As United’s focus turns towards the Carabao Cup first round meeting with Oldham this weekend manager Chris Beech spoke again about the encouraging signs seen during the EFL Trophy game against Fleetwood on Tuesday night.
“There’s no disappointment from Tuesday,” he said. “Obviously you want to win, that goes without saying, but everything else I’m pleased with – the energy, commitment, honesty, and I was really happy with some of the play.
“But I do want to work the goalkeeper more. I want to see us get more shots off and get the intricate play around the box going a bit more.
“Having said that, I saw some good traits. I didn’t see anybody pull out of any tackle, anybody moaning at the ref or anybody lying on the floor for ten minutes when they didn’t need to. All I saw was committed people and if we keep doing that and believe in those traits, they will serve us well.”
“You do your best in terms of getting the players ready, and the lads did look ready,” he continued. “We do have the injuries and niggles and with the players who weren’t available we were missing some attacking pace and prowess, which I like playing with.
“We’ve had some news that isn’t great with the likes of Magnus and Brennan, and a few little niggles, but that’s just how it is. We’ve had some really competitive friendlies which I think a lot of teams will hit now.
“I know the first league game of the season is under two weeks away but I think this is where clubs will hit discrepancies in their squads when they start going full-tilt in games. We’ve had our tough fixtures with the likes of Wigan and Sunderland so I think teams will hit their own little speed bumps everywhere across the land.
“It’s almost six months since we last did this, and that’s too long. But that’s been the same for everybody in all types of working lives, so it’s just great to be here and doing this again.
“In terms of filling spaces, we’re always looking at potential players, but it’s all about timing and finances. It’s also important that any player we think about fits into the squad that we have and what we’re trying to achieve.
“They need to know how important it is to play for Carlisle, their character and personality is key. It can be difficult, but we’ve got a good bunch of lads in the changing room already.
“We’re in a situation where we’ll have to assess as we progress, and recruitment will be based on injuries and cover we need. We have a feeling of togetherness, which I want to nurture, and what we have to do now is get it in rhythm.”
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