The summer of 2020 was huge from a Carlisle United perspective. The club had some big decision to make amid the worst global pandemic in well over a century.

On the face of it, as we sit 16 games into the new campaign, they did pretty well but there is more to this tale than meets the eye and the club situated in their own corner of England, just south of the Scottish border, deserve a huge amount of credit.

It is fair to say that 2019/20 had been very underwhelming for the Cumbrians. They started the season under the management of Steven Pressley but struggled badly before dispensing with the Scotsman’s services in November with the club sitting 19th in League Two.

It was a brave move in some respects but not entirely unexpected either. What was a shock, however, was who the board picked to replace Pressley in the Brunton Park dugout.

Chris Beech had not managed at any level, with the exception of a brief stint as caretaker at Rochdale, before being offered the job in Cumbria but that decision, even at this early stage of its tenure, looks great.

There are a couple of key reasons for this, the first being recruitment. David Holdsworth, Carlisle United’s director of football, has not been a popular figure amongst supporters since taking the role in August 2018 but he, along with the manager and the first team analyst Jacob Blain, took a pragmatic and new approach to signing players this summer.

Under previous managers, Keith Curle in particular, the Cumbrians had tried to bring in players that would have an imediate impact, who were proven already in League One or Two and who cost a fair bit because of it. It almost worked but for Jack Stacey’s stunning late winner at St James Park in the play-off semi-final.

This summer, however, things had to be different. The club hierarchy knew funds were going to be tighter than a one bed studio in London and decided to approach things from a different direction.

There was a more joined up approach when it came to who would be signed and, say it quietly, a clear strategy too. Carlisle fans should be proud of this regardless of where they end up finishing this season.

Signings tended to be younger than previous years, their characters were being carefully scrutinised, hence why the talent Harry McKirdy was let go, and the one major factor was whether they’d increase in value as an asset to the club.

George Tanner, Danny Devine, Gime Toure and Joe Riley are all players with something to prove while Rod McDonald and Dean Furman were added for their experience and attitude. Dean Holdsworth used his previous links to ensure Paul Farman was snatched away from other suitors and Jon Mellish saw his contract extended (boy does that seem like good business now).

The recent addition of Rhys Bennett is a master stroke with Wycombe Wanderers close to signing the defender early in the summer and loan players, in particular Joshua Kayode, have arrived to supplement the squad.

Let’s bear in mind, it’s far too early to call this recruitment drive a complete success but the early signs are positive and the club’s excellent planning and direction certainly is.

The Stats

Stats should sometimes be taken with a pinch of salt. There are plenty out there but it’s about knowing which ones give you a real insight into how a team is doing. Obviously, the one that really matters is how many points a team have put on the board but others are important too.

Given we know football is about getting into dangerous areas and being on the front foot, Carlisle have done pretty damn well. They have had more entries into the opposition half than all but Exeter and have had got into their opponent’s penalty area more times (304) than any side in League Two, Exeter are second with 284.

They’ve also had more shots (284) than any other team with Forest Green second with 228 and they have created 96 chances, again topping the division.

They also lead the fourth tier in counter-attacks ending in a shot (47) and set piece attacks ending in a shot (81) while only Exeter have won back possession more times in the opposition’s half.

It all adds up to paint a really positive picture not only about how Carlisle are trying to play but also how well they are pulling off Chris Beech’s vision. It’s high energy, purposeful and positive which is a testament to the club’s coaching staff.

There is a long way to go, but make no mistake about it, Carlisle United have taken some very positive steps this season. Let’s hope by the end of it they get the tangible rewards their endevours deserve.

words James Richards, D3D4 Football