Carlisle United Football Club

For those who missed the news earlier this week - this Saturday's fixture will now kick off at 1pm, so make sure you have the Blu Tac under the bum, the munchies sorted and the iFollow log-in up and running for that earlier start time.

These two sides have had some great meetings in recent seasons, with Tuesday and Thursday night camel treks for both clubs thrown in along the way for good measure.

Exeter hold the bragging rights in terms of league wins, with 26 to United's 19, but the Blues have been stubborn on their away trips to St James Park in recent years and have lost just two of their last five appearances down there.

The Grecians are on a seven game unbeaten league run following their 1-1 draw at Leyton Orient on Tuesday night.

That impressive spell has seen them bag 12 goals, with a nil-nil away draw at Walsall the only time they failed to register on the scoresheet. 

It's little surprise to see them loitering around the top seven spots once again, as they seem to make the play-offs almost every year. Last season, of course, saw them lose out to Northampton in the final as part of the hastily arranged end to a very strange season.

With a new stand now in place, it was revealed at the end of last month that they are in discussions with the local council about a potential move to a new site as part of a city wide feasibiity study. 

And with a reported £4m windfall heading their way following the transfer of Ollie Watkins to Aston Villa from Brentfod, they could be a club to watch for a number of years to come.

Midfielder Joel Randall has had a good start to the campaign with four goals against his name already.

The 20-year-old had picked up valuable experience last season with loan moves to Weymouth and Weston-super-Mare, and he's shown that he's ready to kick on again as he cements his place in the team.

A player who can play out wide or in a more central, he's our one to watch this weekend.

Ryan Bowman, who we all know so well, is another who has had a good start as he leads the attacking line. At the other end defender Tom Parkes will be on duty. Tom played 84 games for the Blues in his two-year stay.

Click HERE to purchase a match pass which will allow you to watch this game in full HD via our streaming iFollow service.

With match commentary also provided by BBC Radio Cumbria, this is a fantastic way to follow your team through these unprecedented behind closed doors fixtures.

Match passes are available for ALL EFL league games during this restricted attendance period. Click HERE to find out more about this season’s iFollow United service.

Codes will be issued to those who are eligible to watch this fixture free. More details on free codes, and how to redeem them - and on how to purchase a match pass - are HERE.

Due to the Covid-19 lockdown, these teams locked horns just once during the 2019/20 campaign. That was in September where late goals from Aaron Martin and Nicky Law cancelled out Olufela Olomola's earlier equaliser, after Lee Martin had opened the scoring.

Watch the highlights from that game here:

Prior to that, it was another Brunton Park meeting in February 2019, when a bright start from the Grecians brought a stunning goal from Nicky Law. His initial effort from a free kick struck the wall, but he reacted smartly to volley the rebound into the bottom corner. Carlisle pushed and pushed for an equaliser, and they eventually got the reward they deserved when Devitt smashed an unstoppable set piece into the top corner.

The first game of the 2018/19 season took us to Exeter for an encounter which was played out in blistering heat. Early goals for the hosts from Nicky Law and Jonathan Forte set the Blues on the back foot, but Richie Bennett glanced a header into the net before the break to keep the Cumbrians in the hunt. There were chances to level it in the second period but Tristan Abrahams scored late in the day to make sure Exeter took the points.

Watch the highlights from that game here:

Prior to that we were in Exeter once again towards the end of the 2017/18 campaign. It was a 1-1- draw, and Ashley Nadesan scored the Carlisle goal in what was a very keenly fought game.

Watch the highlights from that game here:

Referee - James Adcock
Assistant Referee 1 - Robert Dabbs
Assistant Referee 2 - Samuel Ogles
Fourth Official - Kevin Johnson

Our referee for this weekend is Mr James Adcock.

James has taken charge of seven games so far this season showing 13 yellow cards and one red.

This is a behind closed doors fixture. 

Please see above for details on how to purchase a live streaming match pass to see all of the action via our iFollow streaming service.