We caught up with our new arrival, just as he was getting back to his home In Bournemouth, to get his thoughts on signing for Carlisle United.

He told us: "It has happened quite quickly, I suppose, but it has been a fairly easy decision for me to make. I met the manager, and he is really highly respected around the game. When I first heard that the club were interested I spoke to a few people, and they all had really good things to say about the manager and the club. Obviously I have played against the team before, and I've been to Brunton Park, so I already knew that it was a club that had everything in place. Once I'd spoken to the manager a bit more about where he wants to take the team, that made it even easier, and I jumped at the chance to sign."

"John Ward took me around all of the facilities yesterday," he explained, "and I got to see the new training ground, and then the other areas that are also used by the club. I also had a walk around the stadium and met a few people, and there just seems to be a really good atmosphere around the place. I was made to feel really welcome, and that all counts towards helping you make your mind up."

"He made it clear to me that there is going to be plenty of competition for a starting place this season," he said. "It's a whole new challenge for me, if I'm honest, because I have got used to being almost an automatic choice for the centre half place at Bournemouth. I think it's going to be good for me to have to come in to a team where I really have to fight for my place. I have to face the fact that the team has had a lot of success, and I won't just be walking straight in and expecting to play. I know that there is just absolutely no chance of that happening. I'm going to have to work hard and show everyone that I am worth a shirt, so I'm really looking forward to that."

"I think I've played in just about every position going at Bournemouth," he joked. "I tend to think that if the manager asks you to go and do a job, then you go and do it, whatever it is. I really am just happy to be playing, so I'll do whatever is asked of me. As I say, I'm coming here to work hard and to show people that I can help the team to move on. Hopefully that's how things will turn out. I'm itching to get up there and get on with it now. We report back in early July, and that really can't come along soon enough for me."

"Coming to a club that has had so much success over the last few years is actually quite exciting," he said. "It's going to be a completely different kind of football for me. I've been fighting against relegation with Bournemouth, and that puts a whole different atmosphere around the place. It will be great to join up with a team that expects to do well. I've seen them play football at close hand, and they keep the ball well and they pass it quickly. That is a really difficult type of football to play against. I think being part of a team like that is what I am looking forward to the most."