Olufela Olomola says he would relish extra competition up front as Steven Pressley aims to add to his Carlisle United strikeforce.

The Blues boss is hoping to bring in a Championship striker on loan this week to join the club’s existing frontmen.

Scunthorpe loanee Olomola led the line against Crawley and walked away with the man-of-the-match award

The former Arsenal and Southampton prospect said he welcomes the prospect of another forward even if it means he faces greater competition for his place.

“I would invite that,” Olomola said.

“I want us to have a strong squad, players that will help the team do well.

“But of course – it is a small squad so there will be chances for everyone.”

United are hoping that an expected increase in transfer activity before this Thursday’s deadline for Championship and Premier League clubs will see them land their man.

Pressley said the club in question needed to bring in their own targets before deciding whether to send the unnamed striker to Brunton Park.

Many of Carlisle’s players and staff are away from the club until Thursday after Pressley gave a four-day break at the end of their first six-week training “cycle”.

The manager said, though, that transfer work would continue in the meantime. “I’ll still be in constant contact with David [Holdsworth, director of football], that won’t change,” Pressley said.

“I don’t know if there’ll be any action in the early part of the week, but you never know. It might go down to the wire in the Championship and Premier League before we get a definite answer.”

Olomola, meanwhile, said he is looking forward to building on his Blues debut in the 2-1 win against Crawley.

“The most important thing was that we started off with three points,” he said.

“I loved it out there. I know I still need to get my match sharpness and match fitness up a bit more but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

“Of course everyone’s happy [with the result] but at the same time we’re not gonna kill ourselves. It’s only the first game of the season. We’ve still got loads and loads of work to do.

“There are definitely things we can improve on from that performance. Everyone’s in good spirits but we’ve got to keep working and pushing.”

Some agencies credited Olomola with United’s first goal but the striker confirmed he did not get a touch as Harry McKirdy’s header crossed the line.

The 21-year-old said he was impressed with his first experience of Pressley’s team. Olomola said: “All I can say is, ‘Wow’. The intensity in the play and the work-rate of the team is phenomenal.

“I can tell they’ve really been pushed this pre-season. The intensity they play at is something I need to get myself up to.

“Hopefully [that will happen] quickly. That’s the plan. I’ll definitely be doing extras and getting myself as fit as I can and as sharp as possible as quickly as possible.”

Olomola also spoke about his faith, having said a prayer before kick-off. He said this is a regular part of his pre-match preparations.

“I’m a Christian – that’s something I like to do before each game, say a little prayer,” he said.

“I’m very religious, I’ve been brought up in a very religious home, so it’s something I like to do before each game, say a little prayer and hope that God helps me through the game.”

Olomola’s first away game with the Blues comes against Swindon this weekend and he said: “Every game in this league is going to be tough. It doesn’t matter how they’ve played previously.

“Every single game is gonna be tough. It’s important we enjoy this victory but we need to move on quickly and be ready for the next tough test.

United are awaiting news on Hallam Hope after the striker underwent tests on the injury that kept him out of the opening day game.

Pressley is set to watch Swindon tonight as United's next opponents face Chelsea Under-21s in the EFL Trophy.