Gary Dicker on his two year deal with Carlisle United
We spoke to midfielder Gary Dicker shortly after he agreed terms on a deal which keeps him at Brunton Park until the end of the 2016/17 season.
"I'm really pleased to get this done," he said. "With the way football has gone in the last year or so you don't want to be waiting around too long.
"I spoke to Kav a few weeks ago before I went on holiday and I think I made my mind up as far back as then. He was away on a coaching course but it was nice to hear that I was wanted and it's even better now that we have it all sorted."
"I'm really happy to sign for the club and Kav being the manager was a big part of my decision," he revealed. "He had a great career and I played against him a few times when he played for Carlisle. I know what he was about as a player and I watched him many times for Ireland over the years.
"I'm really looking forward to working with him and if he's half as good a manager as he was a player then we've got a great chance next season."
"Whenever I've played up at Brunton Park you can tell the fans are really passionate, so I'm really looking forward to playing in front of them," he told us. "Hopefully we can all have a successful season together.
"I spoke to a few other clubs and a few managers but I think you get situations when you just know that a move is right. That's what this one felt like. I had a lot to think about, in terms of my family, but I think it will be good for us to get away and have a fresh start. We talked about it and we decided it would be nice for all of us to make the move, and I just can't wait to get started now."
"The fact it's a two year deal is always good," he continued. "A one year deal makes it really difficult to get your teeth into it. This has allowed me to show that I want to commit to the club and hopefully help to bring a bit of success. If we can get promoted out of this league it gives you momentum and who knows where it could end up."
"I'm looking forward to the challenge ahead because Kav told me we had a lot of young lads in the team last season," he commented. "I think it was tough on them because they were under a bit of pressure.
"He's looking for people with more experience and I've played around 300 games, so I think I fit into that category. I've had two promotions during my career so I know what it's all about. Hopefully I can bring that experience to the team next season and make it number three.
"It's up to me to crack on and let my football do the talking now. It's easy to talk about what you're going to do but you have to show that you can actually add value out on the pitch.
"A move like this is a great way to start a fresh challenge. I've been down south for five years or so now so, when I got this opportunity, it was something I fancied straight away. Kav is a young manager and I think the players he's signed so far show the direction he wants the club to go in.
"There will be a lot of new faces in the squad, which I think is a good thing after a relegation, because it gives the club a chance to get rid of that losing mentality."
And on what we can expect to see, he said: "I'm a player who likes to get on the ball and I think I've got a good passing range.
"I think I read the game well and hopefully I can cement my place in the team and keep things ticking over. I don't think you'll see me score any overhead kicks, or anything like that, but I like to think I get on with my job and work hard for the team."
"I've had some really enjoyable times in football so far and I had four great years at Brighton," he explained. "I signed for them when they were in League One, eight points adrift of safety, and we managed to stay up.
"We won the league the following year so it shows how much of a difference a few new players can make to a team. I probably played the best football of my career so far with them. I played week in week out and we had a lot of success.
"Hopefully the same will happen up at Carlisle and everything Kav has told me about the club and the fans makes me believe that we'll be successful on the pitch next season. I'm ambitious and I want to play as high as I can and I genuinely hope that will be up here with Carlisle.
"I can't wait to get started. I've had a lot of comments on Twitter off the fans already and that just makes me even more excited for the challenge ahead. It would be great for people to respond the #cufc6000 calls so that we get a big crowd for the first game of the season. It'll be up to us to attract even more fans after that by playing good football. That will help the club grow and help us get out of this league, which is where we all want to be.
"It's been quite a short summer break compared to ones I've had in the past but I think that's a good thing. We want the team to start to gel as quickly as possible. When I come in on Tuesday I think there will be a lot of new faces but I'm sure we'll start to mix and settle because that's the type of job this is. Within a few weeks we'll be pushing on to try to make sure we get into the season with momentum and the results we all want."
