Former Carlisle boss John Sheridan, now managing in the National League with Chesterfield, has claimed that some of his former players have been in contact wanting a move to the non-league club.

Carlisle are on the cusp of the play-off race in League Two, a project started by Sheridan following Keith Curle's departure in the summer.

He made them a competitive and organised unit, before suddenly jumping ship to manager Chesterfield in the lower reaches of the fifth tier.

The former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder turned their season around and as they head towards a summer of rebuilding, the News and Star report that not only is Sheridan making the bold claims about Carlisle players, but current boss Steven Pressley thinks it's normal.

“I get texts from Carlisle players now who want to come here, I get them from [another former club] Plymouth," Sheridan is quoted as saying. “They know, even though we’re non-league, it’s a good set-up, a good stadium – they want to come and play.”

That isn't of any concern at all to current boss Pressley.

“It’s normal," claimed the current Cumbrians' chief. “If you have a contract with your paper, you have a month to run on your contract and they haven’t made you a single offer, would you be looking elsewhere?

“That’s the reality of the situation. All players do that. I get texts as well from players from other clubs, [who] I’m certainly not going to talk about, but it’s normal. If you’ve got a family, you’ve got kids to look after, a house, a mortgage to pay, you’ve got to ensure you’ve got to look after yourself."

Carlisle are still in with a mathematical chance of making the top seven, they're two points behind Exeter City, tied with Stevenage and Colchester with two matches left to play.

The Verdict

It's perhaps not easy for fans to comprehend, but it must go on all of the time.

Supporters turn up knowing that they're always going to be in the stands, always cheering on their side.

For players, it's different. You might be wearing the blue of Carlisle now, but what if the manager doesn't fancy you? Loyalty means a lot to a fan, but for the players it's a job, nothing more.

It's still a surprise to hear a manager speaking openly about it. In fact, it's almost disrespectful.