Carlisle United Football Club

“That was a different kind of test for us,” he said. “It’s nice just to get minutes on the pitch at this early stage of pre-season.

“Everybody has been used at different times and I think we’re all looking decent. We’ve had a hard week, to be fair, and we’ve trained in the mornings as well as played the games. It was quite heavy on the legs but it’s good to be involved and to get a decent run out.”

“The good thing with the way it’s been done at the moment is that we’re all getting back out there and into the flow of things,” he added. “Match fitness isn’t the same as what you get from training so we all know we need to work on both areas.

“On a personal note it’s nice to be able to introduce myself to the Cumbrian fans. I enjoyed the game a lot. The second half was a lot slower, and it was about keeping the ball, but we’re building up to the bigger games and to the start of the season.

“It does feel like the rust is coming off. It’s definitely getting there - slowly but surely. I’m feeling quite good now, to be honest. 

“It has been good for me but stepping up from conference to full time has been a bigger test than I thought. People told me there wouldn’t be that much difference but, now I’ve experienced it, I can see the step up in quality, the sharpness in training and the way things are done in general. It’s been a big change for me but I’ve got to grips with it and I’m enjoying it.”

On the way he approached the game, he said: “I haven’t got forward as much as I usually would. I want to save my legs a little bit at the moment, but that is something I like to do.

“There’s plenty of competition for places here but I’d like to think I’m staking a claim with the manager with the things I’m doing at the moment. I’ll keep working hard and hopefully that will be enough come August.”