Five trialists took to the field for Carlisle in the 3-0 victory at Kendal last Friday and former Huddersfield right-back Harrison Blakey and ex-Kilmarnock midfielder Ross Lindsay are the first to fall by the wayside as they have today been released from their trial spell with the Cumbrians. The three left standing though are left-backs Alessio Bugno and Jonathan Meades, as well as attacking midfielder Dale Hopson and they will no doubt all play some part in United's pre-season friendly against Workington at Borough Park on Tuesday night.
Joining them for that game then will also be two Scots in midfielder Mark Kerr (pictured) and right wing-back Jim McAlister, the pair, alongside Bugno, Hopson and Meades scheduled to train with Carlisle until the end of this week. 26-year old McAlister who was born in Rothesay was originally a striker in Morton's youth team after moving there from Linwood Rangers only to drop further back down the pitch through a left side of midfield role and now into his current full-back spot.
After making his debut for the Ton's first team in December 2002 McAlister went on to make almost 300 appearances and score 20 goals for the Cappielow Park outfit, his performances leading to a trial spell with Watford in 2009 as well as reported interest from Romanian club Unirea Urziceni in the same year. After being released by Morton at the end of the 2009-10 season though McAlister signed for Hamilton on a two-year contract, where he made 58 starts, 6 substitute appearances and scored one goal before being let go by the Accies this summer.
30-year old Kerr meanwhile has had a few more clubs in his career after joining Falkirk from Moodiesburn Boys Club as a teenager, the defensive midfielder going on to make 111 starts, 16 substitute appearances and score 9 goals for the Bairns before moving on to Dundee United under the Bosman rule in the summer of 2003. Five years at Tannadice then followed during which time the Coatbridge-born player featured for Scotland's B side.
Kerr making 171 starts, 16 substitute appearances and scoring 4 goals for the Arabs before choosing to leave Dundee in July 2008, again on a Bosman transfer, and join Aberdeen where he made 80 starts, 1 substitute appearance and scored 1 goal until leaving Pittodrie in June 2010 to join Greek side Asteras Tripoli on a three year deal. Things didn't go as planned for Kerr in Greece though as he played 24 games in his time there before settling up on the final 18 months of his deal over the Christmas of 2011 and moving back to Scotland.
A trial spell for Kilmarnock then followed in January 2012 before more success was had at Dunfermline who he subsequently joined on a transfer running to the end of last season, Kerr making 13 starts but scoring no goals for the Pars. It now looks like another summer of weighing up his options for Kerr though as, despite seemingly being offered a new deal at Dunfermline, he has in the past couple of weeks had trial spells with Hibs and also in Poland with Slask Wroclaw.