Young trio sign new contracts
Youth products Mark Beck, Brad Potts and Dave Symington have committed their immediate futures to Carlisle United this afternoon by signing deals which keep them at the club until the end of June 2015.Striker Beck, 18, has made five senior appearances in total and scored once in the 2-1 Capital One Cup victory over Ipswich Town last month.
Defender Brad Potts, also 18, has made four starts for the club and has really come to prominence following an excellent start to the season.
Midfielder Dave Symington, another 18-year-old, has made four appearances and helped to raise the rafters when he came off the bench to cap a fantastic display with a match-winning goal in that game against Ipswich.
All three players came through the United youth system to earn one-year professional contracts at the end of last season.
"This is a fantastic achievement for these lads on a personal level," manager Greg Abbott said.
"It's also great for the youth system at this club and I think Eric [Kinder] should rightly be proud of what has been produced."
"You only get what you deserve in football," he continued. "These lads have worked very, very hard and they have all had the wrath of me, Graham Kavanagh and Eric Kinder along the way as we have tried to help them to push on.
"They have digested what they've been told, they've responded to it and the end result of what they have put into this is that they've got themselves a three-year deal. Hopefully the progression will continue from here. There is still a lot of hard work to do, let's make no mistake about that, but they are definitely heading along the right track."
"This is a deal which works for everybody," he added. "They have three years now, so there is no real pressure on their development. The industry is so stretched in terms of finances across every club at our level that you aren't always in a position to offer these young lads anything more than that initial year.
"This group have developed physically, as well as with their ability, and that has put them at a real advantage. A lot of young lads fall by the wayside because nature has been against them and they just haven't grown and developed as they needed to for them to make an impact in what is a very tough sport.
"We're in a situation at every club where you need success now. The knock-on from that is that young players don't get time to develop. These lads now have an opportunity to grow into their jobs and we just wish them every success."
"They are great characters and they aren't the type to take their foot off the gas just because this happened," he said. "Their parents should take a great deal of credit for this because we have ourselves three very well-rounded young men.
"Going away from the football a little bit, but to show what type of lads they are, we even had our coach driver [Mick Sinclair] commenting on the amount of help he has been getting from all three of them on our long away trips. Moving the kit skips and equipment to and from the dressing room isn't something they have to do, and making sure that everyone has tea and coffee and that the bus is tidy is a job they have taken on amongst themselves. It speaks volumes about them and shows that they have been brought up in the right way.
"I've met David's mum and had a long chat with her, and I've met Mark's and Brad's parents, and they all come across as wanting the best for their boys. I just think it's important to acknowledge the time, care and effort that is put in by these people who stay in the background for the most part. Everyone involved can feel very proud to have played a part in what is a really fantastic moment for these young footballers."
We'll have reaction from all three players on the official site on Tuesday morning.