Former Sheffield United and Bolton Wanderers goalkeeper Mark Howard on his move to Carlisle United

The 35-year-old goalkeeper joined the Cumbrians on a short-term deal last week and made a composed debut against Tranmere.

Howard’s penalty save from Kieron Morris proved in vain as the struggling Blues slipped to a 1-0 defeat which took them second bottom in League Two.

Ex-Bolton and Blackpool No1 Howard, set to face Newport tonight (Rodney Parade, 7.45pm), said his first impressions are that United’s squad is not short of ability, but that they can improve in other important aspects of the game.

“There’s a lot of talented players. They do lack a bit of experience and a bit of guile,” he said.

“You saw in the Tranmere game the way Jay Spearing and Peter Clarke refereed the game, almost.

“That’s something we need to start trying to do and learn how to do.

“I said to Callum Guy afterwards – you’ve got to take a lot out of that game in terms of the way Jay Spearing refereed it, won every foul and the referee didn’t really give anything against him.

“From the back I can impart my knowledge as far down the pitch as possible, but we need somebody else to take that role on outfield.”

Howard has been quick to add his know-how to the Blues dressing room having joined to provide extra goalkeeping experience given the injury absence of Magnus Norman.

Caretaker boss Gavin Skelton preferred Howard over young Burnley loanee Lukas Jensen and the veteran is likely to continue in the side in south Wales.

Howard was with Scunthorpe last season and said he is ready for the fresh challenge at United despite the Blues’ recent struggles.

“I’m a confident enough person, I know my role and how I can help,” he said.

“You look at the scenarios and think, ‘I can be part of something there’, and definitely help.

“I think my role is not just on the pitch but it will be in the dressing room and the knowledge I can pass on.”

Howard said he had spoken to former head coach Chris Beech and director of football David Holdsworth last year about the possibility of joining United.

A move did not materialise then but Carlisle reignited their interest last week.

“It all happened quite quickly,” the keeper said. “With the manager leaving I got a couple of phone calls last week from David Holdsworth and we were just trying to get the deal done.

“Fortunately, it was pretty quick and easy from both sides and I was delighted to come in.

“I’ve had loads of offers over the summer and I was in a similar situation last year. It’s about picking the right time and the right contract at the right club.

“I’m based in Preston and my kids go to school there, so that played a big part. I didn’t want a lot of travelling and I didn’t want to move the family; that sort of thing does matter, especially as you get older.

“It was just about waiting and being patient. I’ve been in training with Wigan for five weeks so I felt ready to go.”

Howard said he was grateful to the Latics for allowing him to train with them, adding: “They’ve done me a massive favour by letting me train and keep myself ready and sharp. I probably owe them all a bottle of wine when I next see them and I appreciate everything they’ve done for me.”

The keeper said he had attracted offers from elsewhere but United suited him the most.

“I want to play football. That’s why I’ve been waiting,” he said. “Some of the other options I’ve had haven’t been to play. I could have gone higher up the leagues and maybe sat on the bench but that wasn’t something I wanted to do. I feel really good so I just want to keep playing.”

Howard said a short-term deal until the end of the year suits all parties given United’s current situation without a manager.

The former St Mirren and Sheffield United man said he used his experience to slot immediately into the Carlisle team two days after joining. His outing against Tranmere was his first game since the end of last season.

“I’ve played a lot of games, and overall I’ve been involved in probably over 800 games now,” he said. “You put all of that together and you know how different scenarios work. I know my own game, my strengths and how I can go straight into a team and play my role.”

Howard says he has one eye on life after football, and is taking a degree in sports journalism and media, but feels he can continue playing “for another four or five years easily.”

He helped a struggling Scunthorpe side avoid relegation last season and said of that experience: “The old cliches, one game at a time, do come into effect.

“The biggest thing we found last year was staying calm. It does get hearted at times after a loss and there’s a lot of people getting down.

“You can’t actually be like that at all. You have to look to that next game and say how do we win that one...it is so simple; once you get that next result, you then think, ‘We’ve got a bit more confidence, let’s start that again, go back to basics, earn the right to play and kick on from there’.”

Howard has enjoyed different experiences higher up the divisions. Asked to nominate the key moments in his career, he said: “Getting promoted with Bolton [in League One in 2017].

“The year after I started the season in the Championship, but then lost my place in the team, because of results – we just weren’t winning enough games.

“That was a hard season mentally to not be in the team. The last game of the season I came on at half-time and we stayed up with the last kick of the game.

“It was such a strange season, and I learned more about myself and what I wanted to get out of the game, and how much I missed playing week in, week out.

“From that point onwards, I’ve always said I’m going to go and play as many games as possible and just wait for that opportunity that suits me. With that promotion behind you, you have a lot more confidence that you want to do that again and be part of it.

“That experience I had at Bolton of getting promoted, there was no better feeling. Whether it’s now or in the future I want to be part of another squad that gets promoted.”

Howard was looking on the bright side after Saturday’s defeat, despite Carlisle’s league predicament and the mounting criticism heading the club’s way.

“I said to the lads after the game that there were a lot more positives to take from the game compared to my first game for Scunthorpe last year,” he said.

“That was away at Exeter and I think we lost 3-1, and I remember being sat on the coach on the way home going through all the different scenarios.

“I felt a lot more positive about the game on Saturday and hopefully we can continue that. Defensively we stuck to our jobs really well, we just didn’t get the rub of the green in both boxes.

“I feel personally I played quite well, there are certain things I’d like to improve on, but that will come, due to a bit of rustiness. In terms of the team performance, I was encouraged. We really stuck to our jobs well, we defended with passion.

“The goal [an own-goal from Rod McDonald] is a mistake, that’s a pure accident, nobody’s going to hold that against someone. In parts we played well and, we knew how to manage the game.

“I was a little bit surprised how the players did manage games at certain times, when under the cosh we knew when to sit back, be patient and when to counter-attack. There were a lot of encouraging things for me.”

After McDonald’s own-goal, Howard kept United in the game by saving Morris’s penalty. It did not spark a comeback but it helps knowing the Blues have another No1 with that trait.

“I know my stats, I think I’ve saved 11 in 32 [penalties], so my stats are quite high in regards to that,” Howard said.

“I’ve always got a bit of confidence when facing people. I like that edge and bit of competition in the one-on-one. It’s something I’ve always thrived on.”

Howard smiles at the memory of, in Salford colours, saving a Tristan Abrahams penalty in a game at Newport a couple of seasons ago. This time he is a team-mate of Abrahams as they return to south Wales in search of much-needed points.

“The games come thick and fast in Leagues One and Two, which is often better; even if you’re in a struggling team or a team doing well, you want to keep that going,” he said.

“The training sometimes gets in the way when you’re in a bad run; you just want to get to that next game.

“Whatever happens on Tuesday will happen, and there’s another game on Saturday to focus on. It’s as simple as that. You look forward to one game, let’s get a result then we can build on something. You just take it from there.”