Another big crowd gathered at Brunton Park on Tuesday night and they all played their part in making it a cracking atmosphere, particularly through what was an extremely entertaining second 45 minutes.
“I thought the place changed for the whole of the second half in all honesty,” manager Paul Simpson said. “I think the fans could see there was a different mentality about the players.
“I keep saying it, we’ve all got to stick together because it’s going to be a challenging season, let’s not make any bones about it. It’s going to be tough, and this is where we need to show that togetherness.
“We are going to stick together and I thought the fans were outstanding in the second half. To get over 8,000 on a Tuesday night is magnificent, and long may that continue.
“I think it feels like a win for everybody because it’s actually given the players some belief, or I’m hoping it has. I said that in there to them, you’ve got to believe how good that second half was and think about what you can take from it.
“I told them to make sure they take a lot of strength from it into the next game, and the one after that. I thought we defended well when we had to, Tomas made a save or two which was good, and we troubled them.
“The crowd reacted, and we need it again. They were brilliant. I can’t thank them enough for what they’ve done. That will have been a tough watch first half, I found it tough to watch.
“I was scrambling around trying to think how we can change it, affect the flow of the game and improve it for us. They stuck with us, they were brilliant, I really hope they can see the players were giving it all.
“I think Carlisle United fans turn up and want to see players sweating blood for the shirt, and they’ve done that. First half they’ve worked extremely hard out of possession, not enough in possession.
“Second half they’ve given it everything. But we have to do that from the start. If we want these fans to stay with us, we’ve got to do it consistently.”