Archie Mair has done the loan spells, gained the experience and now wants to settle down and make his mark.
The 25-year-old goalkeeper spent the second half of last season with the Blues, giving him the chance to get to know the club, the dressing room and the direction Carlisle United want to travel in.
Now, as he prepares to return for pre-season, Mair is focused on making the most of the opportunity in front of him.
“I’m delighted with it,” he said. “I really enjoyed my five or six months from January onwards.
“Obviously the season didn’t pan out in the end the way we wanted it to, but the club as a whole, from day one, I enjoyed it.
“Being around the lads, all the staff, everyone behind the scenes, and just the way the club is trending in the right direction, I’ve really enjoyed it. I’m delighted to join permanently.”
Mair featured in the Brackley Town fixture and a number of behind-closed-doors games during his loan spell, and believes those opportunities helped him make a positive impression.
“I played the Brackley match and then had a couple of behind-closed-doors games, which I felt I performed fairly well in,” he explained.
“That managed to give the club confidence and they’ve rewarded me with a contract for next season.
“Going forward, hopefully the fans will see a little more of me. When I play, I’m confident, quite confident on the ball as well, and I try to make saves.I like to back myself as a shot-stopper.”
Standing at 6′ 6″, Mair brings clear physical presence to the goalkeeping department, but he is just as comfortable talking about the technical side of his game.
“I’d say confidence, really,” he said when asked about his best attributes.
“I’m confident in myself when I’m playing, and quite calm. I'd say I’m good on the ball. I like being in possession and helping the team out in that way.
“With my height, coming for crosses is a strength of mine as well, and saving shots, of course. That needs to be a strength for every goalkeeper.”
The move also sees Mair link back up with Head Coach Rob Elliot, who he previously worked with at Gateshead.
“I’m really looking forward to working with him again,” Archie said.
“The time I had with him at Gateshead was a successful spell for the club. It was only a short time, I was with him a few months, but I really enjoyed working under him.
“I think it will be really good for the club going forward. Obviously, we had a good season last year, but things didn’t end the way we wanted them to.
“Hopefully, under the new management, we can go one step further and go all the way.”
Mair’s career so far has seen him come through the Academy system at Aberdeen before joining Norwich City, while also gaining senior experience through loan spells.
He has also represented Scotland at youth level and feels this is the right time to find a home and push on.
“There have definitely been some ups and downs,” he reflected.
“I was at Norwich until last season, so I was just doing that young goalkeeper path, going out on loans and getting experience.
“I’d say it’s been ups and downs and learning my trade up until this point.
“From now, I’m at an age and a point where I really want to kick on, settle into a club and not just feel like I’m there on loan or there for a short period of time.
“I want to settle in and really try to make my mark on the team.”
Although his first spell at Brunton Park was only temporary, Mair quickly felt part of the group.
“As a whole, the squad was a really tight-knit group, so I’m looking forward to getting back in with everyone,” he said.
“Callum Whelan and Stephen Wearne, I knew both of them from before, from my time at Gateshead under Rob as well.
“I’ve come quite close to a lot of the players. I’ve been speaking to Morgan [Feeney] over the last few weeks, and I think all the boys are ready to go.
“I’m looking forward to getting back in, and obviously with the new signings as well.”
One familiar face joining him at Brunton Park is Miguel Azeez, who Mair knows from their time together at Morecambe.
“I think it’s a really good signing,” he said.
“He’s very good on the ball. His range of passing is amazing, he always wants it, and he’s also got a goal in him.
“He scored quite a few screamers last season for Morecambe, and I think he was up for Goal of the Month almost every other month.
“Technically, he’s a very good footballer, and he’s also really fit as well. He can get around the pitch in midfield and cover distance.”
Mair believes the Blues are putting together a squad with a healthy mix of backgrounds, experiences and routes into the game.
“In every squad, you get people from different angles,” he said.
“Some of us have come through academies and played international football at age groups, which has helped us gain experience and helped us become the players we are.
“But then you’ve also got the likes of Regan [Linney], who came from the lower levels, and what a good season he had last year.
“I think it’s healthy to have a mix of backgrounds and different paths when you’re building a team together, because everyone can add something a little bit different from their background and how they’ve come through the game.”
With pre-season approaching, the goalkeeper is ready to get back to work.
“I’m really excited,” he said.
“After the first couple of weeks off, and obviously with the disappointment, you start gearing up towards pre-season again and getting yourself ready to go.
“For the last few weeks, I’ve been looking forward to getting back in and cracking on.
“Pre-season is tough, and I’m sure Rob will work us hard and try to instil his beliefs and how he wants us to play into the team.
“It’s going to be really exciting for all the boys, learning the way Rob wants to play, getting those pre-season games in and ultimately getting match fitness back so we’re ready for the first game of the season.”
Like so many young supporters, Mair’s love of football started in the stands.
“My dad, grandad and brother were all big into football,” he explained.
“I remember my first game was Aberdeen. I think I was four or five. My grandad took me and my brother, and I remember watching Aberdeen against Hearts.
“That’s how I got into it. As a young kid, when you go to a game, you get that bug and you just fall in love with it.”
He also spent plenty of Saturdays watching his local side, Turriff United.
“I’ve got a local team where I’m from, Turriff United, where I would go with my friends when I got a bit older,” he said.
“We’d go every single Saturday and watch them. That’s where I got the majority of watching football.
“I was playing most of the time as well, so it was hard to get along to games, but I loved to when I could.”
His own playing journey began in familiar fashion.
“When I first started, it was through my brother,” he said.
“He’s a few years older and he played, so I started playing with him.
“When I was a kid, I joined my local team, and then from there I got picked up by Aberdeen when I was eight and was there for 10 years.
“It was pretty normal at the start, joining my local team, playing with my friends and at school, and then I managed to get picked up a few years later.”
With under-11 season tickets working out at just £2 per game, Mair hopes to see plenty of young fans at Brunton Park next season.
“For £2 a game, it’s obviously a brilliant price,” he said.
“We definitely feel it as players. We love seeing young faces in the crowd, enjoying it, meeting them before the game, after the game and things as well.
“It’s nice to see them come and enjoy it, get out of the house and be involved in football, involved in something on a Saturday afternoon.
“That’s what a football club is. It’s somewhere for everyone to go, to escape and be part of something with everyone else in the stadium.
“I would definitely encourage people, no matter what age, but especially youngsters and parents if they can, to try and get along and watch the boys.
“We hugely appreciate it, and we love seeing young faces in the crowd. We love playing in front of the fans, and it’s a lovely feeling about the club when the stadium is full.”
Season tickets are available now – under-11s can watch the Blues from just £2 per game. To secure your place, click HERE!
