down with all of the second years and spoke to them about our decisions at the end of last week," he said. "The offers to Kyle [Dempsey] and Patrick [Brough] are a reward for the hard work they've put in and I don't think it will be a surprise to anybody that it's happened. They've been involved with the first team squad for the majority of the season and it's great news for them.

"On the flip side of that we obviously had to deliver the news to Lewis [Brass] and Jake [Chisholm] that, in our opinion, their football career wouldn't be able to carry on with Carlisle United. It's a sad time, because they are good lads, and the whole group suffer. The first years watch it and it's a learning curve for them because they get to see the disappointment of the lads who aren't going to be taken on. They have to do everything they can to make sure they aren't part of that process next year."

"It doesn't have to be the end for the two who have been released, if they don't want it to be," he told us. "They've got the exit trials coming up and we'll circulate their names. This decision is only our opinion and it doesn't mean another club won't take them on. In our opinion they aren't ready for Carlisle United, but that doesn't mean they aren't ready for someone else."  

As for the two who made it through, Moore said: "It's as high as 95% of the lads who get professional deals who don't go on to get a second contract. The fall out number is massive. 

"Kyle and Patrick can't think they've made it. For them, the real hard work starts now. Of course it's brilliant that they've got their contracts but it now gets tougher for them. They'll want to play every week, but that won't be the case, and it gets tougher mentally and physically. They'll be playing for points and fighting for their lives like the first team are at the moment. They are two very good lads with the right type of attitude so I'm sure they will approach things in the right way."

"The good thing for all of these lads is that the League Football Education (LFE) put on a great programme which really looks after them," he explained. "The club looks after them in terms of their football, but the LFE give them an education in life over the two years. 

"They also give them a chance to go to exit trials at the end of the two years so they have the best chance of finding another club, if that's what they want to do. They get opportunities to go over to America and we also went down to Warwick University to spend a day with the army. A lot of different opportunities are shown to them because as we all know it's a tough world. 

"We don't allow the lads to waste any days when they're here with us. They get 116 days of training with us and they have to make the most of every single one of them. It flies by very quickly and they have to understand that. Being with a professional club is a fantastic opportunity in life and there is a great carrot at the end of it. If they don't get a deal at the end of their time with us then, yes, they can blame other people but, if they haven't put the work in, they only have to look in the mirror." 

Looking at other business, and the last two games of the season, he said: "We played Tranmere on a very blustery day but it was the same for both teams. We didn't get any of the basics right, we weren't brave enough on the ball and we weren't strong enough in our defending. 

"We want to play out from the back and put bodies on the line but we didn't do any of that against Tranmere. We had a player sent off, which just added to the frustration, and it was a bad day all round."

"We changed the formation and took the pressure off the players ahead of the Morecambe game and we played with a back three," he told us. "We won 7-1 and it was a result the group thoroughly deserved. They were brave with and without the ball and they did things properly from start to finish. 

"We've been mirroring how the first team are playing in terms of formation and we're going to do that again against Hartlepool in our friendly game on Saturday. Mirroring the first team means that when lads such as Kyle [Dempsey] and Patrick [Brough] step up they're used to the way they play and they know what's required of them in the different roles."

"We organised a series of friendly games because we're preparing for next season already," he said. "Hartlepool is our second friendly with next year's team. We had one last week, which we won 9-0, and it's good to get minutes on the pitch for these boys. It gives us a chance to see what strengths and weaknesses the new first years bring with them and that means we can really start working with them day in day out. We've got some tough pre-season games lined up for them as well so they'll all need to be ready to come back and work hard." 

United 0 - 4 Tranmere: Eccles, Thomson, Marshall, Rudd (Elliott, 46), Chisholm, Dickson (Hurley, 75), Dempsey, Hammell (Douglas, 65), Blackburn, Brough, Moyes. Subs: Brass, Pearson. 

United 7 - 1 Morecambe: Brass, Thomson, Brough, White (Rudd, 87), Marshall, Douglas, Elliott, Hammell, Blackburn, Dempsey, Moyes. Subs: Eccles, Chisholm, Dickson, Pearson. 

Goals - Dempsey (3), Blackburn (3), Elliott