New boy Gethin Jones says he wants to waste no time in making his mark for Carlisle United.
The defender is set for his second outing against Forest Green tonight (Brunton Park, 7.45pm) after a winning debut at Stevenage.
Jones joined last week on a short-term deal which he hopes to extend by impressing in the side until January.
The Welsh defender says he was eager for the opportunity at Brunton Park after leaving Fleetwood last month.
“I just want to play every game and impress in every game now,” Jones said.
“I don’t want to stand around. I’m 23 now so I just want to get games under my belt and impress.
“It was a decision I definitely needed to make in terms of leaving Fleetwood, and I’m just happy to be here now.
“I just wanted to get out and start playing straight away, so once the deal was on the table I was always going to take it.
“I’ll be doing everything I can to then try and get a longer deal in January. I know what I can do and how I can play, so I’m always confident in myself.”
Jones linked up with the Blues after training with the squad last week, with United making extra funds available to boss Steven Pressley to sign the ex-Everton man.
He says he ensured he was fit enough to come straight into the side, even though his debut came in a new role on the right of a back three.
Jones said: “I’ve kept myself in good shape – Stephen Crainey, who is the under-23s coach at Fleetwood, was really good with me, I was able to train with them every day until I left and I was doing plenty of extra running after training.
“I’ve always kept on top of my fitness and I wanted to impress as soon as I got a new club sorted.
“I’ve played my whole career at full-back but the gaffer wanted me to do a job on the right of a back three which I was happy to do.
“He wanted me to step in from that role and get involved in the play as well, and I’m happy I’ve been able to do that.
“I’ve never played there before so when I was thrown in there on Thursday [in training] it was a bit of a surprise.
“I spoke to the gaffer and he told me what he wanted me to do, and it was a bit like a full-back position in terms of him wanting me to step in and be involved in the play. Byron [Webster] is very experienced and he helped me a lot through the game.”
Jones agreed the termination of his contract at League One side Fleetwood after struggling to claim a regular place.
His loan spell at Mansfield last term, when he made 17 appearances, made him hungry for more first-team action.
Jones added: “I’ve been waiting to get sorted for a couple of weeks now and I’m really eager to play games.
“I had a very good second half of last season at Mansfield so I was frustrated during pre-season. When I went back to Fleetwood for pre-season I knew this was probably going to happen, so it was just a case of keeping my fitness up until I could get something sorted with Fleetwood.
“It was a bit of a surprise to go straight in the team. I watched the game against Exeter so it was good to be able to see how the lads play.
“I’ve been here a week so I feel like I’ve gelled with the lads already. Maybe I would have been more nervous if I’d gone straight into the team after only being here a day or two, but the lads have been really good with me and I was just really happy to get into the team.
“I already know Louis [Gray, United’s second-choice goalkeeper] and he spoke really highly of the club, so that helped as well. I was with him at Everton for about five years and we lived together for 18 months of that, so I’m really close with him.
“We’ve got a bit of a car school with Hallam [Hope], Kelvin [Etuhu] and Mike Jones so I’m getting to know them as well. They’ve all welcomed me really well but all of the lads have been really good with me.”
Jones also knows Blues coach Nathan Rooney from his time at Fleetwood.
He said United are keen to build on Saturday’s 3-2 win when they face Mark Cooper’s third-placed Forest Green tonight.
Jones said: “It was an unbelievable feeling to get that win - we knew it was something we needed to do and we knew Stevenage hadn’t won all season, so we knew it would be a battle.
“We were disappointed with the two goals we conceded but it was good from the lads that we came back and got the three points in the end.
“We’re all looking forward to the Forest Green game and we know we can play well. We’ve got back to doing what the manager wants in terms of playing good football so we’ll go into the game with plenty of confidence.
“It’s a [United] team that love playing football, and I love playing football. You saw at Stevenage that we play some good stuff and create chances from it and it’s enjoyable to be involved in.
“It was really pleasing to get the three points, especially with it being such a long trip for the fans and being able to go over and celebrate with them at the end.
“I’ve really kept on top of my fitness so I feel ready to play another 90 minutes if the gaffer picks me.”
Manager Pressley could have midfielder Canice Carroll back in his squad after an ankle injury tonight.
On tonight’s opponents, Pressley said: “They [Forest Green] are a really effective football team. They’ve been building on their foundations for a long time and they’re very effective. It will be a real challenge for us.
“You have to enjoy the wins, but in this league where there are so many games and it’s relentless, you can only enjoy it for a couple of hours before you’re onto the next one.
“It was nice to send the fans home happy [on Saturday] and we want to do the same tonight. At this moment in time our away form is better than our home form, but we have to turn that around.
“Brunton Park has to be a place other teams fear coming.
“We’ve got two wins and a draw in our last four, so we’re showing signs that we can be a good team. We know we’ve got a lot of hard work ahead, and as I said to them after the game which the senior players reiterated, we can’t take a step forward then take a step back. We have to show a greater degree of consistency.
“We’re still a team that are growing all the time, we haven’t had the group together long, and we haven’t had long to bed in everything we’d like to. That takes time, and I believe with the right stability and hard work with the players, we’ll get there.”
Two-goal Harry McKirdy was yesterday named in the EFL's team of the week after his two-goal showing at Stevenage.
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