Why Fin Back pulled out of Carlisle United side at Cambridge

The defender had to pull out of the game 20 minutes before kick-off.

The Nottingham Forest loanee was suffering discomfort in his leg during the warm-up.

Manager Simpson later said it had been a problem that arose in training on the eve of the fixture, but Back had assured him he would be able to play.

In the event, Ben Barclay had to step into the back four at short notice at the Abbey Stadium for Carlisle’s 1-0 defeat.

• Match report from Carlisle's 1-0 defeat at Cambridge

“The annoying thing is that he [Back] came off the other night [in the victory over Burton Albion] because he got a dead leg type thing in the cheek of his bum, but that had settled down,” said Simpson.

“On Friday he said he got another whack and he had a dead leg at the top of his thigh.

Fin Back, top left, on the bench after pulling out at Cambridge (Image: Richard Parkes)

“He said he’d be ok to play and we thought he was going to be ok, but then he had to drop out.

“He told us about it yesterday and maybe I’ve made a mistake by listening to him because he wanted to play.

“He’s been doing well of late and if he tells me he’s alright then I don’t know how his thigh is feeling.

• Cambridge United 1-0 Carlisle United - as it happened

“He is a strong character, but I probably should have made that call.”

Barclay came in for his first league start of the season – with Simpson saying United had prepared the ex-Stockport man in case Back had to miss out.

“Because he [Back] was struggling yesterday, Ben Barclay had sort of shadowed him and followed everything that his role [involved],” added the United boss.

“He [Barclay] needed to be aware of what jobs he had to do. Ben was ready to step in.

“I’m probably just a bit annoyed with myself that I didn’t make that decision so we didn’t have any disruption.”