It's back to League Two action this weekend as The Alex visit Brunton Park.

Looking ahead to the weekend, manager Keith Curle said: "The FA Cup has obviously brought a lot of excitement along with it, and rightly so, but we have a very professional football department here and the focus was immediately on Crewe as soon as the whistle went for full time on Saturday afternoon.

"Crewe have had a mixed bag of results through the first half of the season and, like us, they will be looking to get consistency so that they can climb up the table. They're a good side, and we saw down at their place earlier in the season that they came at us through the early stages of the game.

"We'll need to be aware of that and make sure we earn the right to play our game. From there, if we're doing things properly, we know our crowd will get behind us, but it's up to us to give them plenty to cheer about.

"We want to entertain and we want to score goals, but we know we have to work hard to give ourselves the chance to do that. Our fans are desperate for us to get success, and if we keep showing the unity we've shown over recent weeks I have no doubt it will come our way."

Remember, you can purchase your tickets by telephone on 0844 371 1921* or buy online and print at home, or order for collection, by clicking HERE.  

*Calls to this number are charged at 7p per minute from landlines. Charges from mobiles may vary. A booking fee of £1 applies to all online transactions.

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A minute of applause for club legend Mike McCartney

We will be holding a minute of applause ahead of kick off on Saturday afternoon in memory of former-player, and dear friend of the club, Mike McCartney.

Mike, who has passed away at the age of 63 last week, spent over a decade at Brunton Park in two separate spells between 1973 and 1987. He featured in a total of 287 league games for the club, mostly at left back, scoring 24 goals in the process.

Please join us in remembering a fantastic club servant.

Mike's funeral will be held at the Crematorium in Carlisle on Wednesday 17 January at 12.20pm.

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Welcome to our Community Ticket Scheme Groups

Our Cumberland Community Stand will be a noisy one this weekend.

We have Bishop Harvey Goodwin girls football team, Pennine Way Primary School, Langwathby Junior FC, Dearham Junior FC, Warwick Wanderers (under-11 blue), High Hesket CE School, The Nelson Thomlinson School, Overend Children's Home and Bewcastle Primary School who will be joining us for the day.

Have a great time everybody!

Prior to the game the Community Sports Trust will be holding the local final of the EFL under-11 Boys Cup at the Neil Centre. The schools involved in the final will be Scotby C of E Junior and Inglewood Junior. The winning school will go on to represent Carlisle United at the Regional Finals in Crewe during the month of March.

Our half-time entertainment will be another of our popular crossbar challenges - keep an eye out on social media, because it could be you ... and you'll be doing battle against some of the visiting fans from Crewe.

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Get to meet the players

Some of the first team squad will be out and about around the ground on match day.

Make sure you get your selfies and autographs:

12.45pm to 1pm - players arrive at main reception

2pm - Blues Store

2.30pm - Family Zone

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Join us for our Happy Hour and Big Match build-up

Our hospitality areas will all be in full-flow again this weekend and we're looking forward to seeing you all there as we welcome Crewe Alexandra for what is another important game.   

Our TV screens will be showing all of the sports coverage ahead of kick off, to help you to get in the mood for the big game. And live football will also be on our screens after full time, for those of you who want to stay with us when our game has concluded.

Our catering partners, abm Catering, are delighted to confirm another Happy Hour in the Sporting Inn and Sunset Suite between 12pm and 1.30pm on Saturday afternoon.

The Happy Hour includes a ‘50p per pint off’ offer on Fosters, John Smiths and Strongbow [£3 per pint during the Happy Hour] – please note, Guinness and Morretti will be sold at full price.

Remember, you can upgrade your match ticket to book a place in Foxy’s Restaurant - £25pp for a two-course meal or £30pp for a three-course meal.

We also have an extensive range of sponsorship opportunities available, from Match Day sponsorship to player and ball sponsorship packages. For more information please contact the Commercial Department on 01228 554 155 or email commercial@carlisleunited.co.uk

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New stock arriving in our Blues Store all the time!

As we go full steam ahead into the New Year it's an excellent chance for you to pick up your Blues winter clothing and accessories some cold spells predicted in the coming weeks. 

From fashion ranges to small souvenirs and stocking fillers, we have everything your devoted Blues fan could want.

The popular home and away kits continue to sell well - some of our first team players will be popping into the Blues Store at around 2pm – be there for a selfie with your new shirt if you can make it!

Keep checking in-store and online - we have new fashion and souvenir ranges arriving all the time.

Telephone sales: 01228 554 138 (during store working hours only).

To shop at our online Blues Store, click HERE.

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The Mascots

Our mascots for this game are Megan and Jessica. 

Their favourite players are Danny Grainger and Clint Hill, so we'll be making sure they get to meet those two behind the scenes on Saturday afternoon.

Have a great afternoon with us!

To find out more about our Junior Blues membership and how to become a mascot, click HERE.

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The Man in the Middle 

Our match referee this weekend is Chris Sarginson.

Mr Sarginson has been in charge of 27 games so far this season and has shown 95 yellow cards and 5 reds, an average of just under four cards a game.

We last met him at Luton, in November of this season, where Danny Grainger, Luke Joyce and Hallam Hope all had their names taken.

Our betting partner Sky Bet has some fantastic odds available on all match markets – click HERE for more details.

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The Match Programme

Issue 18 of this season’s 'The Blues' Match Day programme is on sale from our usual programme selling points and outlets around the ground.

Our popular Head to Head competition sees Danny Grainger go up against Mike Jones as they bump start cars, fib to their parents and do stupid things which could only ever end in injury. 

Get your copy to find out more!

It’s packed with fun, facts and features to keep you entertained during the half time break.

Priced at just £3 it’s becoming a must-have match day essential.

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Match Day Ticket Sales

Match Day Ticket Sales are as follows:

Main Stand [B, C, Pirelli Family Stand and EWM] – from the ticket office situated on the west side of the stadium.

Paddock – from the Paddock ticket office situated at the southern end of the Paddock.

Pioneer Foods Stand and Warwick Road End – from the Pioneer Foods Stand ticket office situated on the ground floor on the east side of the stadium.

Away fans – from the away ticket office situated at the northern end of the Pioneer Foods Stand.

Remember – during the working week our Pioneer Foods Stand ticket office, situated on the first floor of the Pioneer Foods stand, is open for ticket sales for ALL areas of the ground.

The ticket office on the west side of the stadium is open on MATCH DAYS ONLY.

The ticket office is open from 10am to 5pm on weekdays (and until kick off for midweek games) and from 10am to 5.15pm on weekend match days.

It is worth noting that entry can be gained on match days by showing your ticket confirmation email on your smart phone or equivalent device. Simply present the relevant section of your eTicket for scanning at point of entry.

For full ticket office opening times and ticket prices, click HERE.

Remember, you can purchase your tickets by telephone on 0844 371 1921* or buy online and print at home, or order for collection, by clicking HERE.

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Be in it to win it with our Golden Gamble

Keep your eye out for our Golden Gamble sellers around the ground ahead of kick off.

Your tickets can be purchased for just £1 (or at 3 for £2) and give you the chance to win either £100, or the share of a cash pot, in our half time draws. 

And, while we’re on the subject, why not sign up to our exciting Blues Lotto? For just £1 you can purchase 10 lucky numbers for our weekly draw giving you the chance to win cash prizes from our fund of nearly £60,000.

There is now the opportunity to pay an additional £1 per week to upgrade to Premier Membership where there is another £17,000 cash, 3 new cars and many other prizes waiting to be won. 

For more details visit www.blueslotto.co.uk or email lottery@carlisleunited.co.uk. 

Alternatively call 01228 526 237 and ask for Ewan Wood. 

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The Blues Store in the East Stand

We are delighted to confirm that our Blues Store will be operating from the Club Bar adjacent to the Family Zone in the Pioneer Foods Stand once again this weekend.

A full range of stock will be available with the emphasis on smaller items, suitable for the younger visitors to our extremely popular Family Zone games and play area.

Keep your eye out for our mini-tuck shop selling a range of confectionary and drinks.

Replica kit sales continue to go well in our main Blues Store on Warwick Road and it would be great to see you in your favourite colour [blue or carbon] as you cheer on the lads from the stands and the terraces.

Blues Store opening times:

Monday - 10am to 5pm
Tuesday - 10am to 5pm (open until 7.45pm on a match day)
Wednesday - CLOSED 
Thursday - 10am to 5pm
Friday - 10am to 5pm
Saturday - 10am to 3pm (open until 5.30pm on match day) 
Sunday - CLOSED

Telephone sales: 01228 554 138 (during store working hours only).

Click HERE to shop at our online Blues Store.

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Challenge 25

We are operating the ‘Challenge 25’ policy at Brunton Park this season.

Please do not be offended if you are asked for ID when purchasing alcohol and if you appear to be under the age of 25 to our bar staff.

Thank you for your cooperation.

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The Supporters’ Car Park

Our supporters’ car park is open with parking available at the stadium at just £3.

Please be aware that the ground can be uneven in places, so take care when navigating and walking around the area.

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Local Match Day Travel with Stagecoach

Carlisle Footyrider – get to the match for half the cost!

Stagecoach Cumbria and Carlisle United are working together to make it easier for you to get to Brunton Park on match days.

The Carlisle Footyrider ticket will get you to every first-team home game for half the price of a normal dayrider ticket.

Stagecoach service 76 and 685 takes you straight to Brunton Park. Simply catch service 76 from The Crescent (Stand U) near the train station or service 685 from Carlisle Bus Station.

What you'll need

To get a Carlisle Footyrider ticket you’ll need to show our driver one of the following:

+ A valid Carlisle United season ticket

+ A ticket for that day's match

Where you can travel?

You can get to Brunton Park from anywhere across Cumbria and North Lancashire.

Depending on where you’re travelling from, you can purchase a Footyrider ticket from within the:

+ Carlisle dayrider zone
+ Carlisle dayrider plus zone
+ Explorer zone

How much does it cost?

+ Carlisle dayrider - £1.50
+ Carlisle dayrider plus - £3.35
+ Explorer - £5.40

Click HERE to visit the Stagecoach website for full travel details.