Paul Reid - Radio Cumbria Interview

Last updated : 28 March 2008 By Thetashkentterror

New Blue Paul Reid
New United loan signing Paul Reid spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's Paul Newton on Friday evening ahead of Carlisle's away game at Gillingham tomorrow, Reid, contracted to Barnsley, talking about returning to his hometown club where he began his career :


" It feels unbelievable to be back to be honest. I've said from the day I left that I would always like to play for Carlisle again, it came quicker than I thought but I'm delighted to be back. I only heard about it on Wednesday evening, I had a phone call from my manager Simon Davey at Barnsley to say that Carlisle had been on the phone and would I be interested. Of course I said yes and it was pretty much sorted out the day after that, I was training at Barnsley and I was called off the training pitch to say that the deal was there if I wanted it, it was just a case of signing it.

" I signed the deal and trained today and I'm on the team bus now on the way down to Gillingham. I spoke to a lot of clubs in January, a few Championship clubs, quite a few League One clubs and a couple of League Two clubs. It was really nice to be wanted but to be honest none of the clubs really suited me at the time. That's why I was so pleased when Carlisle came in, it was a club that obviously I knew from the past and they were doing really well.

" They (his family) are probably more excited than I am. I'm back living with my Mum and Dad because they have still got a house in Carlisle. They haven't seen me play for a while so they are all looking forward to getting down to Brunton Park and watching me play. My Dad is a season ticket holder, he gave me a full run down of what has been happening all season, I get a match report off him every Saturday so I know the lads probably more than they think.

" It's just circumstances more than anything else at Barnsley, I was unfortunate enough to be sent off early this season for an innocuous aerial challenge. After that the lads were doing well and it was tough to get back into the side. It was just a case of, the lads were doing well, it's tough to get back into a winning side and then I had a few niggly injuries. Then all of a sudden it's nearly April and I haven't played much. "



" You never say never, I'm on loan here until the end of the season but I still have a year left at Barnsley next season. So you never know what is going to happen, but in the back of my own mind I think that it's very possible that I have played my last game for Barnsley. A permanent deal here has not really been discussed, I'm really here just to give cover at centre-half.

" I'm not expecting to come back and go straight into the side because Murph (Peter Murphy) and (Danny) Livesey have done so well. I think the team getting promoted is the most important thing, I think my future can be decided at the end of the season. Of course I'd consider it, it's going to be obvious that I'm going to like it here, it's my hometown club, it's just a case of how the gaffer (John Ward) wants to go forward next season.

" I haven't played a lot of football but I've got enough experience behind me now to be able to draw on that to get through a game if I was called upon. I think playing for Carlisle again, you'd get through the game on adrenaline alone.

" Neil Dalton is still here, David Wilkes, John Halpin, Dobes (Scott Dobie) that I have seen today, so there are a few old faces still knocking about. The club has changed but it was nice to see those old faces again today. The club has changed massively, obviously you see those old faces and you remember how it used to be, but to be honest the club has transformed so much it's unbelievable. It's eight years since I left, and we were a club that was struggling when I left, but now it's a club that is really on the up. "