By Ross Parkinson - Carlisle United Supporters' Trust.

In the summer of 2019, when Carlisle United signed a young defender from Gateshead, in an era where we were operating a restrictive policy of one-year contracts and reaching the end of Steven Pressley’s stint as our manager, few of us would hardly have believed that some five-and-a-half years later he would be leaving having played 246 times for the club in almost every position on the pitch.

Jon James Alexander Mellish has done just that and following his move to Wigan Athletic has left as one of my favourite players of all time.

Jon’s commitment to the cause and also his commitment to the art of a certain type of housery have endeared him to Carlisle fans. His ability to perform in any role and his availability for selection even during some difficult personal times is a credit to him and his family.

He will be missed and I hope that this is not the last time we’ll see him at Brunton Park (or in a Carlisle shirt).

Football clubs move on however and we have also seen Harrison Biggins return to Shrewsbury and Paul Dummett and Stephen Wearne join the club, with the potential for even more ins and outs before we play Bradford on Saturday at Brunton Park.

It is possible that none of the team that started on the opening day against Gillingham will be in the initial XI.

This shows, not only the backing from the owners for Mike Williamson, but also the effectiveness with which the entire football department, from Rob Clarkson down, have been able to transform this squad within a couple of weeks.

Getting this new team to gel will not be easy but results are urgently required in order to pull ourselves away from relegation and nothing would be better than starting that with a home win.

A repeat of the result and atmosphere from the last time Bradford visited Brunton Park would be most welcome and whilst we are all frustrated I would urge fans to stay behind the team throughout the 90 minutes on Saturday.

In Trust news we will be holding an engagement session this Sunday, January 19, where members can come along via Microsoft Teams and discuss the situation at the club and the Trust. Details on this will be sent to members via email this week.

Until then. Up The Blues