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When we lost 2-1 at Bristol Rovers on August 21 2004 to send us bottom of the table I texted a mate that we were unlucky and to keep the faith, this was a good side and we will start winning. On August 25 2005 we lost 1-0 at Scunthorpe to send us 12th, I still felt this was a strong side and Freddie would still score goals. Seven succesive wins followed and the season ended with the Championship. August ended the following year with an unlucky 1-0 defeat at Leicester, conceding from a bloody corner, what else, and Gutteridge missed a sitter, that gave hope we could stay in the division. It didn't happen but we gave it a real good go. 12 months ago we entered September with that mad last 10 minutes at Brighton that saw ex-Captain Kev shout at his own supporters, we sunk to 19th, but still we felt if Tilly could sort out the defense this was a side, as Bailey grew with every game he played, that could get to the top six. The Blues were never to go as low again and with some clever work in the January transfer window the play-offs were reached.
I entered this season believing we had a nucleus of a good squad but that injuries, Macca, and suspensions, to some extent Moussa, (Grant or the Moose now anyone?), could lead to trouble and that the quality that had gone, Gower, (and would leave, Bailey), had not even been reasonably replaced. "Wishing and Hoping" indeed Tilly. (I didn't expect Tilly to sign another Bailey but shouldn't we have been more prepared once he went on the transfer list, Pardew just played the game, annoying as it was. Brushy's summer statements confirmed now as the defensive tactics you felt they were at the time.)
That the height of the defence with Clarke, still on the transfer list, and Captain Adam could still be a problem. Mildenhall, or someone like him, just had to happen, we could not go on playing Flavs/Barrett/Clarke, not for another season. Having seen Steve now a few times the jury is most definitely out, please Steve I don't mind you punching from corners but could you stop finding opposition players on the edge of the area, but I'm not joining in the lynching party, for a start the boy Yank is hardly the answer, while if he got more protection, mainly from his midfield, he could do a good job for us.
September 2009, for the first time in five years, I find it hard to have real confidence in this squad. The funny thing is it's such a thin line, some of the stuff we have played this season has been as good as ever, while during that brilliant 13 match unbeaten run last season there was still some games you felt we got away with it, even the 3-1 win at Crewe could have gone pear shaped if the Alex had players who could score from 12 yards. It's just while we were cutting the odds down during that period, giving a few clear cut chances to the opposing forwards, we now seem to be allowing so many opportunities the freedom to walk into our penalty area at will. I said at the time Peterborough and Millwall were ordinary sides and the tests were still to come.
Dougie though is a great signing and I hope he gets more goals that I feel we will continue to let in until Macca returns at the earliest. Barny can still do the business if he stops having to come so deep, so please Walker wide instead of the under performing Betsy. If Grant plays he has to raise his game.
Blues boss Tilson is still without midfield duo Alan McCormack (knee) and Franck Moussa (banned) tomorrow, while left-back Dan Harding and midfielder Tom Sawyer are both doubts and both would be real blows. Harding, if confirmed, because in Clevland Taylor Carlisle have a guy on the right with great pace and in great form. Sawyer, as he's the one midfield player whose showing some form as patience must be growing thin with Anthony Grant who seemed all over the place at Walsall and on Tuesday v the Borient. French midfielder Christophe stands by for a first team debut.
But, of course, Tilly should give a debut to veteran former Leeds striker Dougie Freedman, who scored three times against Carlisle last season and was one of the key men responsible for their play-off defeat at the hands of the Yorkshire club in May.
After all this doom and gloom and defensive woes, it has to be a 1-0 win to Southend of course!
COME ON YOU BLUES!!!!! (Or REDS, probably!)
THE OPPOSITION
Standing third and unbeaten in the early league table the form of these sides has changed around since we last met in April. Southend were approaching the end of a 13 match unbeaten run while Carlisle were in the middle of a slump that saw them in the play-offs with the Blues when automatic promotion seemed there's for the taking. Sadly, Leeds won over the two legs and here we are again only a few months later.
They can score goals while we are letting them in for fun, so a goalless draw is doubtful, anyway that was 72 odd games ago for Southend and counting!
Carlisle boss John Ward has to be congratulated on keeping the momentum going with boardroom disruptions and the loss of key players.
Carlisle London Supporters Club supremo David Brown comments on that and the future for the Cumbrians in general: "We are getting quite nervous having lost our two best players - Keiren Westwood - the best English (although he is in the Irish squad) goalkeeper outside the Premiership and Joe Garner - ace striker (although he is likely to be injured until Xmas). We have got Michael Bridges back for a season long loan (and first choice on signing him after) and he is looking as good as his last spell with us. Our biggest concern is how small our squad is - we already have two key players injured for Saturday so the muddy days of December dont bear thinking about. How different it might have been if we hadn't given it all away to Forest in the last few weeks - we might have kept our owner, best players and attracted the players we needed. Still I expect us to be in the mix at the end of the season with playoffs as a minimum.
Manager Ward on what looks like an unchanged side from last Saturday while believing he has vindicated his decision not to make deadline-day buys: "The strength of the squad is apparent at the moment. We will have Scott Dobie back from suspension after Saturday, Josh Gowling is fit again and that only leaves Chris Lumsdon injured. It's a reason why I didn't have to jump into the transfer market. I didn't feel it was necessary at the moment."
Luke Joyce, Michael Bridges, Gary Madine and Grant Smith all scored for the reserves in Wednesday's 4-1 Central League Cup win at Hartlepool and Ward said their efforts underlined the intense competition for places. Left-back Darren Campion missed that game through illness and he will not be considered for tomorrow's squad, although he should return to training on Monday.
A report on last week's terrific 4-1 win at home to Yeovil Town and the squad that will probably start against the Blues provided by www.newsandstar.co.uk.
The manager is currently keeping his talent search in-house, and in Cleveland Taylor's performance on Saturday there was memorable rebuke to those who believe that taking a plunge into the market should be a reflex action at this time of year. Already this season we have devoured the tale of Danny Carlton's emergence as a credible first-team player after the frustrations of the previous campaign. The second coming of Taylor is the latest yarn to bounce off the presses, and it is equally riveting.
Danny Graham can be thanked all day long for the most clinical of hat-tricks which cut down Yeovil, but United's comeback was shaped by the persistence and quality of Taylor on the right wing. That's a sentence which rarely elbowed its way into print last term, when the former Scunthorpe player laboured for fitness and form. Now, regenerated by an excellent pre-season, he is finally displaying the best of his talents. On Saturday they were such that Russell Slade's players will need to knock back heaps of Somerset cider to recreate the headache Taylor inflicted on them in the second half.
"Cleveland is unpredictable, but he has got that pace and desire to run at people and he has been involved in three goals that won us the game," said Ward. "Danny will get the match-ball, a lot of credit and rightly so. But there are a lot of reasons why you should credit Cleveland for this victory."
Let's list them. One: the textbook cross which provided Carlisle's second goal - a sniper's finish from Graham after Yeovil goalkeeper Asmir Begovic had failed to hold Carlton's header. Two: the pacy run which drew a foul from Lee Peltier in the box, allowing Graham to snaffle his hat-trick from the spot. And three: another purposeful drive down the left of the Yeovil area and a tidy cut-back which enabled Gary Madine to clip home his maiden first-team goal.
Taylor, substituted in injury-time to a surge of applause, is entitled to ask how many of the clapping thousands were booing him a few months back. Too many supporters too quickly leapt across the line between fair criticism and blatant catcalling where the winger was concerned last term. "That's all in the past now," said the 24-year-old, but he can take great satisfaction in the way he has forced his critics into reverse.
However, the detail on how Taylor, Graham and the rest of Ward's goal-hungry players eventually barbecued Yeovil can only pour onto the page once we have registered the story of a sluggish first-half, when United seemed to have mislaid their normal rhythm and swiftness of thought. A sliding effort from Graham - gathered by Begovic - was the only incident of note before the Glovers cracked open Carlisle's defence in the 15th minute. There was a corner shoddily-conceded by Evan Horwood, a run and low delivery from Paul Warne with which the Blues failed to deal, and when Ben Williams' parried Marc Bircham's low shot, Gavin Tomlin stroked in the rebound.
United, cuffed aside last Tuesday in the Carling Cup by Emmanuel Ledesma, QPR's loanee from Genoa (aided by a couple of others borrowed from Real Madrid and Fiorentina), were now peering at the ignominy of being felled by a striker who fetched up in Yeovil this summer from Fisher Athletic. A dangerous header from the redoubtable Terry Skiverton quickly brought more anxiety, but it was around the half-hour mark that Ward's players finally started to stir. Peter Murphy, advancing from a quick free-kick, drew an alert save from Begovic with a deflected drive. Taylor then served Graham with an excellent cross which deserved better than an off-target header. The big striker then failed to test Begovic from promising territory after excellent work from Carlton.
United were not yet flowing, their football patchy and too often in the air, but the chances continued to arrive. Finally, so did their equaliser: a spasm of penalty box pinball, a lofted ball from David Raven, a nod from Danny Livesey and then a pummelling left-footed finish from Graham on the brink of half-time.
Slade's response was to add the brawn of Lloyd Owusu to his attack at the onset of the second half. Moments later, the Ghanaian forced a diving save from Williams, who had conceded the ball with a poor clearance. But this was not to be a half of Cumbrian apprehension. In the 58th minute, United sped into the lead. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson found Simon Hackney with a telling pass, the winger laid the ball to Taylor, Carlton attacked his cross with a good, downward header, and when it squirmed away from Begovic, Graham battered the chance high into the net.
After substitute Andre McColin headed just wide after a Yeovil counter-attack, Carlisle flew back at their visitors and earned their third. Peltier's trip on Taylor to the left of the box offered referee Graham Laws an uncomplicated decision, and Graham dispatched the penalty with equal simplicity.
The effect was the deflation of Yeovil who had previously performed with a high level of spirit and discipline. Perhaps they didn't deserve to be impaled by a fourth, but try telling that to young Madine, who replaced Graham in attack and then planted his debut goal into the bottom left corner, after meeting Taylor's pull-back just inside the box.
Madine's arrival as a first-team goalscorer was one of several encouraging sub-plots to a day dominated by Graham. Others included Paul Thirlwell's authoritative display in the midfield disputes and Carlton's unheralded efforts as an industrious foil for the hat-trick hero. "They've got a considerable partnership going there," observed Ward on his strikers.
What United have got going is some heartening form to send them spinning into a demanding-looking September. Expect Southend, Scunthorpe, Leeds and Walsall to threaten Carlisle's well-being at the top of League One. But also expect the Cumbrians to breeze into those battles with confidence in spades.
A couple of defeats could make this sound absurd, but Ward is entitled to let tonight's deadline pass quietly. A tally of 11 goals in four league games is the manager's weapon to wield against any suggestions his team requires additional creativity and penetration (which they will receive in any case when Scott Dobie returns from suspension in a fortnight).
Let it keep coming. Let there be more examples of the width and energy with which United played in the second half here. And let there be plenty more match-defining contributions from Taylor, whose happy story of self-improvement beats a panic buy every time.
BEN WILLIAMS - Couldn't be faulted for Yeovil's opener and dealt with the visitors' other sporadic efforts. 6/10
DAVID RAVEN - Another sturdy performance. The visitors got little joy down Carlisle's right. 7/10
EVAN HORWOOD - Still needs to raise his game but this was far from one of his worst days. 6/10
DANNY LIVESEY - A commanding presence, particularly in the second half. 7/10
PETER MURPHY - Not his most eyecatching display but helped Livesey keep things tight at the back. 6/10
MARC BRIDGE-WILKINSON - Industrious rather than inspirational, although played one or two splendid passes to create Carlisle attacks. 6/10
PAUL THIRLWELL - Snuffed out Yeovil's midfield threat after the break with some typically forceful tackling. 7/10
SIMON HACKNEY - Pacy running kept Glovers defence on the back foot. Mixed bag of set-piece deliveries. 7/10
CLEVELAND TAYLOR - His most influential United performance to date and deserved his huge ovation. 8/10
DANNY GRAHAM - Clinical finishing for a deserved hat-trick. On other days he might have doubled his tally. 8/10
DANNY CARLTON - Worked tirelessly alongside Graham and his contribution to the cause should not be underestimated. 7/10
Subs: Michael Bridges (for Hackney, 79) - A couple of flashes of skill. 6; Gary Madine (for Graham, 85) - Confidently tucked away his debut goal. 7; Luke Joyce (for Taylor, 90) - On at the death to allow fans to salute Taylor. 6. Not used: Chris Howarth, Richard Keogh.
Played 30: Won 9 Drawn 8 Lost 13.
We do have worse records out there. It all started on the 4th of January 1908 when we bizarrely played each other in the 5th qualifying round of the F.A.Cup in Cumbria, no regional draw back then, and lost 4-0 five years after they were formed and two years after Southend were! Bit of a culture shock for those players, no wonder we lost, probably took two days to get up there!
The last game between us was the famous 'Play off confirmed/Raven sent off' game last April, which you can read about again in this 'Back In Time' article.
For the rest cast your eyes down the following fixtures and scores. (Does not include that 1908 Cup game, nothing to do with me!)
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THE GROUND
The Cumberland Building Society Stand on one side of the pitch, is a relatively new covered, all seated stand, which looks quite smart. The other side is an old partly covered (to the rear) Main Stand, which has seating at the back and a terraced paddock to the front. The central part of this stand was built in 1954 and the wings added at a later stage. The Warwick Road End is a covered terrace that has a peculiar looking roof. The other end, the Petterill End (aka The Waterworks End), is a small open terrace, which after refurbishment has now been re-opened after being closed for a number of years. There is also an electric scoreboard at this end, which is also known as the Waterworks End. The ground also has some strange looking floodlights.
Another unusual aspect of the ground is that the central point of the East Stand, is located just off the half way line. This means that one side of the stand extends past the one goal line, whilst the other side falls short of this. This was due to the fact that the Club were intending to re-build the whole ground and move the pitch a few yards further north, but alas the development funds ran dry.....
After a short stint in the Petterill End, it would appear that away fans are now mainly housed once again in part of the Cumberland Building Society Stand on one side of the pitch. The facilities and the view of the playing area from the East Stand are good. Last season Shrimpers were allocated part of the East Stand, where they found they were only separated from home fans by a piece of fabric spread across the seats and a bit of plastic ribbon. It tends to create a lively atmosphere between the two sets of fans and can also be a little intimidating, however as the average age was about 15 you should be OK. Most of the aggression was from our own supporters and whose to say that will not happen again if things go pear shaped.
THE PUB
There is the Beehive opposite the ground but the pubs of choice are the Woodrow Wilson and The Griffin in Botchergate next to the railway station and then the Rugby Club, literally next to the ground.
For maps and full directions go to The Pub Crawl at www.thelittlegazette.com/news/loadsngl.asp?cid=EDW8&id=405406
THE CAR
The ground is easy to find. Leave the M6 at junction 43 and take the A69 towards Carlisle. After a mile the ground is on your right. The club car park (cost £1.50) can be found by taking the first right immediately after Brunton Park into Victoria Place and then turn first right onto St Aidans Road. Otherwise street parking.
THE TRAIN
Brunton Park is situated about a mile from Carlisle Citadel station, but is relatively easy to get to. Upon exiting the station's main entrance, walk the short distance around The Crescent until reaching Warwick Road. You will be able to see the old Main Stand and the strangely-shaped roofs of the Warwick Road end after walking for about twenty minutes.
For maps of the town and easy directions to the ground including full travel information go to Day Return to Carlisle at www.thelittlegazette.com/news/loadsngl.asp?cid=EDW4
THE HISTORY
The club was formed when two Carlisle based teams, Shaddongate United and Carlisle Red Rose, merged in 1903. The newly formed club initially played at Milhome Bank and later at Devonshire Park, finally settling at their current home Brunton Park situated on Warwick Road.
Carlisle were elected to the Football League Third Division North in 1928 replacing Durham City. They won their first game in the league, the side of Prout, Coulthard, Cook, Harrison, Ross, Pigg, Agar, Hutchison, McConnell, Ward and Watson beating Accrington Stanley 3-2.
Carlisle spent one season in the old First Division, the 1974-75 season. They won their first three fixtures of the campaign to top the table, but finished the season in bottom place and were relegated. A decline over the next 13 years saw them fall back into the Fourth Division by 1987.
1987-88: With Carlisle in the Fourth Division for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century, their form continued to slump. They finished second from bottom in the league, but at least they were never in any real danger of relegation because of Newport County's exceptionally awful form - which saw 19 points separate the two teams.
1988-89: Carlisle's league form took a major boost after three awful seasons and they finished a respectable 12th in the Fourth Division. They reached the FA Cup Third Round, where their run was ended by defending league champions and eventual FA Cup winners Liverpool. 17-year-old defender Steve Harkness was sold to Liverpool at the end of the season. His place in the team was filled by Middlesbrough's Paul Proudlock.
1989-90: Carlisle's good progress continued into the new decade, but their playoff hopes were ended on the final day of the season by a 5-2 demolition at the hands of Maidstone United. This was a disappointing end to an encouraging season during which the Cumbrians had topped the Fourth Division on Christmas day and for a while in January as well, but in the end they only missed out on the playoffs due to inferior goal difference.
1990-91: A promising start to the season suggested that the Cumbrians were finally on their way out of the Fourth Division, but a disastrous second half of the campaign saw them slump to 20th in the final table and cost manager Clive Middlemass his job in March. He was succeeded by Aidan McCaffrey, who was left needing a substantial overhaul to get Carlisle's fortunes back on track.
1991-92: Carlisle endured one of the worst seasons in their history as they finished bottom of the Fourth Division, but were lucky because the demise of Aldershot resulted in no relegation to the Conference taking place that year.
1992-93: Michael Knighton took Carlisle over just before the start of the season, and within weeks had sacked manager Aidan McCaffrey following a terrible start to the new Division Three campaign. David McCreery, 35, was appointed player-manager and steered Carlisle to safety as they finished 18th in the final table.
1993-94: Before the season began, Michael Knighton announced his intention to deliver Premiership football to Carlisle by 2003. He re-organised the management team to appoint Mick Wadsworth as Director of Coaching, while David McCreery was given the role of head coach and 38-year-old goalkeeper Mervyn Day was named as assistant coach. This season was Carlisle's best in years, as the £121,000 record signing of striker David Reeves in October saw them acquire a much-needed prolific goalscorer. They won 10 of their final 14 league games to secure the final playoff place in Division Three, though their promotion dream was ended by Wycombe in the semi-finals.
1994-95: Carlisle finally achieved their first major success in 13 years by lifting the Division Three title. David Reeves scored 25 league goals to help Carlisle achieve their long-awaited success which ended their eight-year ordeal in the league's basement division. They also reached the Autoglass Windscreen Trophy Final but missed out on the trophy after conceding a sudden death extra time goal against Birmingham City.
1995-96: Mick Wadsworth's resignation as manager in December was a major blow to Carlisle, as was the mid-season sale of key players Paul Murray and Tony Gallimore. They finished the season clear of the relegation zone with more goals than 21st-placed York City, who had to replay a game against Brighton which had been cancelled due to crowd trouble. But a 3-1 victory for York sent Carlisle down, just one season after they had won promotion to Division Two.
1996-97: Young players like Rory Dela, Matt Jansen and Lee Peacock were crucial as Carlisle bounced back from relegation to achieve promotion back to Division Two at the first time of asking. The promotion joy was accompanied by a penalty shoot-out triumph over Colchester United in the Auto Windscreens Trophy Final, in which Tony Caig pulled off some impressive goalkeeping heroics.
1997-98: Mervyn Day was sacked just six games into Carlisle's Division Two campaign, and chairman Michael Knighton promptly installed himself as manager. They were still in the relegation zone come Christmas, they did manage to climb clear. But nine defeats from their final 10 games condemned Carlisle to relegation in 23rd place, with 17 goals from striker Ian Stevens not being quite enough to attain survival.
1998-99: Carlisle entered the final game of the season needing to beat Plymouth Argyle at Brunton Park to avoid relegation and possibly extinction, and 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 down Scarborough.
1999-00: Once again, Carlisle narrowly avoided relegation in second from bottom place in Division Three. They lost their final game of the season 1-0 to Brighton, but were kept up by Chester City's defeat at the hands of Peterborough United.
2000-01: Ian Atkins, one of the most successful managers in the lower leagues, was appointed at the Carlisle helm and there was much hope that he could be the man to achieve promotion. But things didn't work out, and they finished 22nd - just one place higher than in the previous two campaigns. Atkins quit at the end of the season and was succeeded by Roddy Collins.
2001-02: After three seasons of close shaves with relegation, Carlisle enjoyed the relative luxury of attaining a safe final position of 17th - which saw them finish 16 points clear of the relegation zone.
2002-03: For the fourth time in five seasons, Carlisle narrowly avoided relegation. This time 22nd place was just one place above the drop zone, as this was the first season in which two clubs were relegated to the Conference instead of just one.
2003-04: The writing was on the wall for Carlisle after they lost 18 of their first 21 Division Three games. Manager Paul Simpson did all he could to salvage something from the next 25 fixtures, but couldn't quite achieve safety - 40 points from a possible 75 were effectively rendered meaningless due to Carlisle's appalling first half of the season. Had they performed as well during the first half of the campaign as they did during the second, then they would have featured in the push for a playoff place.
2004-05: Carlisle returned to the Football League at the first time of asking by winning the Conference National promotion playoffs.
2005-06: Carlisle's excellent form under Paul Simpson continued as they returned to the Football League with a bang, clinching the League Two title. Simpson then departed for local rivals Preston North End, and was succeeded by Neil McDonald.
2006-07: Carlisle become the first visiting team to win a League One match at the Keepmoat Stadium, the new home of Doncaster Rovers after a 2-1 win on February 3. The win was part of a sequence of games in which the club - mired in mid-table - staged a late run for a play-off place, they finally finished the season 8th, their highest league place for 20 years with the added bonus of returning their highest average league crowds for 30 years.
2007-08: Carlisle started the season with a 1-1 draw at newly promoted Walsall, but manager Neil McDonald was sacked on the Monday after the match, this move came as a shock to the Carlisle fans, Greg Abbott took over as caretaker manager with Cheltenham Town manager John Ward taking over on a permanent basis in October 2007, with both clubs agreeing a six figure compensation package and Ward's contract will run for four years.
Ward took Carlisle to the top of League One on 28 October, and they were still looking likely for automatic promotion at the beginning of April as they occupied second place, but could only manage a draw on the final day of the season and finished fourth. They played against Leeds United in the semi-finals. On 12 May 2007, Carlisle United played Leeds United in the League One Playoff first leg at Elland Road. Carlisle won that match 2-1 with Graham's posterior and Bridge Wilkinson scoring the goals. Dougie Freedman scored a controversial injury time goal (in the 96th minute; only 4 minutes were shown on the fourth official's board) for Leeds to set up an enthralling second leg.
In the corresponding fixture at Brunton, Leeds took an early first half lead through a Jonny Howson goal, and then Howson scored his second with only seconds to spare to put the match at 3-2 on aggregate to Leeds, meaning Carlisle would spend another season in the Third Tier of English football.
June 18th 2008 - Kieren Westwood leaves the club for Coventry City F.C. for an initial £500'000, and rumours are that previous owner John Courtenay is looking to buy the club back from Fred Story.
July 3rd 2008 - Carlisle United is to be taken over by a consortium led by director and accountant David Allen. News conference at 2pm at Brunton Park. Colourful businessman John Courtenay has failed to reacquire the club.