Leeds loanee Alfie McCalmont took just four minutes of his first start for the club to introduce himself to the fans as he pounced on a defensive error before popping the ball into the bottom corner.
The 22-year-old, who joined the Blues on-loan from Leeds during the winter window, has waited patiently for his opportunity, but it was one he grabbed with both hands having been given the nod last week.
“I’m buzzing, I feel like it’s been a long time coming because I’ve had to wait for my chance,” he said. “When I first arrived the team were doing well so I knew I had to be patient.
“The manager told me that at the start and I’ve just kept my head down in training and worked hard, then when my chance came on Saturday I knew I had to take it, so I’m happy.”
“I’ve been on loan before so I know how the process works when you first join a new club,” he continued. “If I was in a team that was playing well I wouldn’t expect to be taken out of the team, and it was the same for the lads here.
“They’d won five on the bounce when I came so it was unlucky timing for me, but obviously great for the team, so I couldn’t complain.
“I just had to bide my time and it was a poor result against Mansfield, so the manager made some changes. I knew it was my chance, and I knew I had to put a good performance in if I wanted to stay in the team. I’m really happy to get a goal and help get the points.
“It’s always about what’s best for the team and I came here to try and help get Carlisle promoted, so when the team are doing well I’m happy.
“If I can be a part of it then it’s obviously even better, and now I’ve had my chance I’ve just got to make sure I keep the same performances from now until the end of the season.”
On when he found out he’d been given the nod, he commented: “It wasn’t anything specific, we just got told the team on Friday as usual, and I was in it.
“The gaffer didn’t say anything to me other than go and take my chance, which he said to everyone who came in.
“I knew in myself I was ready for it, I’ve been training hard, so when it came to the game I would be match fit.”
So, what about the poacher’s goal that proved to be the difference on the day?
“I just gambled in the first five minutes and the ball fell nicely for me, so I just put it in,” he said. “The manager always says in training that he wants the midfielders to get into the box, so that’s what I tried to do.
“A lot of the play came down the left on Saturday so I was trying to get into the box from the right, and in the first couple of minutes the full back made that mistake and I read it, which meant I could just slot it in.
“I couldn’t believe it, especially with it being so early in the game. All of the lads were buzzing for me because I wanted to make a good impression, and it helped me settle into it.
“I feel like my composure in front of goal is good, you can’t be too erratic and slash at things. I knew I was only eight yards out or so, so I knew I could roll it in instead of trying to smash it.
“I caught the keeper off-guard because I did it quickly and because it was low he couldn’t get down to it, so I was really happy with it.
“Just like walking out, playing in front of fans again, it just felt amazing, because I've been waiting for it for a while.
“It felt really good to score at that end in front of the fans as well. I’ve been waiting for my opportunity for so long, so when it came so early in the game it was brilliant.
“Like I said, I feel like it set me up for the game and gave me the confidence to go and get on the ball and try to create things. That’s what the manager wants me to do when I’m in the team.
“Denno has scored a lot of goals but we can’t just rely on him, it has to come from other players, which we’re all trying to work on.”
“It felt amazing at the end of the game to know I’d scored the winner and helped us get the three points,” he added. “I always feel like you can’t dwell on it too much. The game is done now and we’re all looking forward to the next one.
“When you score and play well you just want the next game to come. I just want to make sure I put in good performances from now until the end of the season, I think there’s 15 games left, and I just want to be involved as much as I can.
“I just want to help the team get promoted and if we can do that it would be a great summer.”
Key to any successful outcome is healthy competition for places, which is certainly the case with the Blues this season.
“If you’re playing well and scoring it’s hard to take you out the team,” he commented. “Like I said, when I first arrived the team were playing well so I had to be patient, now my chance has come I need to make sure I take it so I stay in the team and do well.
“To be playing in a team who are winning games and up at the top end of the table makes you enjoy your football more.
“It was a massive win on Saturday because the three results before that weren’t what we wanted. The results around us helped a bit because a few teams had a bit of a blip at the same time, but now we’re just focusing on the next game.”
“We all know the opportunity we’ve got, and the manager is always telling us that we’re third in the league and we should all be enjoying ourselves,” he continued. “We’ve got the freedom to enjoy ourselves and teams should be fearing coming here because we’re doing so well.
“We’ve got that confidence going into every game and it will be the same at Crawley on Saturday. They’re down the bottom and we’re third, so we’ll be going into the game full of confidence.
“It’s a lot of travelling but it’s part and parcel of it. Our away record is good over the season so far, which is a credit to all of the lads, so we’ll just prepare as we always do.
“I just want to play as many games as I can until the end of the season after getting a taste of it on Saturday. I’m just really eager to keep it up now, so I’ll just see what happens when the manager picks the team, but I just want to keep playing and enjoying myself.”
And just over a month down the line since joining the club he confirmed that he’s feeling more than settled.
“I'm loving it, it's probably one of the best changing rooms I've been in, the lads are spot on,” he told us. “I'm living in the house in Brampton, me and JK, we get on really well, so that helps being together rather than just being by ourselves.
“But the lads are spot on and they were buzzing for me as well on Saturday, getting the goal and getting my chance, it makes you feel good and it's a really good dressing room to be in.”
