Steven Pressley admits he is not averse to changing a winning Carlisle United team if he feels different players are better suited to facing Swindon.

Carlisle’s players are today returning from a four-day break to step up preparations for their first away game of their 2019/20 season.

United got their campaign off to a positive start with last weekend’s 2-1 home win against Crawley.

But Pressley, who watched Swindon in their Leasing.com Trophy defeat against Chelsea Under-21s on Tuesday, says having different options in his squad is vital.

“It’s something I’ll look at, and that’s why I wanted to get different types of players in different areas,” Carlisle’s manager said.

“The likes of Canice Carroll and Ryan Loft give us different options to the ones that are there.

"Once I look at Swindon, I’ll get a better idea of what I think is required to win the game.”

United’s opponents this weekend also made a successful start with a 2-0 win at Scunthorpe. Former Carlisle loan striker Jerry Yates, who snubbed a return this summer in favour of a move to Wiltshire, was among the Robins’ scorers.

If Pressley does change his side, he may consider a call-up for battling midfielder Carroll to face his former loan club, where ex-Blues No2 Tommy Wright is on the coaching staff.

United’s boss showed he had further options at his disposal when summer left-back signing Jack Iredale came off the bench on the right of Carlisle’s attacking three against Crawley.

Pressley said: “It’s really important to have players who can do a number of jobs. Jack Iredale played a lot of last year as a wing-back. You have the likes of Canice who can play at right-back, right centre-back and also in midfield.

"You do need players who understand different jobs when your squad is this size. Along with that, you need to be fit and robust and that’s a crucial aspect of how we play.”

Pressley also expects big striker Loft to show his worth when he gets more opportunities in the side.

The Leicester loan man was a second-half substitute against Crawley.

“People need to understand that players like Ryan Loft, where they rely partially on their physicality, don’t develop until a little bit later,” he said.

“Sometimes, they go into leagues at 18 and they’re just not ready to play against some of the physical defenders they come up against. It takes a bit longer for big, physical strikers to develop.

"I see it all the time with physical players who are moving at 25 or 26, if you see their history before that a lot of it is chequered history. I think we’re getting Ryan at a really good time.

“I spoke in depth to the Leicester Under-23 coach [Steve Beaglehole] about him because he’s a player I’ve watched and a player I like. I just wanted to be sure he’s ready, and I think he is.”

Carlisle remain in pursuit of another loan striker and will be paying close attention to today's transfer deadline for Premier League and Championship clubs.

Their top loan target is believed to be a Championship player and their chances of completing the deal would be boosted if the player's club does further business before 5pm.

The Cumbrians are also eyeing other options in the top two tiers.

United and other clubs in Leagues One and Two have until September 2 to sign players.