Workington Reds manager Danny Grainger helped fans get their Monday Night Football fix by answering supporters’ questions in a light-hearted grilling which was a welcome distraction from the concerning state of the world at the moment.

One fan questioned how far the club could hope to progress up the pyramid, with Grainger philosophical in his response on the club's Twitter feed.

He said: "There’s no reason we can’t keep progressing and putting foundations in place for us to keep moving up the leagues but we need to make sure we do it at the correct pace and don’t get ahead of ourselves as the short-term gain is a long-term failure if we don’t have things in place."

Grainger selected top-scorer Scott Allison's goal in the 5-1 win at home to Ramsbottom United as his favourite of the season so far and picked that game or the clash with Dunston at Borough Park as the best performance.

Asked who he would bring to the club if he could recruit any of his former team-mates, Grainger singled out Sunderland striker Charlie Wyke ­– who played with the Reds boss at Carlisle – for "everything he brings to a club".

Grainger also said he would be open to bringing former professional players to the club who could prove to be a big draw like ex-England international Paul Stewart was in the 1990s.

"The board support me in all of my decisions if it is right for the club," he said. "I have spoken to ex-pros and team-mates who I would love to bring to the club. You never know what the future holds."

Many footballers express sadness after leaving behind their playing career but, asked how he had found the shift from being on the field to off it, Grainger admitted he had no such regrets.

“Loving it,” he said. “This is the reason I hung my boots up and I have never looked back.”

The Reds boss revealed that he is look at a better programme for the reserve team to ensure young local players get to play together more often and said Luke Ivison would have had more of a first-team chance this season if games had not been postponed.

A Carlisle United supporter took the opportunity to cheekily ask if the former Blues skipper would like to manage his former club, and a similar question came from a Hearts fan.

He said: “I’m loving every minute at the moment and love being part of the club but, as everyone in our sport would say, we all want to progress up the ladder so who knows where that will take me.”

Grainger also named former Jam Tarts boss Jim Jefferies as the manager who had influenced him the most during his career and selected Farsley Celtic's Jimmy Spencer as the best opposition player his side had faced so far this season.