United manager Greg Abbott spoke to us about the plan for the two first team friendlies that are our heading our way this week.

The Cumbrians play Falkirk away on Wednesday evening (kick off 7.30pm) and Middlesbrough away on Thursday (behind closed doors) in what promises to be a busy and exciting week.

He said: "We enjoy the friendlies because they give us the chance to work without the pressure of getting results, and stuff like that.

"They are telling us quite a bit about where we are and what we need, and it's also showing us what is and isn't working.

"The trip up to Falkirk will give us a bit more to work with, and even more of an indication about what we need to be doing as we lead up to Brentford.

"We have Middlesbrough behind closed doors on Thursday, so over the two games we will make sure that everyone gets 90 minutes. They will both be first team fixtures, but we will send two squads.

"One will play on Wednesday, the other will play on Thursday, and they will be two fairly strong teams.

"We'll use some of our younger players on the bench as substitutes, but the aim will be to get our first team squad as much pitch time as possible."