Cameron Harper marked a night to remember with his first goal for Carlisle United, a vital assist, and his 50th appearance for the club — all in one standout performance.
“A big relief,” he admitted. “I feel like I should have about five already. I know I should’ve scored a couple in the last few weeks, so it’s just a big relief. I’m just really happy to be honest — it’s more like myself.”
Linking up with teammate Regan Linney, Harper praised the developing partnership on the left side.
“Me and Reegs have got a good connection down that left side. We understand each other more now just from playing together this season. He might not always pass to me — he’s a bit greedy — but with the amount of goals he’s scored, I can’t really complain!”
The goal came on a night of personal significance for Harper, who quietly racked up his 50th appearance for the Blues.
“I didn’t actually know it until I was in the changing room and saw the tweet on my phone. I didn’t realise I’d hit 50 games already — so quickly as well. Yeah, it’s a proud night for me.”
He capped off the evening with a pinpoint assist for Georgie Kelly, a moment of redemption after feeling partially responsible for the opposition’s goal.
“Georgie always tells me before games — early crosses. I don’t even have to look sometimes, just put it in an area. I was buzzing when he put it in the net, especially because their goal was probably on me — I should’ve just cleaned the boy out and reset.”
Reflecting on the team’s performance, Harper said the side were mostly in control, despite a short spell of pressure and conceding early in the second-half.
“We were fairly comfy, to be honest. We had a little blip for five or ten minutes, but we probably could’ve had more goals and kicked on.”
With the manager urging the players at half-time to “stay at it,” Harper said there was full belief within the group that they’d respond.
“They scored 26 seconds into the second-half, and yeah — that’s on me. But I always felt confident on the pitch. We knew if we kept moving the ball quickly and getting into the right areas, the goals would come.”
That belief, he says, is something quietly instilled throughout the team.
“There’s a slight bit of arrogance in the squad — in a good way. We know when we’re at it, we’re good. Don’t get me wrong, at times we weren’t at our best tonight, but we showed some good stuff to get the goals and it ended up being a comfy win.”
After two tough results, Harper said the mood in the dressing room was lifted by the win — and the focus is firmly forward.
“The gaffer said before the game: those results are gone, there’s nothing we can do about them. Everything was about tonight. With the two disappointing results, we just wanted to bounce back — and thankfully we did that.”
Looking ahead to another challenging fixture against Scunthorpe, Harper expects nothing less than a tough test — but remains confident in the group.
“They’re up there with the top teams, but this league’s mad — you don’t know what’s going to come. We’ve bounced back tonight, and hopefully we can keep the run going on Saturday.”
As ever, Harper finished with a word of thanks to the Carlisle faithful for their backing — especially after recent setbacks.
“Just thank you. I don’t really know what to say about them — they’re brilliant. They come out in their numbers and even in their away support. I just want to thank them for sticking with us. Hopefully we've shown we can bounce back tonight, and we keep building from here.”
