MAN of the moment Chris Turner last night brushed aside reports linking him with an emotional return to Sheffield Wednesday.

Hartlepool United chief Turner, who two weeks ago signed an extended contract to keep him at Victoria Park and was also crowned Nationwide Division Three manager of the month, is among the names in the frame to replace axed Hillsborough chief Paul Jewell.

Sheffield-born Turner is a lifelong Owls fan and made over 150 appearances for the club in two spells during his playing career.

But as he prepared for tonight's trip to Carlisle he admitted: "I don't think they could make any decision at this moment. They will sit back and weigh the options up properly in the summer, then it will depend on what division they are in.

"We could be in the same division as them next season and if we are then it will be nice to go back there as a manager - but only to come away with three points.

"I've only just signed a new contract here and I am happy at Hartlepool United. There's still a lot of work to do here; the job is by no means finished. We want to continue the progress we have achieved and take the club as far as we can.''

Turner has led Pool into the play-off zone and Saturday's win over Blackpool lifted them into sixth spot. Three points tonight and Pool would go fourth, but Turner must manage without wing-back Paul Arnison for up to six weeks.

The former Newcastle reserve team skipper damaged his medial knee ligaments on Saturday and Turner said: "He's having a scan to find out how bad it is, but we will have to do without him for four to six weeks.

"It's worse than we thought. Paul has been playing well, but we know that Darren Knowles will come in and do a good job.

"He's been waiting for a chance and now he has got one. Darren will always give his all.''

Carlisle have moved off the bottom after going six games unbeaten, a run that includes a 2-2 draw at Victoria Park last month.

Turner said: "Ian Atkins now has his team together and he has a team capable of doing well in this division.

"It's maybe taken him eight months to get there and sort things out because of the problems behind the scenes.

But they won't finish bottom of the league and this will be a very, very difficult game.

"We had a tough game on Saturday that we came out of well, and I'm confident that if we create the same sort of chances we have been doing of late we will come away with something.

"But we are not getting carried away with anything. There are still 16 games to go and a lot of points to be won.''

Mark Robinson is back in the squad after recovering from a foot injury, but Ian Clark is again missing. In-form Carlisle keeper Matt Glennon is a doubt after being struck down with flu.

Pool (from): Williams, Knowles, Westwood, Sharp, Barron, Shilton, Tinkler, Stephenson, Miller, Midgley, Henderson, Hollund, Aspin, Lormor, Fitzpatrick, Robinson, Sperrevik.

Read more news from Pool here.