Assistant manager Greg Abbott spoke to us this morning about life during the summer months.

He said: "I think, if we're honest, the Leeds result caused us all a little bit of hurt. Everyone, whether it was the owner, the board, the playing staff, the fans, whatever, we were all very disappointed. However, when you look back and reflect just how far the club has come, then you have to realise that it has all been a relative success. That has to take the place of the disappointment, because the longer you hang on to those feelings of hurt, the harder it becomes to get them out of your system. We have to look forward now, it's the only way for us to do things. We have a massive season ahead of us and we have to make sure that we get off to a good start. If we don't do that, then the season suddenly becomes very hard work. So, yes, it hurt like mad at the time, especially with how close we got, but we can't afford to dwell on that. We have to kick on, take all of the positives from what we have been doing over the last few years, and make sure that we're in the right frame of mind for the new season."

"We have a fantastic group of players here," he confirmed, "and it won't be difficult to pick them up from what happened at all. I also think that the staff we have here have exactly the right attitude. We won't pretend that it was all smiles after the play-offs, but we know that it can't always be about looking back and wondering 'what if'. We're all really enthusiastic, and we don't want to dwell any longer. If we do have players that are doing that, or who are showing a negative attitude, then they are going to find themselves out of the team. As soon as they walk through those doors next month, that's it ... we go again. For me, I'm bored out of my head already! I can't wait for us to start working towards the first match again, and I know that a lot of our players are feeling the same way. It's actually tempting to keep ringing the lads up to see how they are and to keep them ticking along, but I think I'll leave them alone and let them get a bit of a break. Come July we'll train them hard, but with a smile on their face, and we'll make sure they are ready."

"I actually live in Wetherby," he explained, "and that's a suburb of Leeds, and everyone I speak to over there is full of compliments for how well we have done. The fact of the matter is that Leeds are a very big club, so we can all take heart from the fact that they are sitting up and taking notice of us. We came close to pushing one of the biggest teams in the country out of the race. We really do have to take the positives from that, and understand that we got shot down, in the end, by a very wealthy club. It wasn't luck that got us in to that position, it was hard work and commitment and, if we reproduce that, which I know we will, then we'll be pushing these teams again."

"All I've ever said, since the day I got here," he added, "was that I wanted to be part of a team that was progressing and moving forward. Sometimes the pace of that progress may slow down a bit, but that shouldn't matter, as long as there is still that forward movement. I understand that it can get painful for fans if they feel that things aren't happening quickly enough, but that's the nature of the game. If things are done too quickly, they tend to crumble when they hit the first bit of pressure. I hope our supporters can see that what we are doing is sustainable. We've kept the club moving in the right direction, and we've built on the work that has gone before. It started with Paul Simpson, and the amazing things that he achieved, and Neil McDonald came in and moved that on another notch or three. Like I say, I think we've kept that steady progression going, and everybody can be very pleased with where we are at. The key now is keeping that work rate and tempo up so that we continue the momentum next season."

"We do have to face facts when it comes to our players," he said, "and realise that the better you do as a team, the more people are going to take an interest as to why that may be the case. This club has been at the top end of the table for a number of seasons now, so scouts are going to come and watch. As far as our team goes, we've had some outstanding performers. Hopefully you try and convince them that they are already at the right club but, almost inevitably sometimes, offers will come in that are really tempting for the individual. You have to deal with that on a case by case basis, because it's very difficult to stop these clubs from making an offer. It's part of the game, it always has been and it always will be. It's especially difficult if a club from a higher division comes in, because players always want to be testing themselves at the highest level possible. Some will take the opportunity, and others will choose to stay - either way, we have to accept it because it's the way the game is. Players come, and players go, but if the team continues to move forward despite all that, then it's just the way that it is. We certainly shouldn't stand in the way if a player does decide to try a higher level, and especially if the deal is right for the club as well."

"I really do sympathise with the fans at times," he told us. "I'm really impatient myself, and I want to have our squad in place within days of the last season finishing, but you have to take stock and marry that impatience with a little bit of realism as well. We have to make sure that we're bringing in the right kind of player, and that does take time. If you look around League One, you see Leeds are linked with Kevin Phillips. If reports are to be believed, he is on somewhere between £12,000 and £15,000 a week. Now, we'd like to be linked with him as well, but it would be wrong for us to even think about a wage like that. In the long run, us paying a wage like that would do none of us any favours at this level. That's why we will continue to target the players who will come in and add to our squad, and help us to continue with the progression that we are after. The problem that most clubs have is that wage ceilings have been lifted through the roof, and that's something else that we all have to contend with as we look for the players that we want."

"I think we will all be asked, over the course of the next few months, about what our ambitions are for next season," he conceded. "The fans will all say that they want promotion this time, whether it's via the play-offs or automatically. I'm never comfortable with going for bold predictions, but what I will say is that I want to make sure that we continue to progress. If we do that, then it's going to take us in to the areas that we all want to be in. If we start to trumpet our intentions from the rooftops then it gives other teams something to shoot down, and it can add to the pressure. I'd prefer that we just get on with the job, make sure that we're doing things better than last season, and that we're improving across the board, and then we know that it will bring good things for us. The thing that we all need to be wary of is what happened to Yeovil and Oldham. They were play-off teams from the season before last. and they hardly won a game before Christmas. Yeovil ended up in a relegation battle and Oldham finally got their act together towards Spring, so it is very easy to let doubt creep in and bring the progression to a halt. So, we need to dig in, keep the work rate up, and make sure that we're there or thereabouts at the half way point. Then we can take it from there."

"We have a solid base now," he said, "which is great for us all. We've got the makings of a very good squad already, and if we can add to that, particularly with a couple of players that can slot right in to the first team rather than have to wait on the sidelines for their chance, then we'll be even better. The kind of player we need to bring in right now is the type who will improve use almost immediately. We'll be working hard to bring that kind of person in and, if we do, then we'll be doing alright. I'm already looking forward, with great anticipation, to another terrific season. As a whole, last season was a fantastic journey for us. Ultimately we fell just short at the end, but it was an extremely exciting experience for us all. I'm sure the fans will look back at the ups and the downs, home and away, and tell you that they enjoyed following Carlisle United. They'll take the good and the bad, and realise that it was never going to be an easy ride, and I'm sure they will appreciate what it is we tried to do, and what it is we want to do next time round."

"For myself, I am really happy at this club," he told us. "I like the people I work for, and I like the people I work with. Loyalty means quite a lot to me, and this club has been superb with me from the day I arrived. If I am going to be honest, I would say that I would consider any offer that did come in, because I would be foolish not to but ... and this is a big but ... it would have to be something exceptional to take me away from here. I have absolutely no desire to instigate a move, or to get anyone to look for a move for me. I feel that I am learning all the time here, and I know that I am developing as a coach with every week that goes by. My experience as an assistant manager is growing all the time, and I really do feel settled. Hopefully my perception that I have a good relationship with the fans, and that they appreciate the way that I do things, is a correct one, and I want that to continue. I don't want to sound like I have a lack of ambition, or anything like that, but the simple fact is that I really do enjoy it here. All I am saying is that it would have to be something special to tempt me to leave. With me, if I am at a place where I feel that I'm appreciated, and I feel that my work is appreciated, then I tend to develop a real affinity with it. That's exactly what has happened with me here at Carlisle United. It's important, because it makes the job that much easier to do, and that means a lot to me."

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