United Boss John Ward has beaten off stiff competition to scoop the Coca-Cola Manager of the Month award for March following an amazing run of five wins and two draws through what was a very tough run of games for the Cumbrians.

Ward was up against Steve Tilson, Sean O'Driscoll and Keith Downing, who had all enjoyed good results with their respective clubs, but the extension of the unbeaten run to 12 consecutive games was enough to sway the panel, and to secure him the trophy for the second month in a row.

The manager told us this morning: "For any individual to be successful in a team game, they have to rely on the help of many others, and that is definitely the case here. We're very much a team here, and I want that to remain the case throughout my time with the club."

"Obviously Keiren has won the Fan award for March as well," he added, "and that shows that we're doing things right, across the board. I think he will say the same, because it's recognition for the work that we are all doing, as a team, and that's what makes it so good to get these awards. It shows that we're all working towards the same aim, so I'm delighted to be able to accept it on behalf of everyone."

"We've had a fantastic run, we've broken club records at various times, and it has been a really special time to be connected with Carlisle United," he said. "From my own point of view, it has been great, because we are all in the game to get positive results, and we have been doing that. We now want to push on and see if we can continue to do that, and maybe bring even better rewards at the end of the season. The last two months have been special for us, but we have hard work still to do, and we're all ready for it."