Carlisle United Football Club can confirm that midfielder Jamie Devitt is the second player to trigger a clause in his contract which keeps him at the club until the summer of 2019.
Devitt, 27, has become one of the stand-out performers of the campaign so far scoring all eight of his United goals this season. This included a run of four goals in four games through January and February, and led to his nomination for both the Sky Bet and PFA player of the month awards.
Speaking about his extended stay with the club earlier today, he said: “It’s good to have this sorted. I’ve known for a few weeks now that I was on the trigger and I’m happy that it’s been announced.
“It’s not something that I kept a close eye on, to be honest. It was mentioned to me that I was getting close to it as I kept playing games, and that was probably the first time I thought about it.
“I’m pleased that I’ve got there and that I’m going to be here next year. Hitting the trigger means that I’ve been playing the games, which is obviously good. I don’t know how many I’ve played in a row now [17] but it’s definitely the most I’ve played since I came here.
“I’m just really enjoying my football at the moment and long may it continue. I feel really confident every time I go out there and I just want to be playing all the time. I actually wish we were going through Saturday-Tuesday matches every week because we’re playing well and we’re winning.”
A big part of that enjoyment has been the goal scoring form which has seen him deliver his best ever return for a season, with eight to his name and ten games still to play.
“The fact I wasn’t scoring was really annoying me,” he admitted. “I felt I should have been chipping in with a share but I’m happy that I’m getting some and creating chances. Playing the way I am brings confidence and hopefully things will keep going for me.
“One frustrating thing has been that I’ve hit the woodwork as many times as I’ve scored. If that one had gone in on Saturday [against Grimsby] I think it would have been the best I’d ever scored, certainly for Carlisle. Credit to the keeper because he got a little touch on it to keep it out.”
With the team in a rich vein of form, he told us: “The simple fact is we don’t want to be in this league next year. The aim is to take it game by game and, with each one, we aim to be another three points closer to the play-offs.
“The focus now is on Exeter and getting a positive result there. If we can do that, and then do it again in the next game, we’ll be closer to our goal. We all want to be playing at the highest level we can. I haven’t played in League One so I’d love to be doing it next year.”
And on his nominations for the February awards, he told us: “Like I said the other day, it’s nice but it comes down to everybody in the team doing well. The confidence is there with us all and it’s a great atmosphere in the dressing room.
“Just to be nominated is excellent because it means that things are going well for the club, not just for me. Hopefully we’ll keep getting results and more of us will get nominations and things like that between now and the end of the season.”
Click HERE to watch an interview with Jamie Devitt on iFollow United now.