New Carlisle United capture Jack Iredale is looking forward to stepping out his comfort zone - as he follows his dream to play football in England.

The left-back, who will join the Blues from Morton, felt he had “established” himself at the Scottish Championship team but described his decision to agree a one-year contract at Brunton Park - turning down an offer from another Scottish Championship side - as a “no-brainer”.

“I’m really excited and it’s good to get my future sorted before I got home to Australia," said Iredale whose deal will be completed next month, once his registration and clearance papers are finalised.

"And it gives me a chance to enjoy my summer that bit more, knowing what’s happening."

Iredale, a Greenock-born Australian whose father grew up in Keswick and Workington, admits everything happened quickly before his signing was announced on Tuesday.

Asked when he first heard of Carlisle's interest, the 23-year-old said: “It was only over a week before I signed really, it all happened so quickly.

“I’ve wanted to play in England since I could remember, so when this opportunity came up, I felt it was a really good chance for me.

“When I went down to see it [the club], the way the coach [Steven Pressley] spoke and the director of football [David Holdsworth] spoke and the set-up that they had, it was a no-brainer for me.”

Iredale featured regularly for Jonatan Johansson’s side this season, making 36 appearances.

He added: “You can always stay in your comfort zone and at Morton I felt I had established myself and I had done relatively well over the two seasons, and when this opportunity came up to move to England, it was something I had always wanted to do.

"It’s a decision I had to make but it’s a decision I’m happy with.”

Having played for Perth Glory and ECU Joondalup while he was Down Under, he signed for his hometown club of Morton in the 2017 summer, where he went on to score four goals in 49 appearances. He also made 14 appearances for Queen’s Park, scoring once, in a three-month loan spell in 2017.

On his time in Scotland, he said: “I loved it, Morton gave me my first chance to play professional football in a professional environment.

“I got around 75 professional games under my belt in Scotland and that was really important for me in developing and learning as much as possible. Every coach I had there taught me something new, so I loved my time at Morton. You can’t replicate first-team football on the training pitch, playing most weekends was massive.”

Iredale has now returned to Australia for the close-season.

Former Carlisle joint assistant boss Lee Dykes, meanwhile, has been appointed as Brentford’s new head of recruitment.

Dykes arrived at Bury last year and helped oversee the Shakers’ promotion to League One, but has become a victim of their ongoing financial crisis.

“I’m delighted to be joining Brentford Football Club at such an exciting time,” he told the Bees' website.