If you are making the long journey to Carlisle, check out the club’s advice for away fans by clicking here – Carlisle’s advice-for-away-fans
Travelling to Carlisle (apart from being a long journey) has always held some fears for travelling fans – the ‘Blues’ have traditionally been very strong at home in Brunton Park. It’s still the case that Carlisle haven’t lost at home this season, but Carlisle have not had a good start. Their first 9 games have seen 2 wins (1 home v Salford , 1 away v Swindon), 4 draws & 3 defeats. They are in 17th place in the league.
480 Carlisle fans made the long trip to Sutton Utd for Carlisle’s last outing. Some of them ended up booing their own side as Carlisle were outplayed in a 4-0 defeat. This was Carlisle’s biggest defeat for 7 years in the league, and the pressure is beginning to build on their manager Chris Beech. Substitute Mampala was sent off for a second yellow card in the 71st minute (after only being on the field for less than 15 minutes) to add to the Cumbrians miserable day. Carlisle’s local paper said – “Even compared with recent poor displays it was a new low for the Cumbrians in 2021/22, who were totally outplayed by their hosts.”
Last season Rovers won away at Carlisle (2-1) and also beat them at home (1-0).
One of Carlisle’s most reliable players in recent seasons has been their No 12 Jon Mellish. Mellish has been a regular goalscorer for the Cumbrians and he has 2 strikes already this season. What is remarkable about Mellish’s scoring record is that he started last season as a defender and then converted to a defensive midfielder. He ended last season with 16 goals to his name. Carlisle’s manager believes every team needs a Jon Mellish and he praises the left-footed 23 year old midfielder as ‘selfless’.
Free scoring Carlisle No 12 Jon Mellish
Carlisle’s other main strike threat probably comes from Tristan Abrahams. Abrahams has 2 goals this season, having joined from Newport in the summer.
Carlisle manager Chris Beech is feeling some pressure
Chris Beech is an experienced coach who started managing Carlisle in November 2019. But he has taken some flak from Carlisle fans after the team’s poor start to the season.
- Back in 1066, Carlisle was in Scotland. The town is, of course, English these days but is only 7 miles from the Scottish border.
- Carlisle’s geography means they travel long distances to away games. Their shortest trip to an away game is a 175 mile round trip to Barrow – a mere 3 or 4 hours on the road. Exeter involves an 11 hour round trip of up to 700 miles. Compared with these journeys, the 500 mile round trip to Nailsworth is a piece of cake!
- Carlisle have played one season in the top flight of English football (1974/75 season). They won their first 3 games of the season to go top of the division but eventually finished bottom and were relegated back to the 2nd tier.
- Bill Shankly (a former Carlisle manager), at the time, called Carlisle’s rise to the top “the greatest feat in the history of the game”.
- These days known as ‘The Blues’, they are also sometimes known as ‘The Foxes’ due to a historical local connection with huntsman John Peel. Older club badges feature a fox head underneath Carlisle Castle and the club mascot is still Olga the Fox (Olga because it’s an anagram of goal!).
- Carlisle fans are known as ‘the blue army’. Among their chants Carlisle supporters sing ‘Proud to be a Cumbrian, Super Carlisle from the North’.
Carlisle’s mascot, Olga the Fox, takes some time out at local Cumbrian attraction, Hadrian’s Wall.
Legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly took his first step in management in 1949 at Carlisle, where he stayed for 2 years.
