By Dave Noble - Carlisle United Supporters' Trust

The dawn of a new era is upon us as we welcome Mike Williamson and his coaching team to Brunton Park. Following an in depth interview process, Mike has been identified as the man to steer Carlisle United forward to a bright new future.

Our 1921 Board Director, Matt Spooner has been involved in the process along with the other members of the club board. The board were under no illusions as to how important this appointment was, as the club moves in a different direction in terms of the set up of the football management group.

Matt said: "The recruitment process has been thorough and the quality of data and football philosophy has been highly encouraging."

He went on to say that: "Everybody is all in. We all know the journey that is mapped out in front of us to give fans exciting, edge of the seat, winning football and it was our task to facilitate that becoming a reality, and we feel that Mike will give us the best opportunity to fulfil that target."

As with any appointment it may not be met with universal approval. Fans will have preconceived perceptions on the personnel involved for whatever individual reason, often based on the views of fans of their previous employers.

But just think, if we had avoided our previous manager based on the thoughts of Stockport or Shrewsbury supporters, we may well have been circling the drain of the National League North by now, rather than having the chance to select from a shortlist of very well respected, up and coming people within the game who believe that the project at Brunton Park is worth staking their high potential reputation on.

Kevin Gray had recently been voted the worst player in Tranmere Rovers’ history when he rocked up at Brunton Park, and he left a hero. Reputations are made over a longer period than a handful of games, and if career statistics to date can be replicated then we now have a head coach in situ who will drive us to a very positive future.

There is a long way to go and success may not be instant, but Rome wasn’t built in a day (I don’t think any of the candidates were claiming to be Brian Clough!) and patience will be required as the new group get their feet under the table.

In Trust news, the initial order of memorial plaques have been delivered to the club and we are just awaiting a suitable date for their installation.

We have also been made aware that despite assurances that they were within size regulations, a handful of the pin badges have been rejected by Royal Mail and a surcharge has been passed on to the recipient. If you have had to pay additional postage to receive your badge, please contact info@cust.org.uk and we will reimburse you.