“Pre-season is always tough – I hate it,” says Owen Moxon. “I don’t think anyone likes pre-season. But you just need to dig in.”
It helps, in the hard-working days of July, that Carlisle United have bigger things in their sights this year. League One football is less than a month away and for Moxon it represents another significant step up.
The midfielder was the star of United’s promotion season, a hugely popular success story given his city roots and the romance of his journey away from, and then back to, Brunton Park.
His first professional season with the club culminated in promotion at Wembley, where the midfielder was named man of the match in the play-off final against Stockport County.
It was an emotional, thrilling day. Did it sink in over the summer weeks? “I don’t think it actually did in a proper moment,” Moxon says. “There are times when it goes through your head and you think, ‘Wow, what have we just done?’, but in terms of fully stepping back and taking it all in, I think it’s going to be a while.
“You’re just buzzing when do have those thoughts about it, and it helps you enjoy your summer.”
Moxon says he was happy with it being a shorter than normal close-season for United given the way their campaign was extended last term. “It’s good to be back, to get back in with the lads, and start the hard work again,” he says.
There are great challenges to look forward to for player and club as United rise to the third tier for the first time since 2014. There is also, to date, relief among fans that Moxon is still here, given the high level of his performances in the team last term.
Plenty of the summer remains, and interest in the 25-year-old from various sources is likely to remain. Right now he is continuing to put that sort of talk on the shelf.
“I’m contracted until next year, anyway,” he says. “There’s rumours and you hear things, and people ask you, but the bottom line is I’m contracted until next year.
“I just come in and do my job and don’t pay attention to any of those rumours. I come in and enjoy it and just work hard.”
There is a similar reply to the question of whether Moxon might extend his deal at United. Paul Simpson spoke recently about discussing such things with his star players, and this week secured Jon Mellish’s signature on a new three-year contract.
At a fans’ forum last week Moxon was the name put forward by one supporter, urging the Blues to tether Denton Holme’s finest to a “five-year deal”.
Moxon smiles at that but, asked if anything has been discussed as yet, adds: “Not too much at the minute. Again, I’m contracted until next year, and I’m just [focused on] coming in, getting fit and we’ll see what happens from there.”
Thoughts of playing for United in League One are forming in Moxon’s mind. One of the exciting aspects of 2023/24 is the vision of the midfielder bringing his skill, ball-mastery and set-piece attributes to the higher level.
“It’s a big step up for everyone, but there’s no reason we can’t [do well],” he says. “I think a lot of people didn’t back us to do what we did last year, and look what happened.
“We’re just going into the season excited. We respect the bigger teams but we don’t fear them or anything. You maybe get to go to some nicer grounds, the so-called bigger clubs, and it’s a chance to go and test yourself against them and see where we finish.”
The way United performed on the biggest stage, Wembley, must reduce the risk of stage-fright at League One’s most daunting venues – while the spirit that got Carlisle over the line can also help.
“The lads that have signed so far this summer [Alfie McCalmont, Ben Barclay and Jack Robinson] are lads who were here last year, and that helps keep the group together,” he says. “You could tell last year we were all so close.
“The belief was always there that we could go and achieve something. It’s just going to be a case of doing that again – working hard every day and seeing where it takes us.”
Moxon’s rise has been near-vertical since his arrival from Annan Athletic last summer. He returns there tomorrow night for United’s first pre-season friendly. “It’s flew in to be honest,” he says of his year. “Maybe the odd time in the season you think it’s never gonna come to the end of the season, and you’re never gonna be back in pre-season, but all of a sudden it’s back.”
Asked what he’s looking forward to most about the campaign ahead, Moxon simply says: “I’m just looking forward to the season starting. Get pre-season out of the way, get as fit as possible and then be ready for the first game…and just have a good go at it.
“There’s no point predicting. There’s a few people predicted us to be near the bottom of the table last year and look how that turned out?” The bookies were indeed cool on United last summer.
“Hopefully a few people made a few quid then,” smiles Moxon. “We’ll just go and take it by the old cliché, game by game.”
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