Carlisle United manager Mark Hughes insists his side have a good understanding of the National League and will be ready to face the challenge, as reported by The News and Star.
Hughes is busy preparing his side to face the relentless nature of non-league’s top tier.
Boss Sends Clear Message
This will be the first time Hughes has managed outside of the top four divisions and after an illustrious playing career, is heading into the unknown.
Carlisle’s Head of Football Operations Marc Tierney, who recently joined the club from divisional rivals Altrincham, is the man in the know and Hughes intends on using his knowledge.
“Marc Tierney himself has got good experience on the National League with his experience at Altrincham. Obviously, I’ve been picking his brains on that.”
What the former Manchester United striker is aware of is the difficulty of the opposition in the league, making comparisons with League Two.
“The reality is it’s a difficult league. Everybody knows it. Probably the top five, top six of the league are comparable to League 2 teams certainly.”
“Maybe the rest of the league isn’t quite as strong but on any given Saturday or Tuesday night, all teams can cause you problems.”
“You’ve just got to really approach it in the right manner. That’s the message.”
The Welshman is keen to stress how it may not be pretty but rather a real challenge to get results in the National League. He is eager to ensure his side are up for that fight and then the quality they possess, such as new signing Regan Linney,will come to the fore.
“We’ve got to realise that at times it’ll be a bit messy. It’ll be a fight, it’ll be a challenge.”
“We’ve just got to be able to meet that and then allow hopefully the quality that we’ve undoubtedly got in the building to show through.”
Writer’s View
This is going to be a fascinating watch as Hughes handles the National League for the very first time. He has made an excellent start to recruitment in the shape of Linney but will need more players with National League experience and quality to challenge for promotion.
