“It’s only an extra five minutes, isn’t it?” laughs Terell Thomas when asked if he’ll be ready to start for Carlisle United if required at Notts County tonight. “I feel ready, feel good, feel sharp, feel fit – and good to go.”

Thomas had not anticipated being needed from the fifth minute onwards at Fleetwood Town, but the Blues can be glad he was ready for that too. Other than forgetting his shorts – there was a hasty dash by staff to the dressing room to retrieve them before he could come on – his substitute’s performance on Saturday showed him back in good shape, good sharpness.

The defender had been out since early November after suffering a hamstring injury whilst on Saint Lucia international duty. Thomas endured the double frustration of that as well as Carlisle’s continued struggles without him.

Hopefully both situations are en route to happier times now in this crucial second phase of the season. Thomas excelled in the 2-1 win at the Highbury Stadium even if his 85 minutes plus added time was a good deal more than Mike Williamson might have been initially planning for the 29-year-old’s first game back.

“I felt good, felt fine, felt sharp enough,” he says. “Obviously that extra bit of match fitness always isn't there straight away, and that will only come with games.

“But the medical team have got me back in good shape, and in the time frame that the specialist said I would come back. We didn't want to push it too early, just in case – you never know, you could pull up again.

Thomas returned with an impressive performance on Saturday after replacing the injured Paul Dummett after five minutes of the game (Image: Richard Parkes)

“It gives you time to really focus, get strong in the gym, get fit and when you come back you can be ready.”

Thomas is in an unusual category of Carlisle United players to have enjoyed back-to-back wins this season. The team has not achieved that but Thomas’ previous match before Saturday was November’s 1-0 victory at Salford City.

Many more are going to be needed now as the Blues try further to reduce their gap to survival, which is now five points. The hope is that Saturday was the first step on the road back in all ways.

“Yeah, it was much needed,” he says. “It was a good three points to get, a step in the right direction and now we can go into Tuesday [at Notts County].

“The main thing I think it adds is the confidence in the boys, in the squad. And a bit of relief in a way because you're always thinking, ‘When's that next one coming?’

“Now the main thing for us is to see if we can get two in a row, which we haven't done all season. That really, I feel, will be a good confidence boost for everyone.”

United’s win at Fleetwood was also rewarding for a highly new-look squad, Carlisle having made ten signings this month. Thomas, though, feels those who are part of the influx have settled in well and their familiarity with the Williamson way helps in this respect.

“I feel that the players that have come in, the style that we're trying to play…it's their style as well, so it's not much of a massive changing period for those players,” he says.

“The only thing [to develop] is friendships, building relationships off the pitch. But on the pitch, I feel like it's gelled nice and naturally, which is good.

“As you watched the game, you could see the patterns that we play, the togetherness with the team and stuff like that.”

Thomas has 14 appearances to his name for Carlisle since joining from Charlton Athletic last summer, and is annoyed that injury has prevented this total from being higher, particularly in a spell when the Blues’ results have been poor.

A chance, now, to make up for lost time. “Yeah, it's frustrating being out and seeing things just not going our way,” he says.

“We were performing here and then, in bits in the games, but then the real crucial bits, losses of concentration or something like that, and it’s cost us.

“But we showed real good character [on Saturday], especially scoring after they scored, and then we could have scored a third. So it's really nice to see the confidence in the boys, and also players coming off the bench and making a difference.”