Head coach Mike Williamson admitted it was “huge” to have Callum Guy back – as he spelled out the next steps for the midfielder.

Guy made his first Carlisle United appearance on Tuesday night for 11 months after his recovery from an anterior cruciate knee ligament injury.

The 27-year-old’s return – as well as that of Taylor Charters after a hamstring absence – was a major positive from the 2-0 Bristol Street Motors Trophy defeat to Wigan Athletic.

Williamson could not hide his delight to have the influential Guy back in action but stressed that his return to league action would still need to be managed carefully.

“It is a huge night for him personally and for the football club because you can see that, although he's been off so long, he's got that quality, he's got the calmness, he's the type of player that can slow the game down and the game goes at his pace,” said Williamson.

“He's been out a long time and we've got to be careful. He hasn't had a huge amount of training load compared to the amount of time he's had off, so we've got to keep building him slowly and making sure that we do it in the right way – but it's fantastic to have him back.”

Guy’s name on the teamsheet offered an immediate lift on Tuesday night – and he received a warm welcome from fans when he came off the bench in the 62nd minute against Wigan.

“It just brings a calmness throughout the group because they know how good he is and how much he influences games,” said Williamson of the player who had been out since last November after injuring his ACL in United’s FA Cup first round defeat at Leyton Orient.

“Just have that in and around it brings a lot of confidence and it settles people down.

“We’ve just got to make sure we're patient with him because he's got to get a lot of training load inside of him, and then hopefully try and get some more match minutes to get up to that level.”

Williamson said he wants both Guy and Charters in league contention as soon as possible but United would take a sensible approach with both.

“We've got to firstly see how they react to [Tuesday’s game] and secondly listen to the medical team,” the head coach added.

“We've got good people who know what they're doing, so they know how long these guys have been out and how hard they've worked, so we've just got to make sure that we listen to them and we take proper precaution.

“We obviously want them back ASAP and we want them in the fold and being able to come off the bench and affect games and then ultimately start in games. We've just got to make sure we do it right.”

Tuesday was also a big night for a number of United’s teenagers who made their first-team debuts.

Dan Hopper, right, made his first team debut in the Trophy tieDan Hopper, right, made his first team debut in the Trophy tie (Image: Ben Holmes)

One was 17-year-old Dan Hopper, son of the late former Carlisle and Workington Reds favourite Tony. Dan’s debut came 31 years after his father also first played for the Blues as a teenager.

“It's another night that's special for the football club but also special for him and his family,” said Williamson.

“It means a lot to them and it's just testament to the work that the [coaches] have done here with the young boys, because I thought they came in and gave a huge and unbelievable account of themselves.

“Regardless of the scoreline, there's some real positives that have come out of it, and I think the club should take a lot of credit and a lot of pride in what they've done.”