Paul Huntington on plans for life after Carlisle United

The released Carlisle United defender accepts he may only have “a year or two” left but he wants to spend this playing, at the best possible club and level, rather than end things before he’s ready.

“I listen to a lot of podcasts, and I’ve heard quite a few older players talk about this type of thing,” Huntington says. “I know Gary Neville said there was one game [when he realised he was coming to the end], I think it was West Brom away…and I’m not at that stage.

“I still feel able. I don’t feel, in training, like I’m a hindrance. I still feel as though I can play at the level, whether it's in Scotland, in League One, in League Two...”

Huntington will take time to consider his options after leaving Carlisle United at the end of a varied two-year spell: one which brought captaincy, regular starts and a wonderful promotion in 2022/23, before relegation and more intermittent selection in 2023/24.

His experience tells him, he says, to be realistic about what might come, while he knows his own limitations and what he's willing to accept in his personal circumstances. He won’t be pursing offers down south, or as far as Birmingham, he says. But beyond that he’s willing to travel if the opportunity is right.

“Clubs have first and second choices [of targets], but maybe I’d be third or fourth, and as they go down the list, that’s how it works,” says the 36-year-old.

Huntington says he believes he can still do a job in League One, League Two or in Scotland (Image: Richard Parkes)

“But I'm certainly not in a hurry. I've spoken to a few people in football that I've worked with or know, and they've said, ‘Don't rush into the first few things that come up. You’ll know when something's right’.

“As footballers, you’re always thinking about what’s next, but it’s just as important not to panic, and try and switch off when I’m on holiday.”

That family break is under way now and while Huntington has already been contacted by some potentially interested clubs, it is very much at the finding-out phase, long before anything could turn concrete.

• INTERVIEW PART ONE: Huntington on his Blues release and what went wrong last season

At the moment he is making his peace with leaving Carlisle and weighing up what the next move might look like.

“It was always the plan, coming back [to Carlisle], that I would stay for the three years, and I just ended up short of that. But I still feel, for another year or two, that I can do a job.

“I look after myself away from the game. I don’t drink, and on my days off I’m just resting, which is the way the game has gone now. You’ve got to look after yourself if you want to prolong things.

“I still enjoy it – yeah, less so this year because of how it's gone – but I still feel as though I've got something to give and I still want to achieve, whether that's promotion out of League Two or staying up in League One, or a different challenge in Scotland.

“I’m open to seeing what comes. I've had it when I've been out of contract before – you get some very random teams [showing interest]. You end up getting on Google Maps, finding out where they are, and then what their squad’s like.

“It’s early days and a few things have come up where it’s been said, ‘Would you be interested?’, but the amount of times I've heard that across my career…you have to weigh up whether anything’s really going to come of them.

“It would have to be right in a few ways, really – what the opportunity looks like in terms of the club, and location. I've never been one that's travelled two or three hours [to training] like some do. I don’t think it’s the professional thing to do.

“Even when I was at Preston, I rented a place in Chorley and did half a week there. If I'm doing three hours’ driving every day, that takes its toll on your body. It's not like you're driving down just to sit behind the desk. You're having to train and play and for your body to be in the best sort of state.”

Huntington accepts that the short commute from home to training in Carlisle will be a luxury he’s unlikely to enjoy at his next club. He adds that, once back from holiday, he will catch up with some of his recent team-mates in the interest of keeping in shape. “I spoke to Dylan [McGeouch] - he’s going to be staying around here, so we’ll probably do some sessions together.”

Huntington is keen to prolong a professional career that started as a young pro with Newcastle some 18 years ago (Image: David Hollins)

Coaching is a longer-term thought, and he has taken some steps in that direction, but only as preparation rather than an immediate plan. The focus is still on prolonging the career he has.

“After [I finish playing] I do have an option of coaching around here with a friend that has a local set-up, an academy, and that's something that, the more I've thought about it, would probably make sense,” he says.

“In terms of being local [to Carlisle], I feel that to try and pass on some knowledge to kids and young players is something I would enjoy. I’m about halfway through my UEFA B Licence – I’ve already done my Level One and Two. But I do want to concentrate on playing. Not to prove to anyone – just to prove to myself, and try to enjoy it again.”

Huntington did not enjoy United’s struggles in 2023/24 but relished being part of the club.

“I’ll still be down watching some games when possible, and once I finish I definitely will be,” he says. “There are a lot of great people at the club and they’ll feel what’s happened this season as much as anyone.

“The manager said that I was always welcome back…but it’ll be strange not being around. I said to Steph in the club shop, ‘Your takings will take a hit now’. I think I bought half of all the Carlisle strips last season. I’ll miss being around the place.”