Carlisle boss Steven Pressley admitted that he’s looking forward to the transfer window being closed so that both he and striker Hallam Hope can on get on with the job at hand without the continued speculation about his immediate future.
“If we look at his chance in the first half [a through ball from Christie Elliott] it is one you would expect him to score, but we know what he’s capable of,” he said. “It will be great once the window is closed and we can just concentrate on him being here and providing us with some goals.
“There have been no further developments in terms of him going anywhere. I can understand the fans’ reaction to him coming off. It’s their club and if they think a player’s future is elsewhere, you can understand their frustration. It’s something he’ll have to deal with, and he’ll have to win them back over with his performances.”
On his other striking options, he said: “Elias [Sorensen] knows he’s had another good chance in the Rochdale game, but his goals will come. He’s getting into the positions, and it will take a little bit of time, but I have real faith in him.
“Harry [McKirdy] has given us the response we wanted to see after being left out. We got that from Fela at Cheltenham, and we got it from Harry at Rochdale. We’re a small group, and every player will play a pivotal part.
“You can be out of the team for four games then play the next ten. It’s all about the team and I have to make decisions I think are right for the team. Harry is a young player who hasn’t experienced playing week in, week out, and there will be periods when he’ll play and periods when he doesn’t.
“We were obviously disappointed when Canice [Carroll] got sent off and we missed him for three games, but I thought he did well on Tuesday. His game time during pre-season was very low, and we’ve been working him physically, and you can tell he still needs games. I think you can see that he brings a real physical presence.”