Last updated 19:39, Thursday, 08 May 2008

WORKINGTON Reds manager Darren Edmondson has re-signed for Carlisle Utd - but only for the Masters Football five-a-side tournament.

Edmondson, 36, will take his place in the squad which includes former United manager Paul Simpson and Jimmy Glass, the goalkeeper that scored in the 95th minute to save Carlisle from relegation in 1999.

The competition is held on June 15 and will include North East giants Newcastle Utd, Middlesbrough, Sunderland, as well as Hartlepool and Darlington.

Edmondson said: “I was aware that Carlisle were putting a team in this year but it’s not the kind of thing you can ring up and ask to play.

“You just wait for the phone call and luckily for me, they rang and I agreed to play.

“Masters Football is a great competition and it means I can meet up with some of the lads that I used to play with.

“I was in the same Carlisle team as Rod Thomas and Dean Walling and have worked with John Halpin.

“I’m looking forward to playing, especially with the legendary Jimmy Glass. It is a real honour for me to be playing.”

There are some big name players in this years competition including: Pavel Srnicek, John Beresford, Brian Kilcline, Philippe Albert, Temuri Ketsbaia, Nikos Dabizas, Niall Quinn, Craig Hignett Bernie Slaven and Curtis Fleming to name a few.

And it is Ketsbaia that Edmondson is really looking forward to playing against.

He said: “Ketsbaia has played around Europe and has been an international. Dabizas is another who has played Premier League football as well as in the European Championships.

“It is very exciting and I’m really looking forward to it. When you are young, you look up to these kind of people, so to be able to play against them now will be great.”

The North East masters is held at Newcastle’s Metro Radio Arena.