By Ross Parkinson - Carlisle United Supporters' Trust

Christmas and New Year can be a challenging time of year for many people and this year was certainly that for Carlisle United. Three defeats and a win have left the Blues six points adrift of safety and in need of a sharp turnaround to retain their Football League status.

As a fan these results have been hard to take. From the losses to Morecambe and Tranmere who are around us in the table and that late defeat at Crewe, despite a much improved performance on the day, it is clear that there is work to be done.

That work is already well underway. Mike Williamson has brought in four players at the time of writing, Will Patching, Elliot Embleton, Callum Whelan and Cedwyn Scott, with Embleton and Whelan making their debuts at Tranmere.

All of these signings should improve our side. However improvement will only be measured in points on the board.

On paper this squad should be nowhere near the relegation zone in League Two. However that is exactly where we find ourselves. Now is the time for this squad to stand up and show why they have reached the levels many of them have throughout their careers.

One thing is for sure, results must change soon. This club will not be allowed to be relegated.

In trust news, as part of our engagement plan we have been gathering feedback on how our members are feeling on a range of issues at the club. Thanks to all who attended or provided written feedback.

The responses we received both by email and in the Microsoft Teams meeting were varied and well thought out. By the time this article is released this feedback will have been presented to the ownership group and we will meet with them to discuss the feedback given both here and at Tuesday’s fans forum and decide on the next steps.

We will hold a further engagement meeting later in the month where fans can provide further feedback. This is currently pencilled in for January 19 and will again be via Teams.

As discussed at the AGM, in future months we will be holding monthly session via various methods to accommodate as many members as possible.

If there are any methods you would prefer please let us know. You can do this via our survey which will be issued via email to members this Friday. We are looking to garner feedback on what our members want in our communication.

Members will also receive an email with our latest survey on Friday. This survey is aimed at establishing the best way we can gather fan feedback.

In the mean time we move onto MK Dons. Up the Blues.