There'll be plenty of familiar faces in the Northampton ranks on Tuesday night with former-boss Keith Curle accompanied by Colin West and Dan Watson, with Simon Tracey also heading up the scouting department down at Sixfields.
On the playing side of things Nicky Adams will be looking to make an impact as he continues to settle in at Sixfields, and the Cobblers head north off the back of a very good home victory over League Two new boys Salford City on Saturday.
That brought an end to a four-game winless run (a run which included two draws) and demonstrated once again just how tight the division is, with Northampton just three points shy of the play-off places following that victory.
Goals have been hard to come by but the defence has remained relatively tight, with 16 scored and 16 conceded as we head into the Tuesday encounter.
Jordan Turnbull and Andy Williams have four strikes-a-piece, and both Ryan Watson and Charlie Goode have weighed in with two each, with the remainder of the league goals spread out around the team.
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Manager’s thoughts ...
Speaking ahead of the game, gaffer Steven Pressley said: "The important thing on Tuesday night is that we concentrate on what we have to do.
"We have a group of players who are working extremely hard and we've seen recently that the margins in football between winning and losing can be extremely fine.
"Although the results over the last four games can certainly be better, there have been a number of aspects where we have performed to a good standard in three out of those four fixtures.
"It's that good work that we must continue to believe in and focus on. If the players carry on putting in the levels of effort and commitment we're seeing, and if we continue to concentrate on improving the work we do in both penalty areas, then I know these results will turn.
"This is a team going through a transition and to get everything right takes perseverance and constant hard work. That's what we will continue to do tirelessly and I know, from there, the performances and wins will come."
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Not today or any day
Carlisle United Football Club is a community club which aims to make attending football matches as inclusive and enjoyable as possible for all members of our society.
We have a desire and duty to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation based on age; disability; gender reassignment; pregnancy and maternity; marriage and civil partnership; race; religion and belief; gender and sexual orientation.
Therefore we will take the strongest possible action against anyone behaving in a discriminatory, aggressive or abusive manner. This will include the issuing of Brunton Park banning orders and, if necessary, liaison with the relevant authorities to ensure that the law is being upheld.
That could result in criminal prosecution under the Football (Offences) Act 1991 or Criminal Justice Act 2003, which specifically cover discriminatory behaviour.
We do not want Carlisle United to be tarnished by any individual or group behaving in this way. We want passion, we want rivalry, we want your support ... and we want everybody to feel that they are welcomed and that they can be part of it.
If you witness behaviour of this kind:
+ Report it to a steward or police officer. Reporting incidents early helps the club to take immediate action.
+ Confidentially report it via the Kick It Out App, available on iPhone and Android.
+ Report it to Kick it Out on social media (@KickItOut), phone (0800 169 9414) or email info@kickitout.org
+ Report it via the Kick It Out website form at https://www.kickitout.org/forms/online-reporting-form
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Did You Know?
+ The Cobblers signed Walter Tull, the league’s first ever black outfield player – and, incidentally, the first ever black officer in the British Army – from Spurs in October 1911. He became a club legend, complete with his own statue, but sadly died at the second battle of the Somme during World War 1.
+ The club’s lowest ever league attendance was at the old County Ground for a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Chester City during the 1984/85 season. 945 fans turned out to watch the game – the only time a league crowd ever dropped below 1,000.
+ The first ever game at the new Sixfields Stadium venue was a 1-1 draw with Barnet on Saturday 15 October 1994. The fixture was played out in front of a capacity crowd.
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Head to Head
The sides have met a total of 42 times over the years, with Northampton slightly edging it in terms of victories.
|
Carlisle wins |
Draws |
Northampton wins |
|
|
League |
12 |
14 |
16 |
|
Total |
12 |
14 |
16 |
Our last meeting was in January this year when the Cobblers claimed a 3-0 home victory. A certain fella called Jack Bridge notched a brace, with Junior Morias also on target for the hosts.
Watch the highlights of that game here:
We went up against Northampton for the first time last season in August when the teams played out a 2-2 draw. Jamie Devitt gave the Blues the lead with a stunning strike on the half hour, but Kevin van Veen pulled things level just before the break. Matt Crooks put the visitors ahead midway through the second half, but the lead lasted just 60 seconds as Hallam Hope struck back in the very next attack.
Watch the highlights from that game here:
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Man in the middle:
The referee for this game is Mr Scott Oldham. Scott has taken charge of 10 games so far this season and has shown 29 yellow cards.
He was last at Brunton Park for our home game against Crawley Town last season. The Blues romped to a four-goal lead courtesy of Nathan Thomas (2), Callum O'Hare and Hallam Hope, but the Red Devils pulled two back either side of the break to make things slightly more interesting. There were no Carlisle names taken on the day.
Prior to that he was our man in the middle for our 2-0 defeat at the hands of MK Dons. Early second half goals for Jordan Houghton and Kieran Agard were followed by bookings for Regan Slater and Macaulay Gillesphey.
Earlier last season he was here at Brunton Park for the game against Stevenage in September. A Ben Kennedy goal early in the second half was enough to give the Boro a one-goal victory, and Hallam Hope's was the only Carlisle name taken on the day.
He was at Brunton Park on three occasions during the 2017/18 campaign, the first in September when we drew 1-1 with Barnet. Shaun Miller scored our late equaliser, with just five minutes left to play, and it was a game where the notebook stayed firmly in the pocket.
We saw him again at the end of December when Coventry were the visitors to Carlisle. Danny Grainger and Jamie Devitt went in the book as Marc McNulty bagged a second half winner.
His last trip to see us in the last campaign was for our 2-0 victory over Grimsby. Hallam Hope and Mark Ellis scored the goals and Clint Hill was the only yellow card shown on the day.
Referee - Scott Oldham
Assistant Referee 1 - Geoffrey Liddle
Assistant Referee 2 - Helen Byrne
Fourth Official - Simeon Lucas
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Ticket information:
Click HERE for full ticket information.
Click HERE to purchase your tickets online.
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