Everything you need to know ahead of the weekend game
Carlisle United equalled a club Football League record on Tuesday night when they took their unbeaten start to the season to ten games with yet another excellent away performance at Doncaster.A positive result on Saturday will take them into uncharted territory and will put the 13-match unbeaten start recorded during our Conference season well within their sights.
Manager Keith Curle said: “If records are coming it means things are being done properly, and the players have to take credit for that. Saturday isn’t about that though. It’s about the fact we have another opportunity to add points to our tally.
“The run we are on is breeding confidence and it comes from having a demanding group which doesn’t want to give anything up. They are battling for everything and we want that to carry on at the weekend.
“The fans are enjoying their football because they know they have a team that wants to win. We want success at this club, for us all, and we’ll continue to strive for improvement so that we get it.
“Colchester were at a higher level last season and they will be a good test for us. They are another side with good attributes but we know we can cause problems if we earn the right to play our game.”
Remember, you can purchase your tickets by telephone on 0844 371 1921* or buy online and print at home, or order for collection, by clicking HERE.
*Calls to this number are charged at 7p per minute from landlines. Charges from mobiles may vary. A booking fee of £1 applies to all online transactions.
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Thank you to our Big Match Sponsors
This weekend we welcome Jewson as our main Match Sponsor and Donleys as our Match Ball Sponsor – we hope they enjoy their day in the Sponsor’s Lounge and Foxy’s Restaurant respectively.
A special mention and Happy 50th birthday to Charles Watt and Richard Lamb who will also be joining us in Foxy’s.
We also have two large groups with us from DPD and Graham Commercials – this makes for a full restaurant and a good atmosphere.
We have an extensive range of sponsorship opportunities available, from Match Day sponsorship to Player and Ball sponsorship packages. For more information please contact the Commercial Department on 01228 554 155 or email commercial@carlisleunited.co.uk.
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Please help us to look after our Family Zone
Our Family Zone is still an extremely popular match day venue ... but we need your help to keep it that way.
The consoles, games, toys and equipment purchased for the Zone have been bought for the benefit of everybody, and we are disappointed to have to report that some of the smaller items have gone missing.
In the last few weeks we have lost a Wii Console, Xbox controllers and, having replaced those, we have also had Xbox controller batteries removed.
The Family Zone is a huge success but if items continue to go missing it will make it extremely difficult to continue to provide the full range of activities which our young fans look forward to so much.
Please, please, please look after and respect this fantastic addition to the club’s portfolio.
Entry to the Family Zone is for Pioneer Foods Stand ticket holders only. Supporters with youngsters who want to go into the Family Zone can switch locations at a cost of 50p (seated area to seated area) or £3 (terraced area to seated area) per ticket.
But remember, Family Zone ticket prices are £2 cheaper across the board – call 0844 371 1921 for more details! Adults and seniors MUST be accompanied by a child or junior to qualify for the discount.
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Welcome to our Match Day Mascots
Our mascots for this game are Freya and Ceara Convery.
Freya’s favourite player is Danny Grainger and Ceara is a Mark Ellis fan, and both predict a Carlisle home win today.
Have a great day girls!
To find out more about our Junior Blues membership and how to become a mascot, click HERE.
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The Man in the Middle
Our match referee this weekend is Mr Graham Salisbury.
Mr Salisbury has taken charge of nine games so far and has shown 27 yellow cards and one red. That, of course, was in our opening game of the season down at Portsmouth when Jamie Devitt received a second yellow card and his marching orders with just 28 minutes on the clock. Mark Gillespie also went in the book and Reggie Lambe scored our goal as we battled our way to a point.
His last trip to Brunton Park was for our 3-1 victory over Crawley in November 2015. Charlie Wyke (2) and Jabo Ibehre scored the goals and Mark Ellis was our only name taken on the day.
Our betting partner Sky Bet has some fantastic odds available on all match markets – click HERE for more details.
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The Match Programme
Issue 7 of The Blues is on sale from our usual programme selling points and outlets around the ground.
This week we get to know Nicky Adams just a little bit better than we knew him before. Be amazed at who he’d trust, nod in agreement at his favourite film … and shake your head in sheer desperation as you find out which live concert he feels is the best he has ever attended.
Packed with stats, facts, history and features, and priced at just £2, it’s one not to be missed.
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Catering
The catering outlets in the Paddock and Warwick Road End are now fully operational and will be serving the full range of hot and cold food for every game this season.
Fans can purchase burgers, hot dogs, pies and hot drinks inside the stadium, as well as from the catering van situated in the main car park, as normal.
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The Blues Store in the East Stand Club Bar
We are delighted to confirm that our Blues Store will be operating from the Club Bar adjacent to the Family Zone in the Pioneer Foods Stand once again this weekend.
A full range of stock will be available with the emphasis on smaller items, suitable for the younger visitors to our extremely popular Family Zone games and play area.
Keep an eye out for our East Stand Tuck Shop which sells a full range of soft drinks and confectionery.
Replica kit sales continue to go well in our main Blues Store on Warwick Road and it would be great to see you in your favourite colour [blue, red or white] as you cheer on the lads in the big game.
Blues Store opening times:
Monday 10am-5pm
Tuesday 10am-5pm (open until 7.45pm on a match day)
Wednesday CLOSED
Thursday 10am-5pm
Friday 10am-5pm
Saturday 10am-3pm (open until 5.30pm on match day)
Sunday CLOSED
Telephone sales: 01228 554 138 (during store working hours only).
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Match Day Ticket Sales
Our ticket office staff are situated in the main building on the west side of the stadium and are ready to deal with all of your ticket sales and queries throughout the week.
Head to the main ticket office windows, adjacent to the main entrance, during working hours.
Please note – the Pioneer Stand ticket office and Paddock ticket office are both open on match days. Tickets for these areas of the stadium can be purchased from these satellite ticket offices as normal in the lead up to the game.
The ticket office is open from 10am to 5pm on weekdays (and until kick off for midweek games) and from 10am to 5.15pm on weekend match days.
It is worth noting that entry can be gained on match days by showing your ticket confirmation email on your smart phone or equivalent device. Simply present the relevant section of your eTicket for scanning at point of entry.
For full ticket office opening times and ticket prices, click HERE.
Please note - ticket collections (home and away fans) are from the Main Ticket Office window on the west side of the stadium.
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Challenge 25
We are operating the ‘Challenge 25’ policy at Brunton Park this season.
Please do not be offended if you are asked for ID when purchasing alcohol and if you appear to be under the age of 25 to our bar staff.
Thank you for your cooperation.
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The Supporters’ Car Park
Our supporters’ car park is open with parking available at the stadium at just £2.50.
Please be aware that the ground is still soft underfoot, so take care when navigating and walking around the area.
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Local Match Day Travel with Stagecoach
Carlisle Footyrider – get to the match for half the cost!
Stagecoach Cumbria and Carlisle United are working together to make it easier for you to get to Brunton Park on match days.
The Carlisle Footyrider ticket will get you to every first-team home game for half the price of a normal dayrider ticket.
Stagecoach service 76 and 685 takes you straight to Brunton Park. Simply catch service 76 from The Crescent (Stand U) near the train station or service 685 from Carlisle Bus Station.
What you'll need
To get a Carlisle Footyrider ticket you’ll need to show our driver one of the following:
+ A valid Carlisle United season ticket
+ A ticket for that day's match
Where you can travel
You can get to Brunton Park from anywhere across Cumbria and North Lancashire. Depending on where you’re travelling from, you can purchase a Footyrider ticket from within the:
+ Carlisle dayrider zone
+ Carlisle dayrider plus zone
+ Explorer zone
How much does it cost?
+ Carlisle dayrider - £1.50
+ Carlisle dayrider plus - £3.35
+ Explorer - £5.40