Define Sam Fishburn in one word.

Goals.

The Carlisle United striker, currently on loan at Morpeth Town for the 2022-23 campaign, is all about goals and he doesn’t try to hide it.

He loves scoring them – as you may have noticed when he rifled a volley on the turn into the far corner versus Stafford Rangers – and he loves when his team find the net.

His reaction to a Connor Thomson equaliser at Gainsborough Trinity was nothing but joy, a joy that his side had scored.

Now, for a player who is yet to turn 20, there may be a temptation to use age as a reason to not quite hit the heights just yet. But Fishburn doesn’t do excuses.

He simply, occasionally harshly, judges himself on the goals he scores.

Using the word ‘goal’ on numerous occasions in this interview, the forward is forever looking for the next strike, the next chance to celebrate and the following opportunity to trouble the scoresheet.

It’s a big responsibility to put on young shoulders, but he’s ready to take it on and keep delivering for the Highwaymen this season, and potentially League Two Carlisle next season.

“It’s what I have to do, isn’t it,” he said when discussing the need to keep adding to his goal tally.

“It’s a bonus getting goals, especially as a striker. When you’re doing it, it feels great and you feel like you’re on top of the World.

“I feel judged on the amount of goals I get because, the type of striker I am, you’ll always see me trying to get in the box, trying to get those goals so when I do it’s good for everyone.

“I just want to score all the time.”

Many a striker will be judged on their ability to hold the ball, to bring players into the game, and their input into the attacking build-up.

But Fishburn is all too aware that to make a name for yourself, to create a reputation and catch the eye of parent club Carlisle, he needs to be among the elite goal scorers in the Pitching In NPL Premier Division.

“You can have a really good performance and not score but the only people who will have seen it will be those who were at the game,” continued the striker, who has three league goals to his name so far.

“If your name is not on the scoresheet no one is really bothered, are they?

“I just want to score goals all the time. When you get a few goals, you don’t want to stop. Hopefully I can keep going and by the end of the season finish as one of the top scorers in the league.”

If he does that, surely Morpeth’s fortunes will go hand in hand with that rise to the summit of the standings.