Paul Simpson 'loving every minute' at Carlisle United as Blues prepare for play-off showdown

Carlisle United manager Paul Simpson is "loving every minute" at the club as he prepares his side for a play-off showdown against Salford City.

The Blues host Salford in a match that will go a long way to decide how the campaign will finish for the Blues.

With just two matches of the league season remaining United could still achieve automatic promotion, finish in the play-offs or fall out of the play-offs all together.

Reflecting 12 months on from how Carlisle United were performing this time last year, Simpson said he is proud of his team's achievements.

He said: "It is hard to think it is only 12 months, it seems to have been a lifetime. I have thoroughly enjoyed it and I am loving every minute of it at the moment.

"I am really looking forward to going into this game against Salford City and putting ourselves up against another top team in the league. Hopefully we are able to come through it and get a victory which seals a play-off place and we will see what else is on the table after that."

Simpson believes the success his side has had has been built off of strong defensive foundations. Carlisle United have kept 20 clean sheets so far this season and manager Simpson believes this has been crucial.

He said: "I think the defensive side is really important. The fact we got 20 clean sheets for the season with our win at Barrow is a massive achievement.

"You have to build any sort of success on a good solid defensive record. If I am going to be honest we have probably had too many draws, that is what has maybe cost us a little bit. I would still rather draw than lose.

"It has been a good season for us and we want to make sure we finish it really strongly."

With two games remaining there are many permutations regarding where the Blues will finish this campaign. Automatic promotion is still a possibility as is finishing in the play-off spots and finishing outside of them all together.

Simpson said: "The only way I would describe it is that it is a wonderful position to be in.

"When I came here last February it was not looking like this. It is a lot better to be in the position that we are now.

"Yes, anything can happen, there are all sorts of permutations. We know that if we do our jobs properly against Salford then we are guaranteed a play-off place. If we don’t do our job then we don’t deserve to have that guarantee and that is something we just have to accept.

"We are really looking forward to the game and our focus is on getting a victory and once we have done that we will look at the other results and see where we are."

Saturday's opponents Salford City are also on the hunt for promotion and Simpson is not expecting an easy game to await his side.

He said: "I am expecting Salford to be a really tough game. They have got a good team with good individuals with a set style on how they play and it is very effective.

"We know that we are going to have to be on our game. The one thing we always focus on is what we can do and how we are going to cause them problems. We are aware of what threats they have got but we are also fully aware of the problems we can cause them."

Carlisle United midfielder Owen Moxon was selected in League Two's team of the year. Simpson was full of superlatives for the 25-year-old who he signed from the Scottish fourth tier.

Simpson said: "He is very important, I think he has shown that over the season. I want people inside our football club to have a bit of humility about them.

"I want them to go about their business in the right way and be respectful of everybody else. I think Owen Moxon is a great example of that.

"He goes about his business properly. For somebody who is new to professional football he certainly has adapted really well. I also think his performances have earned himself a place in the team of the season."

Simpson believes the market in Scotland is one his club can use more often and due to the geography of where Carlisle is in England it means they can tap into that area.

He said: "Well we are certainly looking in that market. We have scouting up there in Scotland so it is certainly an area that we are looking at.

"Because of our location it is handy getting players coming down from Scotland. There are good players up there.

"For as long as I can remember there has always been a good standard of player coming from Scottish football. We have got to tap into every avenue we possibly can to get players who are going to improve our football club."

Simpson believes the attendances seen at Brunton Park this season have been excellent for the club and has encouraged supporters to keep backing his side right until the final whistle.

He said: "I think the players performances have encouraged the supporters to come back in and it has been a fantastic sight to see the crowds getting bigger and bigger.

"We are expecting a really big crowd again against Salford. The supporters have played a huge part in backing the players and it is what I want. I want it to get even stronger because we want to see regular crowds in excess of 10,000.

"If we can do that then it will certainly help us get bigger and better as a football club."

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