Carlisle United Football Club

Isn’t it funny how the fixture computer regularly manages to throw up little quirks, and this weekend is one such occasion with the Cumbrians travelling to Cambridge for their first league away game of the new season – with the Abbey Stadium being the last place they played an away league fixture prior to the Covid-19 lockdown.

Lewis Alessandra and Nick Anderton scored either side of the break, but a late strike from Reggie Lambe kept the fingernails at risk as the hosts tried to claim a point.

It was a deserved victory for the Blues in the end, as they made it just one defeat in nine outings in what was an impressive run of performances.

Watch the highlights from that game here: 

Another quirk ... these teams have only ever met in league competition, with a fairly even spread of results. Carlisle have had the best of it in recent seasons, with three wins and three draws from the last six meetings.

Fancy another quirk? All three of our most recent visits to the Abbey have ended as 2-1 victories to us, with the Cumbrians unbeaten on the last five trips they’ve made there.

In the week that 'significant new investment' was announced when American businessmen Mark Green and Adam Webb each bought 10% stakes in the club, the Abbeymen took a real scalp in their opening game of the season as they travelled to St Andrews to face Championship side Birmingham City in the first round of the Carabao Cup.

If the Midlands giants thought progression was going to be a formality they were given a rude awakening with just 18 minutes played when Robbie Cundy marked his debut with an excellent finish.

Round three takes them to Newport County, with the winners of that tie at home to either Oxford or Watford.

It was a welcome return to fans inside the stadium at the Abbey on Tuesday night with up to 1,000 supporters permitted to attend the EFL Trophy clash with Fulham U21 as part of the ongoing Matchday Protocol trials, which should pave the way for a staggered return to some kind of normality.

Mark Bonner's side opened the scoring through a Tom Knowles free kick, and their victory was secured late in the game when Paul Mullin popped up to slot one home from the edge of the box.

It was a busy summer for Cambridge boss Mark Bonner as he looks to improve on last season’s mid-table finish.

As far as familiar faces go, Jabo Ibehre and Reggie Lambe were both released, but Jack Iredale was recruited having ended his time up in Cumbria in May.

More recent activity saw George Maris leave to join Mansfield, as midfielder Paul Digby came in from Stevenage and the experienced Wes Hoolahan headed back to the UK having been with the Newcastle Jets.

Keeper Kai McKenzie-Lyle was the latest of the signings when he left Liverpool for Cambridgeshire at the start of the month.

But our one to watch for the weekend is Paul Mullin. A forward who seems to know where to be and when to be there, he’s a real handful who will be looking to make an impact this season, having initially joined Cambridge on-loan from Tranmere in January. He netted twice in his six appearances for them last term, and opened his account this time round on Tuesday night.

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 this unprecedented behind closed doors period.

Match passes are available for ALL EFL league games.

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Prior to our February meeting [highlights above] the last coming together of these two sides was in November 2019 when the teams battled out a 0-0 draw here at Brunton Park.

Watch the highlights from that game here:

Prior to that we met in March 2019 when United had to recover from conceding a very early goal. Jamie Devitt and Nathan Thomas put the Blues ahead before the break, but Jabo Ibehre came back to haunt us when he netted the equaliser in the second half.

We were at the Abbey in September 2018 for our first meeting with the U's that season, and the teams had some baking hot weather to contend with on what was a lovely late summer's afternoon. A good opening spell from the home side brought a goal for Jevani Brown, but United were back on terms just before the break when Richie Bennett looped a header into the back of the net. The Cumbrians had the better of the second half and they took the points when Ashley Nadesan bagged from close range.

Watch the highlights from that game here:

The 2017/18 season saw United edge in front courtesy of a neat finish from Reggie Lambe, when the sides met at the Abbey in August 17, but Medy Elito levelled from the spot just six minutes later. Carlisle kept going and Tom Parkes scored his first goal for the club, accompanied by a celebratory dab, to earn the visitors all three points.

Watch the highlights of that game here:

Cambridge came to Brunton Park in March 2018 to put things right but the deadlock in a tight game was broken by Richie Bennett when he scored from close range following a cut back from Mark Ellis just after the break. However, the celebrations had barely subsided when George Maris scored the point making equaliser just over 120 seconds later.

Watch the highlights of that game here:

Referee - Paul Howard
Assistant Referee 1 - Garry Maskell
Assistant Referee 2 - Paul Lister
Fourth Official - Stephen Finch

Our referee for this fixture is Mr Paul Howard.

This is the first time Paul has taken charge of a game involving Carlisle United.

This is a behind closed doors fixture for away fans. Home supporters are permitted – but under strict entry guidelines.

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