Working alongside the Carlisle United Supporters' Groups (CUSG), a west stand hospitality lounge has been rebranded and will be dedicated in honour of the 74/75 season in a ceremony to be held before the Colchester game.
The ‘74/75 lounge’ has been refurbished, adorned with framed photographs and memorabilia, and montages and themed vinyl wraps - all made possible by donations from fans as part of the CUSG initiative to build and display memorabilia from the club’s history.
The name was chosen by supporters and the grand opening event has been organised by Supporter Liaison Officer Simon Clarkson, and a huge thank you goes to Simon who has worked hard behind the scenes on the project.
As we approach the 50th anniversary of that famous season, we will welcome some of the squad back to Brunton Park to commemorate their achievement.
The squad was made up of household names and club heroes, with some already celebrated around the stadium with named and themed bars, forever cemented in the club’s history.
To help celebrate the opening of the 74/75 lounge we will be joined by former players Bobby Owen, Tom Clarke, Hugh McIlmoyle (his statue stands at the entry to the stadium footprint), Les O’Neill and Peter McLachlan.
Bobby Owen will be the special guest in Foxy’s Restaurant with Tom Clarke and Peter McLachlan guests in the Legends Lounge. We hope to have all of the guests on the pitch at half time, but only time will tell if any take on the crossbar challenge!
There are other players from the 74/75 squad who will join us at upcoming games, including Ray Train, John Gorman, Graham Winstanley and Bobby Parker.
The 74/75 lounge is already a sell-out for the rest of this season (there is availability for Tuesday 18 April, Stockport County – contact commercial@carlisleunited.co.uk for more details) but fans will be able to book hospitality packages in the Lounge next season.
Chief executive Nigel Clibbens said: “This is another example of fans and club working together to make the club better.
“The CUSG groups, SLO and individual fans who have made donations of memorabilia have all played their part.
"We are delighted to welcome back some heroes of 74/75 and I’m sure everyone will be really pleased to see them again.
“Some players are sadly no longer with us, and others will join us on other days, but their place in the club’s history and during that season won’t be forgotten.
“The 74-75 Lounge promises to be a great addition on the matchday and we look forward to seeing people in there going forward.”
SLO Simon Clarkson said: “This has been an enjoyable project to pull together. I have had so many conversations with former players who are all loving the thought of returning to Brunton Park.
“People such as Ray Train, John Gorman, Graham Winstanley and Bobby Parker are all keen to come another time, so there will be other days to look forward to.”
74/75 – the season in the sun
The 1974/75 season, as the first and only season in the top tier of English football, is probably the most memorable for many Carlisle United fans. The Blues also reached the Sixth Round of the FA cup before losing to eventual finalists Fulham.
The season began on a bright sunny afternoon at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge. United sprung the surprise result of the opening day of the First Division as they beat Chelsea 2-0, with goals from Bill Green and Les O’Neill.
United won the next two games with a 2-0 victory at Middlesborough and a 1-0 victory over Spurs at Brunton Park in front of over 18,000 fans.
After three games United proudly sat at the top of the league.
