Now, Carlisle United should be a team we feel some affinity with. Not because of the similarity of the towns, as there is none, other than the fact that when you type “interesting facts Carlisle” into Google, you get exactly the same lack of response as you do with Walsall, but because of what they achieved. For the teenagers amongst us, that was their wonderful achievement of 1974/75 season, when they, as a “small” team, from a “small” town actually gained promotion to the top flight. Unlike Wimbledon, later on, they did it by playing football too. They are the example of what many of us think we should all aspire too, in trying to achieve the “impossible” the right way, just as Hull City are doing at the moment.

Their other wonderful moment is a lot more recent, of course. Carlisle went into the last game of the 1998-99 season needing to beat Plymouth Argyle at home to avoid relegation to the Conference. The score was still 1-1 with 90 minutes showing on the clock. The referee allowed four minutes of stoppage time, and, during the final minute, Carlisle were awarded a corner. Goalkeeper Jimmy Glass, signed in an emergency loan deal after the transfer deadline, drove home a last-gasp winner which preserved Carlisle’s Football League status and sent Scarborough down.

Jimmy Mullen will be going into tomorrow’s game on the back of yet another last minute defeat and with injury and suspension problems. Michael Ricketts is suspended, Hughes and Roberts are still not fit. Bradley has a back injury, but may figure, as could Zaaboub, who may return from illness.

Last week’s starting sixteen was this:

Ince, Palmer, Weston, Gerrard, Sansara, Reich, Mattis, Taundry, Nicholls, Ibehre, Deeney.

Subs: Gilmartin, Smith, Davies, Grigg, Adkins

It’s difficult to see there being any changes to this, in the circumstances, other than possibly Bradley and Zaaboub.

For Carlisle, defender Peter Murphy is back in the squad after an ankle injury, but they may well name an unchanged line-up.

Paul Thirlwell is also fit to return to the squad, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson will have an injection to continue playing, but Chris Lumsdon (back) is still out.

The team for their last fixture, a 0 – 0 draw at Oldham, was:

Krul, Raven, Livesey, Keogh, Liddle, Taylor, Bridge-Wilkinson, Kavanagh, Jeff Smith, Bridges, Graham.

Subs: Williams, Birchall, Hackney, Thirlwell, Dobie

The familiar names there, of course, are ex Port Fail man Bridge-Wilkinson, old “friend” (and, what’s worse Potter) Kavanagh, former Bag Lady Dobie and the two dangermen Michael Bridges and Danny Graham.

Predictions?

It’s increasingly hard to look at any fixtures with much optimism, especially if the referee adds on any injury time! Our last five away have been 1 win, 1 draw and 3 defeats and, since the beginning of October, we have played 15, won 4, drawn 3 and lost 8 in all games. That’s just 15 points from 15 games.

We did beat Carlisle earlier this season, but that was at the start of a 12 game losing streak for them. Their current form is much better, with that 0 – 0 draw at Oldham being complimented by a 3 – 0 home win against Huddersfield. I am not hopeful about this one!