Captain Danny Grainger believes the understanding that's growing in Carlisle United's new-look defence bodes well for their league campaign.

The Blues skipper has hailed new centre-half Tom Parkes and back-in-favour Mark Ellis for their impact so far this season.

And as United look to bounce back from their Sunderland cup heartbreak when they go to Lincoln on Saturday, the Cumbrian believes they are looking more solid.

"I'm really enjoying playing with Parkesy," Grainger said. "He's a fantastic talent, and still a young lad with lots to learn.

"He will only get better with every game but the two of us are starting to build an understanding up.

"As well as Tom, we've got Jack Bonham in goal who is doing fantastically well, and Mark Ellis has come back like a new signing.

"It's not just the back four, though - the whole team works hard. In front of us, the likes of Luke Joyce and Mike Jones are working their backsides off."

Grainger, who scored United's equaliser in Tuesday's 2-1 defeat when he put away the rebound from his saved penalty, believes they can take lots of heart from their cup display.

The 31-year-old said: "We nullified a good Championship team to very few chances and we have to keep working hard now and not take our foot off the gas.

"We are disappointed with the result but we can be proud of our performance.

"The hard thing to take is the defeat. I'd have taken getting battered but going through over playing very well and losing.

"The winning goal [from Sunderland's Lynden Gooch] was an example of why players at that level get paid top dollar. It was a great touch inside and he bent it in.

"We will look at it defensively and probably be disappointed - myself and Nicky [Adams] should have communicated a bit earlier, but we'll learn from it.

"We have to move forward with the positives. There will be no lingering on it. We've got too many senior lads for that - they will make sure we're ready for Saturday."

Grainger said he had lost none of his confidence as United's penalty-taker despite Robbin Ruiter saving his attempt on Tuesday.

"Me and Tom [Miller] have had a wager and he said penalties don't count, so that's why I did it," the skipper joked.

"I'm always confident stepping up and I'll be confident for the next one. Getting the goal and hearing that roar is up there with the best feelings so far. Hopefully we'll see those fans back through the gates in a couple of weeks."