INTERVIEW: First result I'll look for

"I obviously kept an eye on the results up there while I was at Wrexham and I was gutted when I saw that relegation was confirmed," he said. "I was hoping they were going to stay up because there are some really good people at that club. It's one of those situations where it's a transitional period and, if they could have come through it still in League One, I'm sure they would have gone on from strength to strength. I still want the club to do well, whether I'm there or not, because it is genuinely a place I will always love. I really hope they have a good year next year and the fans come back to support the club, because they all deserve better times again." 

"I will miss the supporters because I feel like I've built up a good relationship with them over the years," he commented. "I took a bit of stick about my ability from them from time to time, which is fair enough, because I know where my limits are as much as they do. They did take me in and I thrived on it, even though there were times when a lot of criticism did come my way because of my ability. Overall I think they knew I was there to defend.

"A few of the fans have been in touch with my wife on Twitter and it seems like they enjoyed that side of my game. I'm well aware it wasn't pretty but I'm the type of player who will put my head or body on the line if I have to. Ultimately Carlisle United doing well was better for me than if I had a good game and we lost. That's how much I thought of the club. I would rather have a bad game but get three points every day of the week. I really appreciate the support I've received from the fans and I was actually in Carlisle last weekend. People around the city came up to me and thanked me for my time with the club, and that was really nice to hear." 

And on his fondest memory, he said: "I think that has to be when we came up from the Conference because it was such a big step down for me to make when I signed from Bolton. They were in the Championship and people kept asking me if I knew what I was doing. I came on loan, got into the team, made the move permanent, and we then got promoted back into the Football League. That told me I'd made the right decision. We pushed on even more from there and you could sense something happening around the club." 

"I think the best player I've played with has to be Kev Gray, purely because he was what he was," he confirmed. "All the stick that people get for not being able to play out from the back didn't matter to him because he never ever tried to do it. He was a defender, very solid, no nonsense at all, and he did what he had to do to protect the penalty area. He was also a leader and a real inspiration so he will always be right up there for me. 

"I worked with Greg Abbott for a lot of years, as a coach and as my manager, and I had a really close relationship with him. He didn't let that affect his decisions and it never stopped him from dropping me. That kept me on my toes and, if I'm honest, I think he dropped me too much for my liking. 

“However, I had a lot of respect for him for that because it set me a different kind of challenge. He didn't care that we got on as people. If he felt it was better for the team then he left me out. It really was as simple as that. As I said earlier, you always disagree with being dropped as a player, because you want to be involved, but all you can do is work as hard as you can to get back into the mix again. I thought he was a good coach and I know I learned a heck of a lot from him."

Looking to the future, he said: "The Carlisle result will always be the first one I look for. I've got absolutely no hard feelings against anybody at the club and I've had a long time to get my head around the fact that I’ve moved on. 

"I wouldn't want to leave with anything other than positive things to say about the club because it really is a great place to be. It's at times like this that everybody needs to do everything they can to help to get it back to where it deserves to be. I hope the fans realise just how important it is for them to stick with the club and to keep giving their support. Everyone is working hard behind the scenes and I know they're all doing their best to bring better times back as quickly as possible."