Keith Curle hailed Jabo Ibehre as a new talisman for Carlisle United after his debut goalscoring heroics for the Blues.

Jabo Ibehre photo Jabo Ibehre The summer signing rescued a point on the opening day at Mansfield with his first Carlisle goal.

And Curle believes the big striker is set to prove a hugely influential figure in his bid to build a successful side at Brunton Park.

The Blues manager said: “Every manager wants their new centre forward to get off the mark as soon as possible.

“Aside from that, Jabo will be a big part of what we do at the football club.

“Not only with what he does on the field and the training ground, but his demeanour and how he carries himself around the building.

“As a focal point of the team, he was excellent. He could be a fans’ favourite and the fans will appreciate him and others in the team who set high standards.”

Ibehre’s clinical finish on the stroke of half-time earned United a 1-1 draw after Malvind Benning’s free-kick opener for the Stags.

United’s hard-fought start to the season was a reward for an impressive following of 722 travelling fans at the One Call Stadium.

Curle, who included seven summer signings in his line-up with two more coming off the bench, was satisfied with United’s first outing.

He added: “Mansfield is a difficult place to come and after a few early problems which we managed to negate, we got a foothold and looked comfortable.

“The reaction after conceding was very pleasing.

“Sometimes we went slightly longer than we would have liked, and we could have switched play more often. But overall the players were very responsive and looked to take on board information quickly.”

Curle, who could make changes for tomorrow night’s Capital One Cup clash with Chesterfield at Brunton Park, also revealed he is eyeing more potential signings after the 11-man summer influx.

He said four scouts were watching four potential signings on Saturday and insisted funds were available for him to strengthen his squad.

Curle added: “Having money available is excellent but the players we bring in have got to be better than what’s in the building.”

Curle added that narrowing his numbers down to an 18-man squad on Saturday had been difficult, with Cumbrian forward Steven Rigg and midfielder Antony Sweeney omitted despite being in United’s travelling party.