Adam Desbois says he has joined Carlisle United with one clear ambition after completing his move from Gateshead on a two-year deal, with the club holding an option for a further year.
The goalkeeper is relishing the opportunity to continue his career at Brunton Park and believes the move represents the next step in his ambition to compete at the top end of the National League.
He said: “I’m excited and happy to have it sorted. But I’m hungry and excited to come here and do well and push on, rather than just happy to be here.
“I’m happy to come to a team that has aspirations to compete and do well in the league.”
Desbois revealed that Carlisle’s interest first became concrete around two to three weeks ago, although he remained focused on his football with Gateshead while the move developed.
“I was just trying to stay away from it, really focus on myself, training and staying professional,” he said.
“Gateshead’s a top club and looked after me well and I want to give everything back to them that I can. Then things have gone a little bit quicker over the last day or so.
“I’m happy to get it done and sorted.”
The 25-year-old believes Carlisle provides the perfect environment for him to continue progressing, with the club’s size and ambitions proving major attractions.
“It’s a big club, great fan base, a club that’s been through some hard times and I think it’s the right time for me to push on at the top end of the league,” he said.
“Push for promotion, push for titles, push for accolades, demand and put pressure on myself to do even more than I’m doing.
“I have aspirations to be as high as I possibly can get in my career and I’d love to do it with a big club like this and bring a club up with me while I go on that journey.”
Desbois began his career with boyhood club Reading before developing at Brighton, where he believes the experience of working alongside top goalkeepers and coaches helped shape his game.
“I learnt a hell of a lot with some fantastic coaches and some top goalies,” he said.
“Brighton was almost like a university for me because I wasn’t playing much football at the time as a training goalkeeper. I had to try and get as much out of that as I could.
“I learnt so much and I think they’ve shaped me to the goalkeeper I am today. The positive actions, proactiveness and stuff like that all stemmed from my time at Brighton.”
His journey also saw him take the non-league route through clubs including Cheshunt, Richmond Borough and Slough Town, experiences he believes taught him the finer details of the position.
“You learn a lot of small things that can equate to quite a lot,” he explained.
“Almost like the dark arts, I’d call it – little things to get you out of situations, ways to deal with different types of pressure from corners and crosses.
“I’ve still been lucky enough to be training full-time ever since, so I haven’t come out of that full-time set-up. My body’s been ready, I’m physically ready and I’ve learnt a lot.”
His progress was interrupted by a serious ACL injury, which kept him out for a year and forced him to fund much of his rehabilitation himself.
“It was tough, definitely the toughest point in my life,” Desbois admitted.
“No club had to look after me, so I had to do it off my own back. I had to go through a lot of financial struggles trying to get that paid and sort things out.
“I knew if I came out at the end of that and still had the hunger for it, I was ready to attack it.”
He returned strongly with Slough, where he played every minute of last season before earning his opportunity with Gateshead.
His move to the National League represented another significant step, and Desbois credits Rob Elliot with giving him the confidence to make an immediate impact.
“It was great. Obviously, I was nervous,” he said on making his Gateshead debut.
“I’d been waiting for the opportunity for so long and then you’re given the chance and you think, ‘This is the moment, what have you got?’
“Once I got into my stride, it was great. Rob gave me full confidence. He’d watched clips and knew what I could do, rather than just bringing me in because someone had told him to.
“It was nice knowing someone had looked into you and put trust in you.”
Desbois made 12 appearances for Gateshead, keeping five clean sheets as the club secured their National League status.
He also experienced the atmosphere at Brunton Park from the opposite side last season, keeping a clean sheet against Carlisle – an occasion he now hopes to experience from the home dressing room.
“It was one of the biggest games I’ve played in,” he said.
“The amount of fans and noise was good. That’s always what I’ve been used to as a Reading fan. When you’ve got 8,000 or 10,000 people and you can hear it when you’re on the pitch, that’s the sort of stuff that when teams come here you put on them.
“It gives you that edge as a home team.”
Desbois is now looking forward to competing with Carlisle’s existing goalkeepers, including Archie Mair, for the number one position.
“He’s a top lad. I’ve seen him play last year and he’s got a really high ceiling,” he said.
“It’ll be great to get in, get training. The goalkeeper coach (Jack Cudworth) is a top coach as well, so I’m excited to get in and get to work.”
The new arrival will also reunite with familiar faces from his time at Gateshead, including Kenton Richardson and Brad Nicholson.
“It’s good to know a few people in the camp,” he said. “I’m excited to be back with them and excited to do well with them and perform well.”
Asked what he will bring to the Carlisle side, Desbois was clear about his priorities.
“First of all, I’d like to save shots,” he said.
“I’m going to affect the game by saving the ball, stopping shots, block and sweeping up when I can, affecting crosses. I really try to be aggressive on crosses.
“Then obviously distribution on top of that, hitting areas, long distances, playing out left-foot, right-foot and out the hands.
“I like to see myself as a bit of a leader as well, especially in my unit. Organising that, making sure people are in the right places to make my job easier and their job easier.”
And with Carlisle aiming to challenge at the top end of the National League, Desbois has no hesitation when it comes to his ultimate target.
“The reality is I want to get promoted,” he said.
“I want it to be this year really. If it’s not this year, it’ll be the year after. I want to go up and I want to do it with a top club.
“I think it’s okay sometimes to say that’s what you want to do because you’ve got to speak it into existence sometimes. You’ve just got to be confident and say that’s what I want to do.
“That’s the main goal. I want the team to perform. I want to win games.”
