The round of 32 (second round) of the Papa John's Trophy brings Lincoln to Brunton Park with the tie set be settled on the night - either during the 90 minutes or via a penalty shoot-out decider.
Lincoln finished second to Sunderland in Northern Group F, with two wins and one defeat, but they were the top scorers in their round-robin of three with seven goals.
Their defeat came in October when Sunderland a 2-1 victory at Sincil Bank, but victories over Bradford City and Manchester United U21s sealed their progression.
They were beaten semi-finalists last season - eventual competition winners Sunderland eased past them in a penalty shoot-out - and there's no doubt they'll be looking to go one better this time round.
Currently hovering around lower mid-table in League One, Lincoln have drawn two, won one and lost two of their last five league outings.
In manager Michael Appleton's first full season in charge at the LNER stadium last term he guided them to the League One play-off final, which ended in a 2-1 defeat against Blackpool.
They were at home to Accrington on Saturday, and they failed to score for a third consecutive game as Colby Bishop won it with the only goal of the encounter for the visitors in the second half.
Forward Anthony Scully started the season on fire with seven goals in all competitions through the month of August.
A determined player he can finish moves off or play a part in bringing others into play, and he has three league assists to his name to help to highlight that fact.
If selected, he's most definitely one to watch.
Click HERE to purchase a VIDEO match pass which will allow you to watch and listen to this game via our streaming iFollow service.
The game is being streamed under EFL 'midweek' streaming rights.
With match commentary provided by BBC Radio Cumbria, this is a fantastic way to follow your team through the season.
Match audio passes are available for ALL EFL league games - click HERE to find out more about this season’s iFollow United service.
| Carlisle wins | Draws | Lincoln wins | |
|---|---|---|---|
| League | 21 | 14 | 33 |
| FA Cup | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 23 | 14 | 35 |
The Imps were riding high and on their way to promotion from League Two when they came to Brunton Park in April 2019. Carlisle played well, and they really started to dominate after Jason Shackell received his marching orders with just 30 minutes played. Mike Jones grabbed the winner late in the day.
Watch the highlights from that game here:
We were at Sincil Bank for a second time that season for our FA Cup second round meeting. Matt Rhead scored with just one minute on the clock, and Bruno Andrade wrapped things up with a goal two minutes from time. Unfortunately we do not have the rights to this match footage.
We'd faced Lincoln just a month earlier when the Blues twice took the lead in what was a good performance for the visitors. Ashley Nadesan was in form, scoring with just six minutes on the clock, and he pounced again just before the half hour after Michael O'Connor had levelled things up. Bruno Andrade made sure the sides were all-square at the break, and that was how the game ended as the Blues missed some good chances to steal the victory.
Watch the highlights from that game here:
Lincoln won both games the season before, as they settled well having come back into the Football League ranks, with a 4-1 home victory in the corresponding fixture early in the piece last term. Alex Woodyard, Matt Rhead (2) and Billy Knott got the goals for the home side, with Reggie Lambe registering our reply. Tom Parkes was sent off to rub more salt into the wounds with just over half an hour left to play.
Watch the goals from that game here ...
The result went against Carlisle again in April 2018 when a second half goal from Matt Green was enough to take the points back to Sincil Bank. There were more woes for the Blues when Mike Jones received his marching orders in time added on.
Watch the highlights from that game here ...
Referee - James Bell
Assistant Referee 1 - Bradley Hall
Assistant Referee 2 - Lewis Raper
Fourth Official - Lucy May
Observer - Mick Brown
Our referee for this game is Mr James Bell.
He's taken charge of 19 games so far this season and has shown 60 yellows and no reds.
Papa John's Trophy group action brought Mr Bell north in August 2021 for a goal-filled 3-3 encounter with Hartlepool. Taylor Charters, Manny Mampala and Tristan Abrahams scored the goals, and the Blues eventually won the shoot-out 4-3. Mampala was our only booking of the night.
Mr Bell was the referee for our home game against Leyton Orient in March 2021. The O's nicked it with a late Connor Wilkinson goal, and there were no home names recorded on the day.
He was our official for the away game at Port Vale in October 2020. Jon Mellish scored the winner and Lewis Alessandra was the only name taken on the day.
In the National League last season, he was the man in the middle for the August play-off final between Harrogate Town and Notts County prior to his pormotion to the league list.
Home fans will be in the Paddock and B & C stands. Away fans will be in EWM stand.
The Papa John's 2-for-1 ticket promotion will only be available on full price tickets on a first-come, first-served basis. There are 50 tickets available. Click HERE for more information on that promotion.
Prices
|
Adult |
£10 |
|
Senior 65+ |
£5 |
|
Young adult 18-22 |
£5 |
|
Junior 11-17 |
£5 |
|
U11 |
£1 |
|
U7 |
FOC |
+++++++
Methods of purchase: