BLUES boss Chris Beech is confident his side will return in force when the new campaign begins.

In an interview with the club website, Carlisle United head coach Chris Beech was confident about the 2020 season and the new signings it will bring.

He said: "We’re in a good place with signings, and some good news will be coming out in the next week or so.

“We’re starting to get the group together but I still want more.”

Carlisle United had nine games left to play of the 2019/2020 season when the coronavirus pandemic brought football to a halt, but Beech and director of football David Holdsworth have used the time to make preparations.

Beech said on www.carlisleunited.co.uk: “We’ve spoken at length with David and the chairman to make sure we can be in a position to be a little bit stronger in terms of recruitment.”

Talks are ongoing and the Blues could see some new faces next season.

Beech said: “We’ve done really well so far. It’s been difficult for players and I’ve had a lot of conversations and meetings on park benches, at service stations up and down the country just so we can stay two metres apart.”

Beech added that the essence of the club is a selling point: “I’ve been doing that trying to sell them the Carlisle way but I’ve also got to recruit players who are similarly minded in terms of ambition and energy.”

However he admitted that the pandemic and its ramifications pose a big challenge for smaller clubs like United.

“Our budget will be pretty low in terms of the league table," Beech said.

“When I see the likes of Salford, Bolton and Mansfield, they’re in a position where they can go and pay for what they see as the best League Two players.

“We’re not in that position so I’ve got to be more resourceful and find a different way of trying to be competitive and beat those teams.”

The United boss is excited for the future of the club in spite of a difficult few months.

“We’re in a great position and we’ve got great facilities for League Two club.

“Recruiting players is about timing and meeting people, and I want to make sure the mentality of the group is right."

The head coach went on: “I want to see great energy in them as a group. I know the players we’ve recruited and I’m confident they will be what we need.

“Announcements will be made very shortly on that, but I think we can build something – and I want everybody to be excited about that.”

United are hard at work in preparation for the next campaign.

Beech said: “The stage one training sessions have been quite restrictive but it’s been pretty easy to plan them.

“It’s about how we deliver them as coaches to make sure they’re enjoyable for the players.

"Collective training is what we’re about. Football is a team sport, so I will say that it’s difficult not to do anything as a team at the moment.”

But the club’s management has worked to make players aware of the guidelines. Beech said: “There are a lot of complex rules, but we’ve tried to keep it as simple as we can and done our best to get it right.”