Jerry Yates hopes he has done enough to earn a run up front for Carlisle United – and has stressed he is happy at Brunton Park.

The loan man cast off his versatile tag at the weekend when he took up his preferred striker position and scored against Colchester.

Rotherham’s Yates hopes he can continue in the role at Crawley – and, with his loan soon up, has suggested he is open to staying longer with the Blues.

“It means a lot,” said Yates of his central role which led to a first Brunton Park league goal.

“He [John Sheridan] put a lot of trust in me and hopefully I’ve done enough to stay in the striker role.

“He spoke to me earlier in the week about playing me up front, because I’ve not had many chances there.

“He said he was thinking about playing me down the middle if I was fit. I got myself fit and it’s hopefully paid off.”

Yates, 22, has been a regular in the United side in his half-season loan and Sheridan has made little secret of his wish to extend the Miller’s stay.

Yates said he has discussed the matter with Sheridan but the final decision will come down to his parent club.

He said: “The manager has asked me if I’m happy here, and straight away I said, from the beginning, I’m happy here.

“I’m playing week-in, week-out, so what more could I ask for?

“But it’s out of my hands and it’s up to Rotherham. Fingers crossed it all gets sorted in the next few weeks.”

Yates has now scored two goals in quick succession after his long wait for a league goal this season.

He said firing United’s second in Saturday’s 4-0 win was the icing on the cake of a great home display.

“It’s been a long time coming but in the last two or three weeks I’ve scored a couple, so hopefully I can kick on now,” Yates said.

“Devs [Jamie Devitt] played a big part in it and I’ve got to thank him. He’s always on my back about scoring goals so hopefully I’ve shut him up!

“The worst thing for a striker is to get frustrated [when you’re not scoring]. I try to keep my cool. I missed a chance in the first half but when I finally scored I was buzzing.

“Everyone wanted a good start to the Christmas period, with points on the board. There are a lot of games coming thick and fast so we need a good start.

“Our form at home hasn’t been as good, so it was good to get that going too.”

Yates impressed in the centre of a three-pronged attack with Hallam Hope and Ashley Nadesan either side.

He said: “It was a bit of a different formation, [the manager] wanted a bit of fluidity and got that - I thought everyone played well.”

He added: “Winning 4-0 against such a top side gives you a lot of confidence. We’ve got to go and prove that again now.

“We’ve set the bar high. We know we can beat anybody on our day so we’ve got to keep going with that.

“Crawley will be a tough game. We have to go there with our heads held high and try and win the game.”

Yates also completed 90 minutes on Saturday after a hip problem that forced him to be subbed in the previous two games.

“Last week [at MK Dons] it was more a precaution – it was sore and I didn’t want to push it and be out a few more weeks,” he said.

“I was glad to be fit and involved.”