BIG MATCH PREVIEW: Portsmouth

Everything you need to know ahead of the weekend's big game

The latest in a run of big games comes to Brunton Park on Saturday as fellow promotion chasers Portsmouth head north for what they have already billed as their biggest game of the season so far.

United go into the fixture off the back of two important and hard earned victories and Pompey, unbeaten in three, also head towards the big kick off in confident mood.

Manager Keith Curle said: "The victories kept up our own momentum at the top of the table but one thing we keep reminding everyone is that it isn’t about other people’s results at the moment. We’ve got to take care of our business. Our focus has to be completely and utterly on what we do.

"Everything we’re going to get as a group we’re going to have to earn. The good thing is that we have a fantastic work ethic and these lads want to win every single game. What we will remind them is that just because they’ve won the last two games it doesn’t mean the Blackpool result isn’t still etched firmly in our minds, because it is.
 
"That result will serve as the best reminder of what can happen if you don’t do your job. What I will say is that there’s nothing to be scared of in this division. We’ve got a very small squad, but it’s very competitive. The players have demands put on them and they are determined to see this job through."


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.



Our hospitality lounges - Foxy’s Restaurant and Legends - are sold out for the game, as they were for the Blackpool fixture, so we hope to see a good atmosphere in these rooms both pre and post-match.

We 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.



Carlisle United have some very special guests this weekend as former-Blue Tony Hopper and his family take Guest of Honour status.

Tony [or Hoppy as he is known to United’s fans] was recently diagnosed with an aggressive form of Motor Neurone Disease known as Bulbar MND – a life-limiting illness with an average prognosis of 2-3 years from onset of symptoms.

You will see a bucket collection taking place around the ground in support of the Hopper Fightback Fund – please give generously if you can.

Hoppy will be on the pitch at half time to carry out the Golden Gamble draws and is looking forward to saying thank you to the supporters who have responded to the news in such an unbelievable way.
Remember to give the Hopper boys – Dan, Adam and Jack – a wave as they carry out their match day mascot duties!

Click HERE to visit the ‘Creating Hoppy Memories’ gofundme page and to leave a message of support or make a donation.

To visit Tony’s fightback fund, click HERE.  

If you would like to help with fundraising for the MND Association - either with funds or an idea for an fundraising event - please email media@carlisleunited.co.uk and we will reply with further details on how you can assist the Hopper family.

Thank you, from all of us, for your support of Tony and his family at this time.



Our Business Club will be having their latest meeting in Foxy’s Restaurant on Saturday morning where they will listen to talks from current agents.

The agents will talk about the mechanics of transfer moves at all levels of the game and will give an insight into what goes in to looking after their charges on a day-by-day basis.

For more information on our popular Business Club please email our Commercial Department on 01228 554 155 or email commercial@carlisleunited.co.uk.



Our mascots for this game are Dan, Adam and Jack Hopper, Maximus and Theodore Guthrie, and Conor and Finley McDermott.

All five of the Carlisle mascots went for Danny Grainger as their favourite player – a clean sweep!

The Pompey mascots went for Gary Roberts and Michael Doyle respectively.

We hope you all enjoy meeting all of the players on Saturday.

Have a great day!

Our match mascots are chosen at random from our Junior Blue membership - to find out more about our Junior Blues membership, click HERE.



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.

Please note - ticket collections (home and away fans) are from the Ticket Office window on the west side of the stadium.



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.



The catering outlets in the Paddock and Warwick Road End are now fully operational and will be serving the full range of hot and cold food for every game this season.

Fans can purchase burgers, hot dogs, pies and hot drinks inside the stadium, as well as from the catering van situated in the main car park, as normal.


Click HERE to shop at our online Blues Store.


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