Carlisle United have signed a third player who ended last season on loan at Brunton Park.
Ben Barclay, who scored a vital goal in the play-off semi-final win over Bradford City, was not allowed to play at Wembley against his parent club Stockport County.
Now he has been released by County and immediately signed a permanent deal for Carlisle.
He told the official United website: “I’m glad to get it sorted, it’s a bit of a relief, as soon as I was back from my holiday I just wanted to get it done.
“As soon as the season finished the gaffer told me he wanted me back up here so it was a case of just enjoying the short break we had then sorting it out once we were home.
“We didn’t have long off but you’d do that every year if you could finish it like we did at Wembley. As soon as I knew the gaffer was interested I told my agent I wanted to come up, I just needed to sort things on the other side of it so that we could make it work.”
“To be honest, I was only back in with Stockport this week, so it wasn’t like it dragged on for ages.
“I wish Stockport all the best going forward, it’s a good club and they’re heading in the right direction. I’m just glad I’m here and a Carlisle player officially now.
“When Stockport put it out that we’d cancelled my contract I saw all the things on social media about me coming back here. I just tried to keep it quiet even though it was probably obvious what was happening, then I’ve just come up to get everything sorted.
“This was always where I wanted to come as soon as I knew I was going to leave Stockport. I was always coming here, I didn’t really have any contact with other clubs, I just wanted to come back here and crack on in League One. Hopefully we can carry on from where we left off last year.
“It does make it easier to come to a club where you know everyone already, that’s why I made the decision so quickly.
“I’m comfortable around the lads and around the place but it isn’t in a way that’s going to make me take my foot off the gas.
“I’ve got friends here that I made last season that I’ll be friends with for life. I enjoyed working with the manager and all of the staff, and I love playing at this stadium in front of the fans. I’ve come in and everything has just felt like normal.”
