Management duo James Tose and Jonny Allan could both take to the Carlisle City substitutes bench for their game against play-off chasing Prestwich Heys.

The Sky Blues will be without former Port Vale, Carlisle United and Workington Reds man Mark Boyd today as they visit Adie Moran Park, while Tose also admitted he has got an issue in the goalkeeper’s position.

As a result, manager Tose could be called upon alongside his assistant 33-year-old Allan, who counts Carlisle United, Northwich Victoria and Harrogate Town among his former clubs from his playing days.

“It’s difficult to get players to play on Saturdays because now people have work commitments and are expected to work on Saturdays,” Tose said.

“And it’s difficult to get them to take a day off and lose a day’s pay to play football.”

City have lost five matches in a row, despite leading in four of them ahead of today’s trip to face the Heys, but Tose is still trying to remain positive.

“The good thing is we have come into this league and we have gone into every game, knowing we can win the game,” Tose said.

“We are creating chances. It’s just not going our way at the minute.

“Hopefully, that will change.”

Youngster Ben Davidson has featured for the Sky Blues in recent weeks, while ex-Celtic Nation man Aaron Roberts made his first start of the season in Tuesday night’s 4-3 defeat to Holker Old Boys.

“We are trying to integrate some young lads into the team,” Tose, a Carlisle United Academy coach, said.

“When young lads play, we just have to understand that they will make mistakes.”

This afternoon’s Hallmark Security League game will be Carlisle City’s seventh away league match out of the 11 fixtures they have played so far this term.

And Tose feels they have been unlucky to have played at home so little, so far this season, albeit they did host Team Northumbria FC in the FA Vase.

“We have had a lot of away games. I think seven of the first 11 league games have been away,” he said.

“It gets hard to get a team out.

“But, if we are playing at any sort of level, we are expected to travel.

“I’m sure it is the same for teams like Workington Reds.”

Tose also reflected on Tuesday’s Cumbrian derby defeat to Holker Old Boys.

He said: “To be fair to them, it was the same for them.

“It was two teams looking to bounce back.

“On Tuesday, there were some bad decisions from individuals.

“As a manager, you cannot do anything about bad individual decisions.”

Tose added: “For morale reasons, it (the run of defeats) is a bit of a hit for us.

“We thought we’d snatched the win late on but then they went up the other end and got the winner.

“That is just football. That is the way things are going for us at the moment.

“If we keep trying and working hard, we’ll come out of it.”

The Sky Blues’ next home match at Gillford Park is currently scheduled to be against Ashton Athletic next Saturday in the first round of the Macron Cup.