Cammy Harper checked in at Carlisle United from Caley Thistle and immediately set his sights on a title push in England’s League Two.
The Cumbrians snapped up the highly-rated 22-year-old attacking left-back from Inverness on a three-year deal on Friday.
Home-grown talent Harper has flourished in the ICT first-team over recent years, but was out of contract this summer following the club’s relegation from the Championship to League One.
His CV shows he made 164 appearances for the Highlanders, scoring a dozen goals all in, including several spectacular strikes.
Shot at title is Harper’s main goal
It was no surprise that Harper opted to make his first move away from ICT and he cannot wait to try to guide Paul Simpson’s Carlisle back up to the English third tier following relegation last term.
He said: “A fresh challenge was definitely what I needed.
“I spoke to the gaffer, who told me his plans for the season, seeing the work going in at the stadium, and the owners’ ambitions of trying to get this club back into League One.
“Everything aligned with what I was looking for in the next push in my career. It made the decision easy for me.
“The gaffer and owners’ ambitions are the same as mine – to go for a league title.
“I am just hoping to play as many games as I can, set some goals up, and to score a few as well.
“Every day is a school day and I’m still learning.
“I’ve come to a new league, and I’ll be learning as I go, but I’m looking forward to it and I can’t wait to get started.”
Captained ICT in his final season
Harper hopes his time as one of the more experienced pros at the Caledonian Stadium, despite his age, will stand him in good stead for the future.
He said: “It took me a season to two to adjust to senior football, but after that it felt natural, and I played more than 150 games for the club – and I captained them for a couple of games, too, near the end of last season.
“In a way, I became like a senior pro, because we had a really young team.
“I played a lot of games and had a lot of good times up there.
“I was one of the most experienced players in the changing room.
“In the last two seasons, I felt I I needed to step up, whether that was on the pitch or even just speaking to new signings coming into the club.
“That’s a trait I’ve adapted over the last couple of years.”
‘I have a lot of good memories’
Harper will miss playing for Inverness, but felt the time was right to move on, having been with the club since he was a youngster.
He added: “I was at Inverness since the age of 10 all the way through the age groups and signed my first contract when I was 16. I was in the first-team pretty much ever since.
“I have got a lot of good memories. It’s where I’m from, so I was sad to go, but I needed a new challenge and coming here was exactly what I was looking for.”
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