Carlisle United and Barrow are reported to be rivals for a National League North hotshot.
Football League World has suggested that the two Cumbrian clubs, along with League Two rivals Hartlepool are all tracking Southport’s 28-year-old Marcus Carver.
The forward has scored 15 goals in 15 starts across all competitions for Southport so far this season, a shining light in a season that has been fairly tough for the club who are in the bottom half of the table.
Carver has actually had two loan spells at Holker Street when he was an Accrington Stanley player. He played four game in 2013 with one goal and eight more in 2015 without scoring.
Apart from 38 games as a senior pro at Accrington all his football has been in non-league – Marine (9 goals in 13), Halifax (1 in 5) and Chorley (15 in 78). Last season he scored five times for Southport.
Blackburn-born Carver spent five years at Accrington after coming through their Academy system. He had been a boyhood Stanley fan, travelling to away games on supporters trips.
On Saturday Southport drew 1-1 at Leamington with Carver again on target. It left Southport 17th of 22 in the National North table.
Carlisle are desperately short of fire-power in their bid to climb out of relegation trouble while Barrow have also hit a barren spell as far as goals and wins are concerned.
