Striker Brad Carsley sets the bar high for Lancaster City next season

The Dolly Blues were the surprise package in the NPL Premier Division this term and were in a play-off position before the season was brought to a premature end due to the coronavirus.

For a large part of the season, City – who have one of the smallest budgets in the league – led the way at the top of the table.

Boss Mark Fell has already gone public with his desire to finish at the summit next year – that’s as long as football is safe enough to resume.

Carsley – who joined Lancaster the previous seasonfrom Bamber Bridge – is in agreement with his manager that City are more than capable of mounting a title assault.

“We held top spot for a while last season,” said Carsley.

“I know other teams had games in hand but it’s all about putting points on the board and winning games and that’s what we did.

“We got ourselves into a little sticky spell over Christmas when we took our foot off the gas a little bit and we dropped down the league a little bit.

“I think if you spoke to the gaffer, he will be saying the same thing and so will the lads – we want to push for the league.

“What we did this season should give us confidence. At the start of this season, I think we were one of the favourites to go down.

“Obviously we blew that out of the water and were pushing for a play-off spot. It goes to show that teams like Lancaster with small budgets can compete with the best teams if you have the right attitude from the players.”

Carsley and his team-mates have been ensuring the dressing room camaraderie is not lost by keeping in contact with each other during lockdown.

“For me personally, this is the best dressing room that I have ever known,” he said.

“At other clubs I have been at, you sort of go in do your job, go home and don’t really speak to the lads the rest of the time.

“But at Lancaster, we are all still staying in touch in a WhatsApp group during the lockdown. Some of the lads like Paul Dawson and Sam Bailey, I speak to day to day.

“We have become great friends. It’s just a great dressing room and it will be exciting to see who the gaffer brings in to add to the squad.”

Carsley has been trying to maintain his fitness levels by using the one daily exercise allowed under lockdown wisely.

He said: “ I actually ran my first half marathon the other day, but I have been resting the last couple of days because I was tired after that.

“You have to keep yourself ticking over and I always keep myself in pretty good shape anyway.”