The Swiss army knife the Blues have should serve as a reminder of what exists in the lower divisions.
Having previously dabbled in non-league football, Carlisle United has unearthed a few gems; one of these ought to remind the team of the talent present in these tournaments that they may want to target this summer.
In recent seasons, there has been a gradual closing of the gap between the national leagues and the lower divisions of the EFL. Due to the lack of spending caps starting in Step 1, wealthy individuals have been investing in these clubs, enabling them to build squads that are prepared for the EFL before they even make it to League Two.
The non-leagues used to be a rarely-ventured area of the transfer market for teams in the EFL; there were a few exceptions, but generally speaking, the rule was stuck to as the quality just wasn’t good enough. That’s no longer the case, though, as the talent in the National League is certainly comparable to that of Carlisle’s new home, and they should look to see if they can make any similar deals to the one that they struck for former Gateshead man Jon Mellish in 2019.
Since the Blues were promoted to League One, everything has gone full circle and to an abrupt end. What came next turned the symphony of ecstasy experienced a year ago at Wembley into a far-off memory.
If we could have gone back in time to the 2019–20 season and promised Carlisle supporters that their side would be back in the third division within the following five years, many would have believed that it was feasible. The fact that Mellish, a recently signed defender at the time, would have been so crucial to their success during the 22–23 and 23–24 campaigns would have been less significant.
At the beginning of the eventually Covid-hit campaign, Mellish relocated from Gateshead to Brunton Park. He was by no means a particularly gifted person. He was a player without the typical talents of a professional football player, but he had a fantastic engine and a strong work ethic.
He struggled to fit in during his first season and began to really take off during the next one. Under Chris Beech, Mellish transitioned from a left-sided defender to an attacking midfielder after finding a new position in midfield. Mellish scored 11 goals in the 20/21 season.
His capacity to adapt has always been a strength of his, but his growth as a professional from the raw footballer United discovered in 2019 to the one who developed into an offensive danger during Covid and then a pillar at the back in more recent times, is truly remarkable.
It’s quite an accomplishment to have emerged as one of the club’s most significant components after beginning life in the non-leagues, and it proves that these gems can be found if Carlisle searches diligently enough.
