Carlisle United Football Club

“The squad is looking very good ahead of the weekend,” he said. “We have a few knocks and bruises, the same as every other club in League Two, but we’re in good shape.

“We have a lot of games coming up in a short period of time so the more bodies we have available the better. I want selection problems to make my job harder because the more competition we have for places the more options I will have to take to the opposition.

“And with more players available people will know if they aren’t at the top of their game they’ll be pushed down the pecking order.”

“With the players, Brad Potts has been wrapped in cotton wool this week but we’ve managed to take it off,” he said. “We’ve had two good training sessions out of him and we expect him to come through ok. 

“Steven Rigg is very close. He’s chomping at the bit and he wants to be involved. He’s asking to up his workload but we’re mindful of the fact we have a lot of games coming in a short period of time. We’re holding him back slightly because we don’t want to do anything that will keep him out for a longer period.

“Alex Marrow is still unavailable. Gary Dicker was sent for a different kind of scan this week and that showed he has a slight hairline fracture below the knee. That isn’t the news any of us wanted to hear but we aren’t sure, at this stage, how long that will keep him out for. 

“Billy Paynter has picked up an Achilles injury. That will rule him out for a number of weeks but, other than that, we have a group of players ready to go out and give us a performance.”

“The injury situation is frustrating because, just when you think you’re getting there, we seem to get another one,” he agreed.

“We’re asking why that is. We’re looking at the workload we give the players, they type of work they do, the medical side, the fitness side and, obviously, the football side. 

“That includes where and how we warm up, the surfaces we train on, the rehab and prehab work we do, and we’re even looking at what the lads do when they go to the gym on their own. We want everything that’s done to enhance performance and not to cause us problems.”

“The training we’re doing isn’t boring,” he explained. “The lads never know what they’re doing when they come in so there’s a level of anticipation there. It isn’t repetitive because we want to make sure they’re thinking about their job all the time. 

“We know it’s the busy festive period but the players won’t be in on Christmas Day. I’m a big believer that it’s a day to spend with your family and it’s a massive amount of trust I give to the players. I know they are good professionals and it’s important they enjoy their day, but always have it in the back of their mind they have a huge game at Morecambe.”