Mark Hughes says he’s “closer than ever” to nailing down his preferred line-up for survival-chasing Carlisle United.
The head coach made five changes to his XI against Gillingham having named an unchanged side for his first three games.
Head coach Hughes admits he’s been looking at a number of different options, both in personnel and systems, in his early weeks at the helm.
But he says he will now look to reinforce what he believes is the best formula to get the results Carlisle need.
“We’re at a point where I've got to make decisions where I stick with personnel that I feel will give us the best opportunity for that consistency, which does help your performances moving forward,” said Hughes.
“I'm probably as near to that as I've ever been, just because I've been in the building longer.
READ MORE: What did we learn from Carlisle United's draw with Gillingham?
“I've arguably tried most formations at some point in games too, so I've got a much better understanding of what I've got as a group.
“That consistency in terms of selection…people will see that coming through.”
Joe Bevan was among the players who came into the side against Gillingham (Image: Ben Holmes)
United take on Barrow at Holker Street on Thursday as the Blues seek a vital win to give their survival hopes a much-needed lift.
The game was switched from its original Saturday date for Sky coverage.
On the change to United’s training schedule this has meant, Hughes added: “You just move your lead-in times for games like that, so we'll still have pretty much the same lead up time if it was a Saturday game.
“The only downside of it is that we've missed out on having a clear week once again.
“We felt [last] week was really important for us and we could have benefited from that - but we'll be ready to go again on Thursday.”
Hughes has also paid tribute to the fulsome backing United are getting from supporters as he tries to pull them clear of the drop.
Carlisle’s home crowd once again roared the team on in Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Gillingham at Brunton Park, and Hughes feels that kind of atmosphere can play a key part in their hunt for results.
The Blues are currently five points from safety, although that will increase if third-bottom Tranmere Rovers avoid defeat to Accrington Stanley tonight.
“I can't fault that at all,” Hughes said of the support. “I think that's why, towards the end of games when the crowd's obviously driving us on, we're getting that energy to our play in that final period.
“That can be crucial. We want to be dominant in the game for longer than we are on occasions, but there are key moments in games – it's the first ten minutes, ten minutes either side of the break and the last ten to 15 minutes where games are won and lost.
“So with the crowd behind us that's going to really help us drive us on in those key moments if the games are still up for grabs.”
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