With every member of the United squad knocking on the door for a place in the squad manager Chris Beech admitted that it can be difficult when it comes to team selection, particularly for players who are performing well but who possibly won’t even make the bench.
“It depends what type of person you are as to how you deal with these things,” he said. “Me, I do have empathy and a consciousness to how a player feels.
“I scored two winning goals for a manager when I played, match winning goals, and didn’t play the consecutive fixtures, but he went on to manage our country. I know how it feels, but they’ve not done that yet, and I still managed to get through that as a young player and make sure I had a career.
“If anything I made sure it motivated me to be better, stronger, quicker, have more impact in football, because it’s a very elite, harsh sport. Taylor Charters is an example, and he knows he’s got my backing, and I’m very pleased with what he’s doing and what he’s done.
“I want him to continue to do that, because I want the Cumbrian spirit involved in the Carlisle football club, and I do want people like Taylor being a great success at a club like ours.”
Along with team selection as the days and weeks continue to fly by has to be the consideration of contracts for next season, particularly with the programme so packed between now and May.
“I think we’ve got to just step back a little bit from everything,” he told us. “We’re currently just one game over from halfway, which is normally that first game after Boxing Day, even though Spring’s on the horizon, the sunset’s slightly later, so we’re heading that way in the year, but we’re not there in the footballing calendar as normal.
“We just need to carry on doing what we’re doing, get back in rhythm, but those conversations will take place obviously at the end and slightly after the season finishes. In the mean time we just need to make sure we try our best in our next 22 games, and that’s exactly what we’ll do.”
Hopefully that 22-game period will see the possibility of a return to having fans in the stadium, albeit only if the Government gives it the nod.
“I think there’s only one place anybody can help whether fans are in or not, that’s themselves as a player,” he commented. “When you’ve got the support, it’s a great, positive vibe and thing to have around you.
“I think when we had the capability of being one of the first clubs to do the experiment and have 1,000 people against Southend, and then we managed to be in the lower tiers to get the 2,000 people in, the club worked really hard, all the staff, Nigel, the girls, a lot of patience shown by supporters as well, because there was a 2,000 cut-off, and of course they wanted to watch us come and play because we were doing ever so well.
“We have to make sure if we are in that position, and the country is, we’re in the position we want to be in. That’s our responsibility. Patience, understanding needs to be shown, and at the same time any support we get I’m forever thankful for.”
“That’s why the flag fundraiser was superb, really good. When I saw it I wanted to support it myself. There’s a lot of irony currently in life and I have no doubt by the time they flags are ready, the supporters are probably back in the stadium and they’re getting in the way and nobody can see the game!”