Carlisle United will hope that Cameron Harper can follow in his predecessor’s footsteps: View | OneFootball

The Scotsman is set to be the Blues' starting left-back for the foreseeable future.

Highlights

Jack Armer's departure from Carlisle United made it crystal clear that Cameron Harper was set to be the starting left-sided wing-back come the start of the new season, and there are a lot of expectations on his shoulders.

At the moment, there is an ever so slight doubt about whether the former Inverness Caledonian Thistle captain will be fit to play against Gillingham on the opening day of the season. He tweaked his groin in a recent pre-season friendly against Workington Reds.

His non-involvement against St Mirren last Friday did give some on the outside of the club some cause for concern, but he was with the team, and the manager, Paul Simpson, didn't appear to be overly concerned about his status.

The 23-year-old's attacking abilities have got supporters excited to see what he can do. Carlisle lacked a lot of threat last season down their wings and, with Armer now gone, Harper is the one that Simpson will look towards to be that outlet on the touchline.

People have compared him to former United shirt-wearers in his position, like Matty Robson, but it's actually the one that he's replacing that is going to give Harper a fair amount to live up to.

Bettering Jack Armer's time at Carlisle United is a tough challenge for Cameron Harper

One of the hardest things for players to do, especially ones of his experience, is to come into a new club, settle in quickly and make an impact almost straight away. Given Carlisle's promotion hopes, that's what will be expected of Harper.

His small number of appearances in pre-season, in which the club's new number three has found the back of the net once and been a threat on other occasions, have reaffirmed the team's and supporters' belief that he will do well for the club, but the real test will start on August 10th.

If he wants an example of a player in his position that came to Brunton Park and made an instant and then long-lasting impact, it's Armer.

As a true youngster, he came into Chris Beech's side in the 2020/21 campaign and was played out of position, initially, on the right side of the defence. Because of a number of stellar performances at right-back, he ended up keeping then captain Nick Anderton out of the team once he moved over to his more natural side.

Once he got that spot in the starting XI, it was hard to get it back off him. Armer was a constant in the 22/23 promotion-winning team, racking up six league assists in that campaign.

Even though he faced criticism during his time at Brunton Park, as almost everyone has since, and before, that pandemic season, the Burton signing always brought a level of dependability to the Carlisle team.

Being that constant option for the Blues, as well as effecting things positively from the get-go, is something that Harper now has to try and do.

Where Cameron Harper can outshine the legacy of Jack Armer

The point of frustration for many with Armer tended to be about his versatility. Not positionally; he showed that he could, when needed, mold himself into different forms if he needed to fill in on the left of a back-three, or even on the opposite flank, as previously mentioned.

It was more to do with his skills. He wasn't exactly a Swiss Army knife or a Jack of all trades. He was a bit one-dimensional at times, often opting to either play the ball down the line or lumping it up to the strikers when pressured.

Armer didn't always seem to back himself to come inside on his weaker right foot and either pass or dribble towards the middle of the pitch.

His crossing was a threat, but a fairly predictable one. He wasn't a full-back that was going to try and bomb past his opposite number.

Harper, conversely, does seem like he has more tricks up his sleeve. As well as looking like a much more confident dribbler, he also offers a set-piece threat.

He made 12 direct goal contributions in the Scottish Championship last season - nine more than Armer and four more than his best ever campaign in this regard. Playing as a wing-back rather than a traditional full-back should enhance his abilities going forward.

Harper played every minute possible for Caley Thistle last time out, so he hopefully should fill his counterpart's shoes when it comes to that.