Carlisle United manager Paul Simpson has claimed he's looking forward to facing former clubs Blackpool and Derby County in League One next season.

Simpson revealed his determination to "keep moving this football club forward" after securing promotion back to the third tier.

Carlisle United 1-1 Stockport County

After nine years away, Carlisle will be playing League One football next season thanks to yesterday's League Two play-off final win against Stockport County at Wembley.

Simpson's side came from behind to win on penalties. County held a lead at the break thanks to Jon Mellish's own-goal but substitute Omari Patrick equalised with six minutes left of the 90, which took the game to extra time and subsequently a shoot-out.

6ft9 goalkeeper Tomas Holy made the vital save to allow local boy Taylor Charters to score the winning spot-kick and send Carlisle back to the third tier.

Paul Simpson's Derby County and Blackpool claims

Speaking after the game, the Cumbrians boss revealed that he'd been so focussed on League Two that he didn't know which clubs his side will be facing in the third tier next season - bar Derby County, where he spent five years as a player.

"I haven't got a clue," he said. "All I know is Derby County are in there and I'm looking forward to going back to Pride Park but I don't actually know who else is in there."

Blackpool, another of Simpson's former employers, will also be in League One after their relegation from the Championship and he admitted he was excited to face the Bloomfield Road outfit as well.

He said: "There's another one I wasn't aware of being in there. So yeah, it's going to be brilliant. I mean, what a thing to look forward to."

Carlisle United's plans for 2023/24

Simpson is aware of the size of task facing Carlisle as they prepare for life back in the third tier and revealed that plans for 2023/24 would get underway once the celebrations were done.

On the promotion, he said: "It's a brilliant feeling. I can't really put it into words but I'm just incredibly proud to be part of a real special day for everybody."

"We'll start again on Monday morning," added Simpson. "We've got meetings this week with players in terms of retain and release, which is a horrible side of football.

"We have to just keep moving this football club forward. We've got to keep making it better. Everybody has worked incredibly hard, incredibly, incredibly hard, to get us where we are today. There's now more work to come."