Former Newcastle United defender Mike Williamson announced as Carlisle United's new manager after leaving MK Dons

The Cumbrians have lost five of their first six League Two games following relegation last seson and parted company with Paul Simpson at the end of August.

It’s been a similarly tough start for Williamson at Stadium MK with the Dons only having won two of six so far this season.

“I'm excited,” he said in his first interview at Carlisle. “It has been a whirlwind. I've just had a look around, it's a fantastic club an I'm excited to getting started. It has been manic.

“It's a difficult situation, but I spoke to the owners and as soon as I spoke to them, you could see the passion and values they embodied so it felt right.

“It's a really exciting time for the club. You can see all the developments doing on, but I want to get on the grass now, meet the lads. We want to come here and make sure we give everything we've got, and we're here to support the club.

“You will see development. We've got a certain way we want to play, but we want to bring intensity and excitement. We want to attack the backline at every opportunity and we want the fans to get behind the team to create a real unity. When this place is rocking, it's a real force. It's about fast, attacking football, we want to score goals and get fans off their seats.”

The 40-year-old spent less than a year in charge at MK Dons and departed before he was perhaps pushed.

Williamson departs after Dons initially turned down a request from the Cumbrians for his services earlier this week, before they then met the head coach’s release clause in his contract to enter talks, when he told his Stadium MK bosses he wanted to leave.

Former Newcastle United defender and Gateshead boss Williamson is no stranger to the north of England, still living in the north-east.