We caught up with striker Hallam Hope shortly after full time at Mill Farm on Saturday as he talked about his goal and a good personal display.
“Pre-season is always about getting minutes on the pitch and fitness,” he said. “We want to start winning games and get into the habit of that, and it’s always nice to get a goal.
“I think we kept the tempo high during the whole game which was good. Fylde aren’t a bad team and they kept us on our toes, but we got what we wanted from the game, which was a win and fitness.
“The lads who have come in are decent players and they looked sharp in training on Friday, so they’ll help us in attacking areas."
His top corner winner came with just three minutes left on the clock, and he admitted that he only had one thing in mind from the moment he picked the ball up.
“As soon as I got it I just had it in my mind that I was going to run with it and shoot," he explained. "The last few times I’d passed it, so I just wanted to have a go myself.
"Any goal for any striker, whether it’s in pre-season or not, always brings confidence. Hopefully I’ll be able to take that into the season.
“It’s all about being ready for the Exeter game, the lads looked sharp in training last week and each day you can feel that we’re getting better and better. It’s all about preparing for that first game."
And with the manager having picked him out as a 'shining light' from the pre-season campaign so far, he told us: “Any praise from any manager is good, so it’s nice to hear that the gaffer has said that.
"I just want to keep improving and make sure I’m ready for the start of the season. When a new manager comes in everyone wants to impress and stake a claim. Changes in manager are never in your control so it’s just something everyone has to get on with.
"New managers and coaches will have their opinions and so it’s all about doing as much as you can to make sure their opinion of you is a good one.
“I just want to score goals for Carlisle and help the team go in the direction we want to go in this season. Everyone wants to be involved at Exeter on the first day of the season, and we all just want to make sure we do everything we can to get the three points down there.”
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