Carlisle United's Harrison Biggins ready for debut

The deadline day signing is available for the trip to Bradford City having had to sit out the first two games after his move.

Biggins joined from Shrewsbury Town last Friday but was not registered in time to face Tranmere Rovers, and then was cup-tied for the Nottingham Forest Under-21s game in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy.

He is now in the frame to be involved at Valley Parade under caretakers Steven Rudd, Jamie Devitt and Mark Birch.

It has been a whirlwind period for Biggins, who joined Shrewsbury in the summer only to be sent out on a season-long loan weeks later – while the Blues manager who signed him, Paul Simpson, left the club only a day after signing him.

Yet joint caretaker Rudd says the 28-year-old is champing at the bit now he can play for the Blues.

“He's been in on his day off – he wanted to do extra. He wanted to do more,” Rudd said.

“With him missing the last two games, he came in and did more work to make sure he’s ready to go.

Former Doncaster midfielder Biggins is now available for United after having to sit out the first two games since his deadline-day move (Image: PA)

“He’s like a coiled spring, ready to be at it.”

Rudd said he and his fellow interim bosses were weighing up the best role for Biggins at Valley Parade.

“We have to decide as a group, is it right to put him straight in or coming off the bench?” he added.

“Harrison will be involved. I'm not sure [in what way] yet, but he’s a great lad, has an unbelievable attitude, loves football.

“The enthusiasm he's got to play is incredible, which is a real positive and he's a good lad to have around the group.”

Rudd said Biggins was showing no ill-effects from the recent upheaval both in his own career and at Carlisle.

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“He was even having a little laugh and a joke because he only went into Shrewsbury himself in the summer, and now he’s come here and it’s changed too,” Rudd added.

“I think they just get used to it, footballers. It's part of the professional game that staff come and go, managers come and go, you change clubs. You're never really overly settled in football.

“The way he's been since Monday morning training, I suggest there's nothing affected him. He's a bundle of energy, he's a great lad.

“He's trained very well and the signs are he's raring to go and can't wait for Saturday.”

Rudd, meanwhile, says he, Birch and Devitt will have some positive selection problems on Saturday.

He said they will have to leave some senior players out of the 18-man squad, given the returns of some players recently.

“With Dylan McGeouch and Cameron Harper getting through that game on Tuesday, they're both fine and have trained today, as have all the lads who missed out on Tuesday,” academy manager Rudd added.

“It was a good session, high intensity. It was nice and competitive, which is good.

“There will be senior professionals not in the 18-man squad this weekend, which does give us a headache.

“We’ve had academy players on the bench in numerous games, which is great for us on our side [as academy staff]. That's what we want. But this weekend, there'll be senior professionals not on the bench as well.”

Biggins' debut is set to come under United's caretaker regime after the manager who signed him, Paul Simpson, left the Blues the following day (Image: Richard Parkes)

Defender Ben Barclay is aiming to be fit after being rested on Tuesday with a minor calf issue.

“He’s been one of the training group this morning,” said Rudd. “We'll see how that goes overnight tonight and into tomorrow, hoping he'll train properly tomorrow again.

“That gives us another headache of who's in and who's not. But that's more a case of managing it.

“Like we've said since day one, we don't want to put anybody at risk of being a longer-term injury for a new manager coming in.

“If we take a risk with somebody and they're injured when the new manager comes in, it doesn't set off well.

“Ben's fine. He's trained today. He'll train again tomorrow. And we'll see where we are for Saturday.”