Carlisle United have confirmed that manager Steven Pressley has signed a new contract with the club that will keep him at Brunton Park until the end of the 2019/2020 season.
The forty-five-year-old former Coventry City manager took over the managerial reins in on a half-season contract in January following the resignation of John Sheridan.
The announcement ends a period of intense speculation about whether the club would retain Pressley beyond the current campaign.
The news follows Good Friday’s impressive 1-0 win over league leaders Lincoln City which kept eighth-placed Carlisle’s playoff hopes alive.
Victory over the Imps was only Pressley’s fifth success from fifteen games in charge since he arrived in Cumbria.
The club statement said the Scot had ‘impressed everybody at the club’ with his ‘manner and approach.’
Buoyed by Friday’s result, Carlisle United chairman Andrew Jenkins added: ‘We’re delighted that he’ll be staying with us and, as we saw on Friday, when he has the players at his disposal he employs an exciting brand of attacking football. With three big games to go we all genuinely hope that Steven will be starting his first full season with us in League One.’
The Cumbrians will be hoping to maintain their play-off challenge when they visit Grimsby on Easter Monday.
Carlisle supporters immediately took to Twitter to comment on the news, with reaction mixed on the appointment.
Some welcomed the stability of sticking with Pressley while others questioned whether his record since taking over warranted the reward of another deal.
The Cumbrians were sixth in League Two, three points off the automatic promotion places when Pressley took over.
Here is a small selection of their responses.
Still not sure on him at all… Friday was brilliant, as was the bury game when we went down to 10 but the poor run of form since he joined speaks for itself…. willing to give him a chance though, up the blues. #cufc
— Matthew Grainger (@_mgrainger45) April 21, 2019
Couldn’t they have at least waited to see if he fluked a playoff place, or is the board happy with going from 4th to 8th under him? Knowing this club, they are probably thankful for a mid table finish.
— Tom Lionheart Entertainment (@TomLionheartENT) April 21, 2019
Good one. Great positive move to ensure our transition to League 1 goes well (or get us really ready to make it through automatic promotion next year). Maybe both!!!
— Stuart Lowthian (@stuartlowthian) April 21, 2019
I really don’t know how to feel about this
— Luke Graham (@_Grahamo_) April 21, 2019
Some bizarre responses. We need stability and continuity and a chance for SP to put a squad together. He came just as 2 hugely important loanees went back because we simply couldn't afford to keep them or persuade their parent club to let us keep them.
— Richard Weir (@Rich_W27) April 21, 2019
Think this is the right decision despite hit and miss form. He shows a real passion for the club and at least he can make the contract decisions he wants then start rebuilding as soon as the season ends, hopefully after a play off final win ?
— Nigel Holmes (@NHolmesCatax) April 21, 2019
Another show of how ambitious the board are. This is the main reason I stopped going to games after 26 years of traveling home and away.
Totally happy to be a mid table team in division 2— mark warwick (@sikemaster) April 21, 2019
A club with zero ambition !! Poor poor decision
— Luke Dryden (@lukedcufc1992) April 21, 2019
Whats he done to earn that deal then? ?
— Dan Little (@DanLittle00) April 21, 2019
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