We spoke to Josh Grant after he penned a one-year deal with an option.
Speaking to CUTV, Josh said: “I'm feeling happy and glad it's over the line now. It's all done, so I'm looking forward to getting started.”
The midfielder has had a busy career so far, coming through the ranks at Chelsea, where he won the UEFA Youth League, two FA Youth Cups and an English Youth League title.
“I mean, that's just learning your trade as a young footballer.
“It's exciting winning things and I want to take that into my professional career and I've started to do that, so I'm looking forward to this season.”
Josh spoke fondly of some big names he worked with at Chelsea, and his experience following that, stating: “You had the likes of John Terry, who made it through at the time, and you had youngsters like Ruben Loftus-Cheek make it through, but there's a lot of players that have come through the academy and had great careers.
“It was a shock going into league football from an academy, but it was a good experience at Yeovil. I got a couple of games, unfortunately had an injury, then I went to Plymouth and had a good time, got promoted, so that was good fun, it meant quite a lot.”
Josh also spent time at Bristol Rovers, and was a part of the side that gained promotion with a 7-0 final day win over Scunthorpe United.
“That was good. I think I got relegated the first year and then back promoted the second year, and it was a good experience because it taught me a lot about how to be a man within the game, and it was good for me.
“We actually did believe it was possible [to win 7-0 and gain promotion], to be fair. I think there was a result a couple of games beforehand where we were like, we're going to get promoted, and we believed it. I think only us in that changing room believed it and managed to do it on the last day, but I don't think that will happen again.”
Discussing last season's spell at Wealdstone, Grant explained: “It was a big difference for me, but it was a great experience.
“I think I got to see what football is like at a different level, and also what the community is like, and what it does for the community. It was an eye-opener for me, but it was really enjoyable.
“I don't think you need to worry about being in the National League too much. Just go there and play your game, and you should be fine.”
Josh then spoke about his time on trial with the club so far, and why this is the correct next step for him, saying: “It was a good experience [during the trial period].
“A good week of work, learning the boys, learning the manager and what they want to do. It was good for me to be amongst it before committing.
“They [Mark Hughes and Marc Tierney] like what I can offer to the team, and I think it's the perfect club for me right now.
“It's a massive club, really. The clear direction and what they want to achieve, aligns with what I want to achieve. Get back in the league as soon as possible.”
There’s a few familiar faces in the ranks for Josh, he said: “I went to the same school as Aaron Hayden. I played at Chelsea with him. He's a couple of years older than me.
“I know a couple of other boys. I played with Embo [Elliot Embleton]. So, yeah, it's quite a few familiar faces from over the years.”
When asked to what supporters can expect to see, he said: “I'm a defensive midfielder that obviously likes to get on the ball and link up play to the more attacking players, but also protect the defenders as much as possible. I enjoy that side of the game.
“Through my career, I've played multiple positions. “Right-back, left-back, centre-back or centre-mid. I'm used to it. However, where the team needs me, I'm happy to play.”
On the next pre-season game behind-closed-doors on Saturday, and then the trip to Wales, Grant said: “I need some minutes, so it should be good. Every player just wants to get a pre-season behind them and being amongst the group for a set amount of days only enhances the benefits, really.”
Josh finished with a brief message to the Carlisle supporters, saying: “Just back us all season and we'll hopefully put on a show for you guys.”
