Midfielder Alex Marrow on his move to Brunton Park
New arrival Alex Marrow became United's eighth summer signing on Tuesday when he agreed a one-year deal shortly after his release from Blackburn Rovers had been confirmed.
We spoke to him ahead of the Penrith friendly to get his reaction to his move up the M6 corridor.
"I trained with the lads for most of last week so I'm happy that we've been able to get everything done," he said. "I'm just ready to push on from here now.
"My agent spoke to Kav initially, then he spoke to me, and I really liked what he had to say. He's trying to build a successful squad to go straight back up and I think we've got a great chance of doing that next season. As soon as I heard what Kav had to say I really wanted to be a part of it all."
"You don't want to come to a club that might go down, or isn't showing any ambition, but from what the manager has said it's a case of nothing apart from going back up is acceptable," he told us. "Everybody is pushing for promotion and after seeing the lads, and the way they are, I think there's every chance of that.
"Once I'd spoken to Kav I didn't really want to look elsewhere because I was quite happy with what he'd said. I've enjoyed it from day one up here so there was never really much doubt about me agreeing to the move.
"The manager has been great with me. He wanted to bring me on board, and I was happy to come, so now I need to work hard to make sure I'm part of his team. I don't want to be sitting on the bench. He's brought me in to play but he isn't the type of manager who will keep you in the team if you aren't performing well in training."
"The fact that we're in League Two didn't really matter because we could be a League One club this time next year," he said. "Everyone is pushing in the right direction so it's not something that bothered me at all."
"I think making the final decision was helped by the fact that I've been here and training for a while. I've been able to get to know people and get to know how the staff work. Everyone has been great with me and it seems like a fantastic club behind the scenes.
"I don't think it feels like a club with any kind of hangover because a lot of players left and new faces have been brought in. Nobody has been feeling sorry for themselves. You can tell the lads who were here last season want to put things right."
"If I'm being honest, I do think I've got a point to prove," he said. "I want to get more game time and have some success here. If I can do that it will only be good for the club and for my career.
"I'm the sort of player who likes a tackle and I'll put my foot in when it's needed. I'm really looking forward to playing and hopefully getting promotion at the end of the season."
"It doesn't feel strange to be leaving Blackburn, because I've left there before," he told us. "It's a good club but for one reason or another it didn't work out for me there.
"I think they'll have another good season but I'm just focused on doing well for Carlisle United now. We've got two big games right at the start of the season and I don't think there would be a better way to kick off than three points against Luton and progressing to the next round of the cup live on TV."
United Player subscribers can see a video interview with Alex Marrow now. Click HERE to go to the Player platform. Follow the same link for more information on United Player, and to subscribe.
Click HERE to see a clip from this interview on our YouTube channel. Follow the same link for more FREE content right from the heart of the club.
