Carlisle United must extend Ben Barclay loan for play-offs

The Blues defender’s loan deal is officially now up – with Carlisle now needing to agree an extension.

Manager Paul Simpson said he hopes that will be quickly resolved.

Carlisle face Bradford City in the semi-finals, with Stockport taking on Salford City.

Should United face Stockport in the Wembley final, then Barclay would not be able to play for the Blues.

But Carlisle want the 26-year-old available for their semi-finals against the Bantams next Sunday and on Saturday week.

Simpson said: “That has to be finalised.

• Jon Colman's big match verdict on Carlisle's draw with Sutton

“All loans finish after the last game of the season.

“I’m presuming Greg [Abbott, United’s head of recruitment] will be onto that straight away to try and get that done.

“Now we’re not playing Stockport it should hopefully just be sorted.

Greg Abbott is discussins an extension to Ben Barclay's loan, Paul Simpson says (Image: Richard Parkes)

“They’ve been very good for us this season, Stockport, and hopefully they’ll be very good for us again.”

Barclay’s availability is extra important with Carlisle already without two key defenders in the suspended Jon Mellish and injured Morgan Feeney.

• Simmo relishing Carlisle's play-off clash with Bradford City

It was a long Barclay throw that forced United’s late own-goal equaliser at Sutton.

That came at a time they were looking on course for a seventh-placed finish – and a meeting with fourth-placed Stockport in the play-off semis.

Joe Kizzi’s own goal meant Carlisle leapt back up to fifth.

Simpson insisted he was oblivious to the way the table was changing as the match was progressing.

“I hadn’t got a clue what was going on, I didn’t want to know,” he said.

“Ben’s long throw…we’d worked on it on Friday, and we have for a few games.

“Thankfully we had a little bit of luck. We haven’t had much luck over the last few weeks but we got a little bit here and it made a difference.”

Carlisle have other loan players they will expect to retain for the play-offs - Middlesbrough's Jack Robinson, Crystal Palace's John-Kymani Gordon, Leeds United's Alfie McCalmont and Nottingham Forest's Fin Back, the latter with a possibility of returning from injury if United make the final.