TREVOR CARSON was not short of encouragement to make the biggest jump of his career.

A matter of seconds after news of his successful medical comes through, the new Motherwell goalkeeper was swiftly ushered through to the awaiting pressmen to give his immediate thoughts. He'd not even had time to get his obligatory picture taken holding up a scarf.

The 29-year-old, joining from Hartlepool, quickly rattles off a list of names who influenced his decision to turn down a three-year contract on better money to move to the unknown territory of Scottish football. Liam Boyce, Michael McGovern, Niall McGinn, Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill and former Fir Park goalkeeper Connor Ripley had all been consulted. Yet, it was perhaps one man from his past who he has yet to touch base with that offered the greatest source of inspiration.

"I was with Craig Gordon for three or four years," said Carson of his spell at Sunderland. "I was on the bench a lot under him and he always did well. I speak to him quite regularly. He’s one of the best I’ve ever worked with and I learned so much from him.

"It’ll be surreal to come up against him but it would be a fantastic experience. I was in the training session when he broke his arm. He did it in a game against Jermain Defoe but he came back to training and just dived down on it, only for it to break again. He was so unlucky.

"You could see from his first training session that he was worth every penny they’d paid for him and it was a lot of money at the time. He didn’t get the credit he deserved down there. I saw how good he was first-hand. He got unfair criticism. When he was playing well down there he was being linked with an even bigger move. In football you’re only as good as your last game. The fee probably went against him.

"I remember speaking to him about two years ago and he was saying he thought he was going to have to pack it in and go into goalkeeping coaching. The way he’s got his career going again is just fairytale stuff. It shows what can be done up here. There he had Chelsea in for him so you’ll get noticed if you do well up here."

Fairytale stuff indeed. Carson is also looking for a happy ending following a difficult end to his time at Hartlepool.

Just a few weeks prior to sealing a three-year deal with Motherwell, the Northern Irishman was part of the squad that was relegated out of the football league. Ironically, it was a former Motherwell player - Mark O'Brien - who netted the winner for Newport that would end the Victoria Park club's 96-year stint in the professional game.

"I’m over the moon. It’s been rumbling on for a few weeks – at times looking like it was on and then off – so I’m just delighted to get signed," said Carson, who is Stephen Robinson's third new recruit of the window.

"I was in a few international squads with the manager so I know how his training works. It’s brilliant. Him being here was a big factor but it’s about the whole package. There’s the platform of the Premiership, a club like Motherwell and the history of the place. At this stage of my career I wanted to kick on.

"I could have gone to League One or League Two in England but, for me, coming to the Scottish Premiership instead was a no-brainer. I’ve done really well personally over the last three or four years of my career without seeing any real rewards so I thought it was time for a change and to play at a higher level. It’s a great platform."