Carlisle United Football Club

“We are looking at adding to the squad,” he revealed. “There are areas in the dressing room I like and others where I think we can improve. 

“I also think there’s room for improvement in some of the players, with things they can add to their game, and I want to give them the opportunity to do that. It’s up to them to show they have that little bit extra to stop me from having to go out into the market.”

“By the time we get to January we’ll know whether or not the players have stepped up to the mark to get us to where I want us to be,” he commented. “We don’t need wholesale changes but, at the moment, we need a bit of fine tuning. Nobody will be moved out of this football club without me knowing what they can and can’t do. 

“The fans obviously have their part to play in what we’re doing with the way they get behind us and help us along. The more fans that come to home games the more we can do in transfer windows and things like that. 

“We don't need to sell players because we know there’s interest and we know why. The young players are playing well which is what everybody wants. We want to keep them and for us to do that we need to be successful. 

“The more games we win the more scouts will come and watch the players, but the longer we can keep hold of the younger lads the better. Ultimately what we're trying to do is turn a squad into a team and they’re part of that.”

On the injury to Stephen Elliott, he said: “I’m really disappointed for him. He’s a young man who has been battling like mad to come back after a lengthy period out, and he’s been working to get a starting position in the team. There’s a level of frustration for me because if I’d made my substitution just two or three minutes earlier it might have changed the outcome. It’s a shame for him but we hope he has as speedy a recovery as possible.

“Obviously Derek [Asamoah] came on and his contract is up on Monday. He is still nowhere near being fully fit and he isn’t quite the finished article he wants to be or we need him to be. 

“He can only play for 20 or 25 minutes which means I have to use him as an impact player. The more I can look after Derek and get him out on the grass, so he's able to train, the better. If we can get him up to a tempo that suits him and us then hopefully we can offer him a longer contract. 

“I haven't got any fears about him going anywhere else because I don’t think anyone is going to want a player who can only play for 25 minutes. What we're paying Derek is relative to the amount of time he spends on the pitch, and on how well he does when he’s on it. Hopefully that will continue to improve and we’ll start to see the dynamic and dangerous player we all know he is.”