Paul Simpson has issued a challenge to Carlisle United’s young loan players to prove they can force their way into his plans.

The Cumbrians have a number of teenagers out getting first-team experience elsewhere.

And manager Simpson says he is keeping a close eye on their progress.

He wants some of the young players to give him some tough decisions at the turn of the year when it comes to his first-team reckoning.

Of the first-team squad, striker Sam Fishburn is at Morpeth Town and scored his second goal in successive games for the non-league club on Tuesday night.

Winger Lewis Bell has scored twice in recent outings for Gretna 2008, with defender Max Kilsby out at Annan Athletic and keeper Gabe Breeze at Widnes.

READ MORE: Carlisle United striker Sam Fishburn grabs goal for loan club in "dogfight"

Youth team keeper Lewis Boyd, meanwhile, is on a work experience loan at Carlisle City.

Simpson said: “Fish has had a bit of a slow start, he’s been coming on as a sub most of the time, and he’s got to earn his place in the team.

“I know they’ve had some dodgy results so hopefully he’s shown enough [on Saturday] to get a game.

“He’s gone to play games, but I would never dictate to any team when they take young players on loan that they have to play – he has to show them he deserves to play.

“This was the thing we said to him – ‘You have to go and show you deserve to start games, score goals, and give us a problem in January that we have to bring you back’.

“Lewi Bell needed game time, so he’s gone there and Gretna have had some good results and some tough ones to take.

“I saw that Max had a bit of a stuffing with Annan, they lost 5-1 up at Elgin. But it’s really good experience for them.

“They’ve got to show us they deserve to come back in and can push our first team players, otherwise there’s no point in them being around.”