A quick glance at the League Two table will show a five-match spread between the number of games played, with United having only just reached the halfway point having lost nine fixtures to postponements in just over a month.
With at least one game in the division postponed each match day, it’s perhaps no surprise to find that questions are being asked about an extension to the current season, particularly with clubs finding it difficult to shoehorn games into the remaining time available.
Asked whether he felt the EFL should extend the current campaign, Chris Beech said: “I’m not bothered. If they do they do, if they don’t they don’t, and when we get to play we’ll play.
“We know how difficult it can be to get these games done and we don’t expect any sympathy to come our way. We came out of 10 days of coronavirus shutdown and got asked on the first day of work to go to Newport to play against them.
“We were expected to sit on a bus and travel all the way down there. That’s not sympathetic whatsoever when you’re coming out of a massive infection in terms of the four walls of your company.
“Some of the lads – Aaron Hayden and a couple of others – their first day at work would have actually been whether I played them or not at that game. There’s definitely no sympathy within that.”
“And for us, we’re in this unique position of not being able to train outside within all of that,” he continued. “From there we’re pushed into a two-game hit against Exeter and Forest Green, so I was so proud of the players to get a victory from one of those two games.
“Our training has mostly been on a 40x30 pitch inside the Neil Centre. To judge a ball above hip height, be it for heading, getting distances in clearances or for attacking set plays, it’s very hard for the players to do when they’re constantly indoors.
“When we get the chance to play football we just get on with it. I don’t want any sympathy for the players, I don’t want any for myself, because it is what it is and I just can’t wait until we play a game again.”
“Having been through a situation like the one I’ve just explained, you’d think that anything that comes our way after that lot I would say will be a lot easier,” he concluded. “If you interview any of our players you’ll see they’re raring to go and they’re just really, really frustrated.
“On any long journey you’re going to get discrepancies and at Carlisle United historically you get more than others, because of weather, conditions and, in the past, a lot of negativity around the club.
“We’ve dispersed that, we’ve got ourselves in a good position and we can only fight when we get the opportunity. You can probably tell in my voice that I’m ready to go right now, and the lads are exactly the same.”