United boss Paul Simpson confirmed at the Tuesday night forum that his backroom staff will be joined on a temporary basis today by experienced keeper coach Simon Smith.
Smith, 60, has worked with the Carlisle boss before, at Newcastle United, where the glovesman spent close to seven seasons as head coach.
He was with the Blues at the start of the 2007/08 season, coaching on a part-time basis for a month, and returns to fill the same role through the club’s current pre-season campaign.
“I thought we’d agreed terms with Gez [Paul Gerrard] last week, but he decided to move on,” Simmo explained.
“As of Wednesday we have Simon Smith in on a short-term basis. He’s actually told me he's retiring, and I’m not sure why he’s doing that because I'm certain he’s younger than me!
“I do have a replacement coming in who I won’t name yet. He has to work his notice, but I’m also really pleased that we’ve got that sorted as well.
"That means that the keeper coach situation is taken care of, and I'm pleased that we've done it so quickly.”
“So, to clarify, Simon will be with us for the next month, and I know he’ll be excellent for us,” he added. “After that, the replacement I have lined up will come in, and he’ll take over on a full-time basis.
“Like I say, I'm really pleased that we've managed to sort both of these lads out to help us because they're really good people.”
