Nicky Adams: Carlisle United fans should be excited by Alfie McCalmont

“I have so much time for him – I think Carlisle fans should be very excited,” he says.

Adams, who starred at Brunton Park from 2016-18, played alongside McCalmont in the 2020/21 season at Oldham Athletic.

It was the first loan move of young Leeds United midfielder McCalmont’s career. It coincided with the penultimate campaign of Adams’ long and characterful time in the EFL.

The more experienced player clearly enjoyed sharing a pitch with the bright young hopeful, who has now joined Carlisle on loan for the rest of the season.

Adams, an outstanding creator in his time with the Blues, knows what it is like to entertain crowds at Brunton Park. He feels McCalmont, 22, has the ability to do just that himself.

“He’s a superb player – a really, really good footballer,” Adams tells the News & Star. “He’s highly thought-of not just at club level, but he’s been in the international set up with Northern Ireland as well, and you could see why.

“Straight away you could tell this boy’s got so much ability.

McCalmont starred in an Oldham side which also included Adams in 2020/21 (Image: PA)

“When you get older, you don’t just look at how good a player is, you look at the person as well. And he’s a great kid. He wants to learn.

“He’s at Leeds United, and the ultimate aim for Alfie is to get in that Leeds first team, but he’s doing the right things as a young lad in going out and learning his trade.

“He was brilliant at Oldham. Before the following season I was telling Keith [Curle, then Oldham’s manager] to get him back, but he went to play in League One with Morecambe, which was the right thing for him – he’s trying to develop and go up the levels.

“Everyone should be excited about him. He’s going to a good club where they’re playing good football. I think it’ll be a good fit. I hope he does really well up there.”

WATCH: New Carlisle signing McCalmont's goals for clubs and country

McCalmont, a deep-lying midfielder with an inclination to attack, scored ten goals in his season with Oldham in League Two. All were well-taken, with the occasional one a bit special.

The hope is that he will do the same for Paul Simpson’s promotion-chasing side.

“He’ll bring that excitement and energy,” adds Adams. “I don’t like comparing people but he’s certainly got that style that I think Carlisle fans will take to – a really exciting, enthusiastic style.

“He likes to get on the ball, get forward, and has an eye for goal. I don’t think he thanked me enough for setting some of his goals up but I’ll let him off…

“I think it’s a good signing by Carlisle. Simmo knows his players – he’s worked with a lot of good footballers.”

Oldham finished 18th in a challenging 2020/21 season which was marked by the Covid-enforced lockout of fans for most of it.

It remained, though, a formative time for McCalmont in terms of learning the early realities of lower-league, first-team football.

“When I first came to Oldham, Harry Kewell was brilliant as the manager – we were very good to watch, good on the eye, with a lot of technical players. Harry’s idea was keep the nucleus of technically good players and add more experienced ones the year after and we’d be fine.

“Most of our games we’d win or lose 3-2, but that’s the way Harry wanted it. Alfie suited that. We were never really in trouble but at the bottom end, but there were games when we had to fight, so he had that experience of League Two – knowing every game’s not going to be plain sailing, and you’ve got to go places and dig in.

“Plus he’s been at Morecambe where they’ve had to work to be fine at the bottom end of League One, so he’s got good experience under his belt.

“At Oldham we played most of the time in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1. He can play anywhere in that. He’s got that little bit of a Mike Jones about him in that he’s technically very good and good on the ball, but Jonah was more of a holder, where Alfie will want to get forward and score goals.

“He's a good lad too. He’s not as outspoken and brash as me; he’s a quieter lad, but a great kid, who loves to have a bit of a laugh at the right time but when he goes on there, he wants to play and perform.

“If I was a coach or manager he’d be one I’d definitely be signing.”

McCalmont hit ten goals in his season with Oldham (Image: PA)

McCalmont could make his debut against Newport County on Saturday when United get their promotion challenge back under way. The 22-year-old can add some extra fuel to that mission, Adams feels.

“I’m a football fan myself and I know what Carlisle’s fans are like – if they see people giving 110pc they’ll always back the player,” he says.

“Carlisle fans are second to none. They were always brilliant with me up there. They back their team home and away, and it’s a massive club. When family and friends used to come up and watch me, they always commented on it.

“It’s a sleeping giant and it’s great to see Paul’s got them flying. Hopefully he can get them up. They deserve to be in League One and hopefully this year they can get over that line.

“For a young player like Alfie, that support from the fans is what you want. I know they’ll get right behind him and that will only spur the lad on.”

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ADAMS KEEN TO TAKE HIS CAREER INTO EXTRA-TIME

Nicky Adams’ Football League career may be over – but his playing days and ambitions certainly aren’t.

The former United winger is now playing in midfield for ambitious Northern Premier League Premier Division club Radcliffe.

The 36-year-old, whose team-mates include fellow ex-Blues man Luke Joyce, has no intention of calling time on his career yet.

He wants to play on for another four years and help the club further climb the non-league ladder.

“We’ve had 2,500 fans at games, and that’s part of the reason I went – the project, what they want to do with the place,” says Adams, who joined Radcliffe in the summer after turning down the chance to remain at Oldham.

Adams now plays for Radcliffe alongside former Carlisle team-mate Luke Joyce (Image: David Hollins)

“It’s a good catchment area, between Bury and Bolton, and a lot of Bury fans are coming to watch our games as well.

“I’ve been playing for 20 years, since leaving school, and the fact is I’ve been up and down the country all that time, and I’ve had enough of all the travelling now. I’ve got four kids at home and it’s time for family.

“This is a good project on my doorstep and we’re only a couple of promotions from the National League. There are some strong teams in our league, South Shields are full-time, we’re full-time, and there are others who’ve been in the National League like Guiseley and Stalybridge.

"The standard is really good, with a lot of players coming out of full-time football. I still enjoy it.”

Adams has taken coaching qualifications and has an eye on the future – but not just yet.

“I still train and play as if I am a pro,” he says. “I’ve kept myself fit, and I said to the missus I’ll pack it in at 40. I’ve made sure I’ve got everything in place for going into coaching when the time comes, but I don’t want to take too much of my attention from playing too early.”

He is enjoying patrolling the non-league midfield territory with 35-year-old Joyce.

“I used to be the one giving everyone grief, but now the young boys are staring on us, calling us old men,” he says.

“Me and Joycey have been friends a long time, since we were kids, and to be playing together now is brilliant for us both. He’s still as fit as a fiddle.

“We’ve got a good set of people here. Bobby Grant is our manager, he gives us everything we need and trusts us as well, and Colin Hendry, a legend in the game, is assistant manager.

“We get the ‘old boy’ shouts but when we get the running stats up, he [Hendry] digs all the young ones out, saying, ‘These two can run more than anyone’.

“We’ve just got to keep setting the standard. Me and Joycey have said we’ll run ‘til the wheels fall off.”