We've said this before, but it feels like these teams have gone head-to-head way more than they actually have.
But we've actually only met on a total of 22 occasions, and the draw is by far and away the most common outcome between these local rivals, with just over half of the clashes ending up that way.
| Carlisle wins | Draws | Morecambe wins | |
| Cup | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| League | 4 | 8 | 2 |
| FA Cup | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 7 | 12 | 3 |
The unwritten rule is that neither side wins their home games when it comes to league fixtures - a crazy situation which has been the case since the sides first met in League Two on Boxing Day in 2014.
Carlisle have hosted the Shrimps in league competition six times, drawing four and losing two. Meanwhile down by the seaside Morecambe have also welcomed us six times, drawing twice and losing the other four.
It will come as no surprise to read that both of our Conference meetings back in the 2004/05 season were also drawn encounters.
United head into the midweek encounter on a five-game unbeaten run, with three wins and two draws from those October fixtures.
Morecambe's September league fixtures were as mixed a bag as you can get, with two very good away wins against Cheltenham and Southend punctuated by a thumping 5-0 home reverse at the hands of Cambridge.
The Shrimps took their winning streak to three-in-a-row as they beat Oldham and Port Vale at the beginning of this month, but they were back down to earth with a bump two weeks ago when Crawley blasted four second half goals into the net to send Derek Adams and his men on the long journey home with plenty to contemplate.
Last Tuesday brought a 1-1 home draw with Mansfield, with both goals coming before the break, and they were on the their own patch again at the weekend when Forest Green came to town.
That appeared to be going to plan when AJ Leitch-Smith put them ahead in the first half, but late goals from Jake Young and Jamille Matt meant that it was Rovers who celebrated come the final whistle.
With two defeats and a draw from the last three games, the Shrimps will be looking to get back to their early October and early season form as quickly as possible.
Aaron Wildig and Carlos Mendes Gomes are steady performers, as is former-Blue Cole Stockton, but we've gone for Adam Phillips, who is finding the back of the net regularly.
His five goals from 12 appearances are a big part of the good form the Shrimps are enjoying, giving him close to a 33% goal conversion rate for those of you who like that kind of stat.
Nat Knight-Percival and John O'Sullivan are two other names you may recognise.
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Morecambe were at Brunton Park in February 2020 and early goals from Cole Stockton and Aaron Wildig put them in the driving seat. The hosts bit back with a strike from Omari Patrick just before the break and Aaron Hayden completed the comeback midway through the secind period.
Watch the highlights from that game here:
The December 2019 league meeting at the Globe was, rather unsurprisingly, a 1-1 draw. Hallam Hope put the away side in front just two minutes after the break but former-Blue John O'Sullivan squared things up just three minutes later.
Watch the highlights from that game here:
Our first meeting that season was for the Leasing.com group game in November 2019. History was made on the night when Jarrad Branthwaite become the club's youngest ever goalscorer, but Andrew Tutte, Aaron Wildig and Luke Conlan struck back in the last half hour to take the points for the hosts.
Watch the highlights from that game here:
United were first-footers on New Year's Day at the Globe in January 2019 when goals from Jamie Devitt and Jack Sowerby secured a strong 2-0 away victory.
Watch the highlights from that game here:
The Shrimps were last at Brunton Park in October 2018 and they took a grip on the game before the half hour mark, with goals from AJ Leitch-Smith and Vadaine Oliver providing a two-goal cushion. United never recovered and the game ended 2-0 in favour of the visitors.
Watch the highlights from that game here:
Morecambe twice took the lead in our Checkatrade Trophy group game at the start of September that same year but stunning goals from George Glendon and Macaulay Gillesphey took us into the break all-square. Then a first goal for the club for Jerry Yates, with 15 minutes left to play, proved to be the match winner as the Blues closed ranks to claim their points.
Watch the highlights from that game here:
The sides met on three occasions during the 2017/18 campaign, with both league games running out as 1-1 draws.
Watch the highlights from our home league fixture here:
Watch the highlights from our away league fixture here:
Referee - Ross Joyce
Assistant Referee 1 - Graeme Fyvie
Assistant Referee 2 - David Avent
Fourth Official - Andy Haines
Our referee for this game is Mr Ross Joyce.
He has taken charge of eight games so far this season showing 28 yellow cards and one red.
We last had him as our match official in March 2019 for our long away trip to Rodney Parade. Goals either side of the break sunk the Blues, and Anthony Gerrard had his name taken on the day.
He was in Cumbria for our December 2019 2-1 home win over Macclesfield. Hallam Hope and Jerry Yates scored our goals and Gerrard, Devitt and Yates were the Carlisle names taken on the day.
The first time we saw him that same season was for the Carabao Cup meeting with Blackburn Rovers in August. Hallam Hope scored United's goal, but it was an emphatic win for Rovers on the night as braces from Bradley Dack and Adam Armstrong were complemented by a neat finish from Kasey Palmer. Kelvin Etuhu was the only name taken on the day.
This is a behind closed doors fixture.
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