On Saturday, Mark Hughes’ side welcomes fellow title challengers Rochdale to Brunton Park in a clash of two heavy favourites to be promoted this season.
The Cumbrians will be looking to bounce back from their hammering away to York City on Tuesday meanwhile Rochdale will be looking to extend their winning run to six games.
How Have Both Teams Been Performing?
Carlisle United have won four and lost one of their last five games. Last time out they were demolished by an outstanding York City side 5-0 on Tuesday night.
The blues are in third place in the National League with 23 points from 11 games.
For Jim McNulty’s side they have won their last five games. Last time out they beat Solihull Moors comfortably 4-1 on Tuesday night.
Rochdale are in second place in the National League with 24 points from 9 games.
Players To Watch
Emmanuel Dieseruvwe
The experienced striker is one of the best strikers in the league. He has experience of scoring goals at National League level having scored goals for Hartlepool, Halifax and Salford at that level. His ability to hold up the ball, bring players in to play and feed off are two of his biggest assets. The 30-year-old can score a variety of goals and has seven goals in eight appearances so far this season.
Tarryn Allarakhia
The winger will cause Carlisle full backs heaps of problems if he’s at his best. His trickery and ability to whip balls in to the box for the strikers as well as his eye for goal make him vital to Rochdale’s attack. The 27-year-old has one goal and two assists so far this season.
Devante Rodney
The striker links up well with the other Rochdale forwards and has an eye for goal. The 27-year-old has scored goals in the National League and the EFL for teams like Hartlepool, Port Vale and Halifax and if Carlisle can somehow stop Emmanuel Dieseruvwe they will also have to to pay close attention to Devante Rodney as well because he has three goals and two assists so far this season.
Harvey Gilmour
Gilmour is a great technical player and can find that killer pass in key areas if given the chance. The former Sheffield United, Tranmere, Halifax and Stockport man has three assists to his name so far this season and will be looking to provide chances for the Rochdale frontmen once again.
I think Hughes will revert back to playing with a winger after changing it up against York City and seeing the impact that had on the performance.
The team pretty much picks itself under Hughes but I could maybe see Whelan come in to the midfield and maybe Kelly start ahead Armstrong but that’s the only changes I think Hughes could make.
My Score Prediction
Carlisle United 1-2 Rochdale
I think the it will be interesting to if there is a reaction after the York performance but very much like York – Rochdale are one of the best teams in the league and could expose us in areas similar to how York did.
Rochdale have their big man Mani D back up front as well and he will be a real handful for our defence, I think Rochdale edge this one in a tight game.
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Carlisle United took a massive hit to their promotion hopes tonight as they suffered a comprehensive 5-0 defeat to fellow league favourites York City. Goals from Malachi Fagan-Walcott, Alex Newby, Josh Stones and a brace from last season’s top scorer Ollie Pearce saw the hosts run out comfortable victors at the LNER Stadium.
Carlisle were looking to make it 5 consecutive victories going into tonight’s game but got off to the worst possible start, conceding after just 4 minutes. United failed to properly deal with a set piece as the ball was cleared out to Mark Kitching on the left flank, his cross was headed out to the right by Sam Murray to Jack Ellis, who showed poor awareness and was robbed of the ball by Joe Felix, who fired a great ball into the area that was flicked on by Ollie Pearce and simply finished by Malachi Fagan-Walcott to give the ex Tottenham youngster his second goal of the season.
York continued to press their advantage and Kitching was involved again, picking the ball up deep in the United half and driving into the area past a parting Carlisle defence but his effort was comfortably tipped over by Gabe Breeze. The visitors looked well and truly rattled by the opening 20 minutes of the game and struggled to find any kind of rhythm, with Jack Ellis looking incredibly sloppy since his mistake leading to the York opener. Regan Linney looked like the only player capable of making anything happen but he faded along with his team mates as the half went on.
The Minstermen were a constant threat from set piece scenarios with Carlisle struggling to properly deal with the balls into the box, and they almost doubled their lead as a great ball in from Alex Hunt was met by the ever threatening Kitching, and his glancing header found the foot of the left hand post before eventually being cleared by United.
Stuart Maynard’s side were looking to bounce back from their surprise defeat to Solihull Moors on the weekend and weren’t to be denied a second for much longer, winning themselves a spot kick in the 39th minute of the game as a ball over the top by Tyrese Sinclair took United’s defence completely out of the game and found Pearce, who ran through on goal before being taken down by Breeze after attempting to round the goalkeeper. Pearce dusted himself off and slammed his penalty straight down the middle to double York’s lead.
Mark Hughes’ side looked well and truly all over the place and almost shipped a third moments later as Felix broke past Murray down the right hand side before firing an effort at goal, but his shot was just about turned behind by Breeze. The shots kept coming thick and fast at Breeze, as Carlisle again showed an inability to defend set pieces as one found Sinclair unmarked at the back post, but his low drive was again saved by the young Carlisle keeper.
A third goal really seemed inevitable and it came just before the brek as a corner again was only cleared as far as the edge of the area before being chipped back in over the head of Ellis and falling to the feet of Hiram Boateng, who drilled the ball across the six yard box and it was met by the head of the ever lethal Pearce to notch his fifth goal of the campaign so far.
Pearce could and should have bagged his hat trick in first half stoppage time as York again caught Carlisle short at the back and found Felix who once again found himself clear of Murray before playing a low cross that flicked off the heel of Terrell Thomas and fell to Pearce, but he dragged his shot wide of the left hand post to somewhat limit the damage for Carlisle. The Blues did half a half chance moments later as Armstrong was found inside the area, but his swivelling shot was tame and comfortably into the hands of the goalkeeper.
HALF TIME: York 3-0 Carlisle
The hosts started the second half just as they did the first and created an early half chance as Sinclair latched onto a ball over the top after outmuscling Davies and volleying towards goal from long range but it sailed comfortably into the hands of Breeze. United had a great chance to give themselves a glimmer of hope in the game in the 48th minute as an erratic punch by Harrison Male in the City goal went only as far as Stephen Wearne, but he fired wide of the goal from 25 yards with the goalkeeper stranded.
The nervy moment at the back did little to unsettle York and they made it 4-0 as Joe Grey got away down the right flank before outmuscling Thomas and whipping a cross into the near post that was met by the head of Alex Newby, and the former Altrincham man found the top right corner to really put the game beyond any reasonable doubt.
The second half largely fizzled out from this point on with York happy to let Carlisle keep the ball while keeping them at arm’s length, United did have the best chance in this period however, as a lovely ball in was met by the head of substitute Morgan Feeney, but his header was superbly clawed away by Male.
Despite the lull in the game, York still managed to catch Carlisle out in the 85th minute as substitute Josh Stones’ pressure forced an error from Bevis Mugabi before Stones beat an on rushing Breeze to the ball and just about squeezing the ball under him which led to the ball trickling into the far bottom right corner to make it 5-0 and put a real exclamation point on the game for the hosts.
York threatened with a couple of long distance efforts before Carlisle again had a couple of chances to snatch a consolation goal, with Male again failing to claim a cross after coming a long way out of his area which led to the ball dropping to Callum Whelan, but similarly to Wearne earlier, he couldn’t find the back of the net with Male in no man’s land. Substitute Georgie Kelly had a great chance in stoppage time but Male redeemed himself for his error and produced another excellent save to keep York’s clean sheet safe and ensured they became the first side this season to stop Carlisle from scoring.
Full Time: York 5-0 Carlisle: Fagan-Walcott (4′), Pearce (39′ pen, 44′), Newby (49′), Stones (86′)
I don’t think it can be overstated how much of a real eye opener this will have been for Carlisle and their fans. As positive as our start to the season has been, there was always the question mark as to whether we’d actually played any truly good sides at this level yet, with Boreham Wood the only side in the top 8 that we’d faced up to this point.
Sadly, tonight is what happened when we played a truly good side. York were better in every single department, out passing, out muscling, out paceing and out thinking us and full credit has to go to them for doing that. We lacked even any hint of control of the game in the midfield with Ellis in particular looking miles off it especially after his early mistake.
All the confidence that had been built up in the partnership of Thoams and Mugabi took a massive blow as they looked completely incapable of dealing with York’s attackers, and as a team we showed an inability to do the basics as we constantly failed to stop York getting balls into the area and kept leaving men free from set pieces.
Questions have to be asked of Mark Hughes as well, after an abject first half display he made no changes to the side at half time, and we shipped the 4th goal very early on in the half before York really took their foot of the gas and went into game management mode.
With another huge game coming up on Saturday against Rochdale, who have only dropped points in one game so far this season, a massive inquest is required into what went wrong tonight otherwise we could be in for another horrid display at Brunton Park.
Carlisle Player Ratings:
Breeze – 5 (MoTM): It’s a damning statement in most games when your keeper is getting a man of the match nod after conceding 5, but he made some decent stops to keep the score down and it’d be tough to blame him for most of the York goals, although he could perhaps have done better for the fifth.
Davies – 5: One of the least offensive performers but struggled with Sinclair down the right hand side and could have been more switched on to prevent the Newby goal.
Mugabi – 3: Part of a defence which shipped 5 goals which is bad enough, but looked a shell of his usual commanding self, never looking comfortable with the ball and failing to deal with a ball over the top which led to York’s fifth. Also showed a lack of desire to get back into position for both the 4th and 5th goals.
Thomas – 4: Marginally better than Mugabi but still had plenty of nervy moments, almost getting caught on the ball and got severely exposed when defending 1v1 on a couple of occasions.
Murray – 3: Similarly to his debut, once again looked far out of his depth and was beaten on multiple occasions by Felix, this area is a massive question mark for Hughes at the moment due to Cameron Harper’s also inconsistent performances.
Ellis – 3: Despite really growing into his midfield role in recent weeks, Ellis looked completely like a fish out of water in this game, showing a total lack of awareness for the opening goal and then being sloppy in possession on multiple occasions afterwards.
Macadam – 4: Put a couple of decent challenges in in the second half but the game was already gone by that point, totally failed to influence the game when it mattered, i don’t think we can play with both him and Ellis in the midfield as they’re far too similar in styles.
Gilliead – 5: Didn’t honestly do a whole lot wrong but also wasn’t his usual influential self.
Wearne – 4: Should have scored when the chance got presented to him, some sympathy for him as he’s ineffective out on the right as was also shown in the game away to Sutton.
Linney – 4: Showed glimpses early on but went into his shell very quickly and gave away the ball away cheaply on multiple occasions including some silly free kicks, was due a bad game and hopefully he’ll put this one in the rear view mirror quickly.
Armstrong – 5: A thankless task up front and looked very isolated at points too, worked hard as he always does but was beaten in the air regularly by York’s centre backs.
Subs:
Kelly – 6 : Unlucky not to score late on but never really influenced the game before that point.
Jones – 5: Tough when the game was all but gone, but didn’t have much influence
Feeney – 6: Also denied by a great save, maybe questions as to whether he should start the next game after tonight’s rotten defensive display.
Whelan – 6: Similarly to Wearne, missed a great chance to bag a goal, seemed to make the midfield tick along a little more but most of the pace had been taken out of the game at this point.
Luamba – N/A: Not on long enough to judge fairly.
Please note these are Craig’s opinions and nothing official!
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We are working alongside Liam and his YouTube channel Blue Army TV this season to make sure we bring you the best Carlisle United content we possibly can. You can subscribe to his channel and follow him on X, his handles are below:
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With us being 10 games into the National League season, i thought i would take a look at who has impressed me the most in our opening couple of months of the campaign. Sitting second in the league obviously there’s a lot of candidates for a mention, but i’ve boiled it down to who i think deserves the most credit for where we are right now.
Regan Linney
Let’s not beat around the bush, we all knew who the main name was going to be on this list. Regan Linney has made a simply sensational start to the season, notching 9 goals in his opening 10 matches for the Blues, including a hat trick against Braintree Town. We all had high hopes for him when he was first announced and he has met those expectations and then some.
Even in the games where he’s maybe quieter than usual, Linney always has it in his locker to make something out of nothing, showing on multiple occasions his capability to beat a man and find the net from close in and from range, with his goals against Boreham Wood, Truro and Altrincham being particular highlights for me.
His energy and work ethic is commendable too, combined with a tenacity to win and retain the ball, Linney has shown himself to be United’s talisman this season, and we’re all hoping he can continute banging the goals in for the Blues.
Jack Ellis
Jack Ellis is a name that has had somewhat of a resurgence in the past 6 months or so and i think he deserves immense praise for getting himself back in the fold and nailing down his place in the side. After being largely phased out by Mike Williamson, Mark Hughes brought Ellis back into the side last season and after some solid performances in his usual right back position, Ellis has been almost exclusively deployed as a central midfielder this season.
There were certainly question marks over Ellis’ capability to play this position especially from an attacking standpoint, but, despite a tough first couple of games, Ellis has grown into the role and it now feels like he’s one of the first names on the team sheet for United. Similarly to Linney his work ethic is fantastic and his defensive contributions have been very noticeable for Carlisle in the middle of the park.
He may not be the flashiest of players but after working hard to get himself back into the side and reinventing himself in a different role, i think he deserves a lot of praise for his role in our successes so far this campaign.
Luke Armstrong
Another man who has worked hard to get himself back into contention in the side is Luke Armstrong. Armstrong has endured a tough couple of seasons for Carlisle and has had a largely thankless task, competing on his own against some very tough centre back pairings in League One before cutting an extremely isolated figure last season under Williamson.
Especially after being loaned out to Motherwell towards the tail end of last season, it looked like Armstrong could potentially have been out the door this summer, but after openly admitting he wouldn’t have loaned Armstrong out, Mark Hughes has brought him back into the side and he looks a much more confident player.
Notching 4 goals and 2 assists in 9 appearances, including one apperance off the bench, he has made some good contributions to the side so far and he’s still proving how energetic he is, still giving 100% after 90+ minutes in some games he’s played in.
Him and Georgie Kelly will almost certainly continue to be in and out of the side as they compete for that striker position, but it’s great to see Armstrong looking more like the player we coveted a couple of seasons ago.
Gabe Breeze
Looking more at the defensive side of things now, and someone who has had both his fans and his doubters in the last 12 months is Gabe Breeze. Coming into the side after the struggles of Harry Lewis, Breeze really shone in his opening few appearances for United and has cemented his place in the side ever since.
Gabe has came under a bit of criticism for his inconsistent distribution and perhaps occasionally failing to properly command his area, however i think in these opening 10 games of the season, Breeze has really shown how capable he is. Conceding just 7 goals in those opening 10 games, some of Breeze’s saves have been vital for Carlisle picking up points.
He made crucial stops late on to seal the 3 points against Altrincham, and a couple of excellent saves with the score at 1-0 led to United picking up a very good 2-0 win against Aldershot recently as well. Not only that but Breeze has shown real confidence in coming and claiming corners and crosses which will give his defence a lot of confidence.
It’s worth remembering too that Breeze is only 21 years old and with the right coaching and experience, he will only grow as a keeper and will hopefully be a big figure for United in the coming years.
Bevis Mugabi
Another one i think deserves a mention is Bevis Mugabi. After joining in the summer window, Mugabi had to work himself to fitness and was initially a backup to the duo of Terrell Thomas and Aaron Hayden, since coming in for Hayden however, Mugabi has proven his ability and not only has he been a very solid force at the back for United, Thomas looks a lot more assured playing alongside him as well.
Vastly experienced and a hulking figure, he’s been immense in most of his aerial battles and has even popped up with a goal too, with an excellent finish against Aldershot. With Morgan Feeney coming back to fitness, Mugabi will definitely have his hands full keeping his place in the side, but from what we’ve seen so far, he’s also going to be hard to dislodge.
Like i said at the beginning, there are a good few other names that deserve a mention for Carlisle’s start to the season, such as Stephen Wearne, Archie Davies and the recent signing of Alex Gilliead, and it’s good to see plenty of good solid team performances so far this year. Let’s hope for plenty more to come as we continue our promotion push!
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We are working alongside Liam and his YouTube channel Blue Army TV this season to make sure we bring you the best Carlisle United content we possibly can. You can subscribe to his channel and follow him on X, his handles are below:
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Thank you everyone for reading Paddock Perception, your support means everything! Please don’t forget you can follow Dan and Craig on X for more football content:
On Tuesday evening, Mark Hughes takes his Carlisle United side to the York Community Stadium to take on fellow promotion chasers York City.
Stuart Maynard’s side will want to lay down a marker at home against the Cumbrians in a match between the two favourites for the National League title before the season began.
How Have Both Teams Been Performing?
York City are on 15 points from their first 8 games and are sat in 8th place in the National League. Last time out York lost 1-0 at home to struggling Solihull Moors.
Carlisle United are on 23 points from their first 10 games and are sat in 2nd place in the National League. Mark Hughes’ side have won their last four games. Last time out the Cumbrians won 2-1 away to Altrincham.
Players To Watch
Alex Hunt in midfield will be a constant threat throughout, he has the ability to win balls back, find the key pass, has an eye for goal and has scored three absolute screamers in the last couple of weeks. The Carlisle defence will be trying to stop any shots from range from this man. Hunt has three goals in six games so far this season.
Ollie Pearce by his standards has had a slow start to the season with only the three goals in seven games for York so far but his contribution to the team whether it’s hold up or link up play is second to none in this league. Carlisle’s defence will have to keep close tabs on Pearce that’s for sure.
Alex Newby in attack will be a real attacking spark for Stuart Maynard’s side. Newby has been one of the best players in the National League for the last couple of years playing for Altrincham and now his goal contributions are starting to appear for York after a slow start. Newby has two goals to his name so far this season.
Josh Stones probably won’t start the game because Ollie Pearce is the first choice striker but as an option off the bench there aren’t many better at this level. He knows where the back of the net is and he makes intelligent runs that will stretch defenders late in games. Stones has one goal to his name so far this season and that was off the bench at Truro.
Other players to watch are the full backs Malachi Fagan-Walcott and Joe Felix. Both players will cause an attacking threat down their respective sides when going forward.
Why I Am Changing Up The Players To Watch
In match previews I’m aware I’ve picked nearly every Carlisle United player as a player to watch already so from now on I’m going to pick four opposition players instead of two so you aren’t seeing me pick Regan Linney to watch every week and me repeating myself.
I think Hughes will maybe pack the midfield in a game that the home side will see a lot of the ball. I think we may go for narrow approach in midfield and aim to use Linney’s pace to create chances in transition.
The pace of Luamba or Ajiboye could be used later in the game from the bench if the York defence are tiring and the blues need a goal.
My Score Prediction
York City 2-2 Carlisle United
This is a real tester for the blues, York have an array of attacking talent and were many people’s picks to win the league this year and I think this will be Carlisle’s toughest test so far this season.
The midfield could be overran as well depending on who’s selected in there by Mark Hughes but after the way we dug out the win against Altrincham it showed many people that we are capable of doing the dirty work and grinding results out this season.
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Carlisle United made it 4 league wins in a row after they took home three points against Altrincham thanks to goals from Georgie Kelly and Regan Linney in a match which saw both sides finish with 10 men.
Mark Hughes’ side came into this game full of confidence after an excellent performance last week at home to Aldershot and were looking to keep their push towards the top of the National League going, they had the only half chance of the opening few minutes as Archie Davies fired harmlessly over from long range.
United made just the one change to the lineup with Georgie Kelly coming in for the unwell Luke Armstrong and Kelly proved his worth in the 9th minute, attacking an excellent ball im from the left by Stephen Wearne and forcing Alty defender Lewis Banks to inadvertently turn the ball into his own goal to give the Cumbrians an early 1-0 lead.
Kelly thought he’d got a goal for himself just moments later as a Wearne free kick from the left found its way to the unmarked number 9 at the back post but Kelly’s celebrations were quickly cut short as the linesman had his flag quickly up.
Phil Parkinson’s side, who had only lost once at home in the league before today, weren’t going to let Carlisle have all the fun however and fired a warning shot in the 16th minute as Kahrel Reddin found Oliver Crankshaw just inside the penalty area but his effort was well saved down low by Breeze.
Altrincham continued their efforts for an equaliser and were given a golden chance moments later as referee Richie Watkins pointed to the spot after Kelly led with his arm when jumping into his man in an attempt to head away a corner. Jimmy Knowles stepped up to take the spot kick and the ex Accrington man made no mistake, firing confidently into the bottom left corner to level the scoring.
Carlisle did seem a little rattled in this phase of the game, picking up five yellow cards in about as many minutes, including one for manager Mark Hughes, and struggling to really keep any control of the ball, captain Terrell Thomas was the latest in this sequence and was arguably lucky not to get a worse punishment, being caught on the ball by Knowles before quickly bringing him down.
Alty were quick to every 50/50 ball, really making United work hard for their possession and always looking threatening going forward too with Crankshaw roaming the pitch and finding space and Reddin keeping the cautioned Cameron Harper on his toes.
Despite the positive showings by the home side however, they could do nothing to stop their former man Regan Linney in the 35th minute, jinking past a couple of defenders before smashing the ball into the top left corner from just outside the D to bag his 9th goal in 10 appearances this season.
The home side really should have had an equalier just before half time however, as Breeze rushed out to intercept an excellent through ball from Sam Reed and his sliding challege only knocked the ball as far as Knowles, who somehow managed to fire wide to the left of the gaping empty net.
HALF TIME: Altrincham 1 – 2 United
The Robins wasted no time in chasing another equaliser in the second half and would have had one were it not for some defensive heroics, as Archie Davies threw himself in front of a volley from Tom Crawford after an excellent ball from the right hand side by Crankshaw. They were inches away from their second goal again not long afterwards as a chipped cross from Banks looped over Breeze’s head and struck the foot of his right hand post before bouncing out and eventually being cleared by Carlisle
United’s job of holding onto the lead became even harder in the 54th minute as Harper once again brought down the ever threatening Reddin and received a second yellow card and his marching orders, leading to Jack Ellis filling in at left back and Carlisle being left a man short in midfield.
This seemed to light a fire under the visitors however and they almost doubled their advantage minutes later as Kelly stole the ball off of his man before attempting to square to Linney, but a superb last ditch interception by Isaac Marriott prevented Linney from doubling his tally for the day.
Altrincham continuted to try and make their man advantage count and came close a couple of times, with Ellis superbly shutting down a dangerous run by Reddin before Keaton Ward headed a tame effort into the arms of Breeze after a good ball in by Tylor Golden.
United sustained massive pressure in the last quarter of the game in a period which also saw Crawford receive a second yellow card for the home side and had Breeze to thank again, denying a Ward effort down low before Matty Kosylo somehow missed at the back post after an excellent ball in from the right hand side, and Carlisle held on to secure another massive three points on the road and take them second in the National League table.
Carlisle will take a mixture of joy and relief from this match, after what was a very hard fought 3 points on the road against a very solid Altrincham side. We rode our luck at points especially towards the end of the game and were well under the cosh with 10 men, but the grit and determination to see out the game is very commendable.
I think we could have done with taking Harper off at half time, which is easy to say but Reddin was always threatening down their right flank and was giving him a lot of trouble all through the game, so it was something which really you could always see coming. The defence stuck to their task however and more Linney magic gave us a massive win to take home ahead of a huge game against York on Tuesday night.
Carlisle Player Ratings
Breeze – 8 (MoTM): Another impressive outing from our young stopper, commanding his area very well and making some vital stops to stop Altrincham nicking a point towards the end of the game
Davies – 7: A massive block towards the start of the second half played a big part in sealing our win, and he was threatening down the right hand side on occasion too.
Mugabi – 7: Couple of vital interceptions to stop Altrincham getting in and was excellent in the physical battles with the opposition forward line too.
Thomas – 6: Lucky in the first half when he got caught in possession, but otherwise largely solid at the back and has seemed to develop a good understanding with Mugabi.
Harper – 4: Constantly troubled by Reddin’s energetic running and dribbling and showed real indiscipline making the challenge that saw him sent off, leaves a hole to fill for Tuesday night now.
Ellis – 7: Often quiet going forward but his running and energy was vital in the defensive areas, shutting down a couple of threatening Alty attacks.
Gilliead – 6: Not as influential as he was against Aldershot, but worked hard in the midfield and has become very important for United in the middle of the park.
Wearne – 8: Carlisle’s biggest creative threat, being the catalyst for their two goals and showing great energy and desire to find space in between the lines.
Linney – 7: Often quiet in the game but had that little bit of magic when it counted, such a massive part of this United side and questions will be asked as to how we’ll cope without him when he needs a rest.
Luamba – 5: This right wing area is probably United’s biggest weak spot at the moment with both Luamba and Ajiboye really struggling to hold the place down, Luamba is positive and direct but struggles to keep a hold of the ball when he needs to.
Kelly – 7: Led the line well as he often does, maybe lucky to not get a harsher punishment when he conceded the penalty but was a constant handful for the Altrincham defence and is unlucky not to be credited with United’s opener.
Subs:
Macadam – 6: Hard to judge in the circumstances, did what he needed to.
Jones, Ajiboye, Feeney – N/A
Please note these are Craig’s opinions and nothing official!
A Message From Paddock Perception
We are working alongside Liam and his YouTube channel Blue Army TV this season to make sure we bring you the best Carlisle United content we possibly can. You can subscribe to his channel and follow him on X, his handles are below:
X – @blue_army_tv
YouTube – @BlueArmyTVchannel
Another partnership Paddock Perception has is with Carlisle United YouTube channel CU04, they have amazing content on their channel and we are looking forward to working with them this season. You can follow them here:
X – @CU04_YOUTUBE
YouTube – @CU04
Thank you everyone for reading Paddock Perception, your support means everything! Please don’t forget you can follow Dan and Craig on X for more football content:
On Saturday, Mark Hughes takes his Carlisle United side to Moss Lane to take on Phil Parkinson’s Altrincham.
Altrincham will be looking to bounce back from their 3-1 defeat to Boreham Wood last time out meanwhile Carlisle will be looking to build on their three wins in a two and their 2-0 win over Aldershot last time out.
How Have Both Teams Been Performing?
Altrincham’s last five games have been a lot like their start to the season, it’s been a mixed bag from them but in their last five games they’ve won three and lost two of those.
Phil Parkinson’s side is currently in 11th place in the table with 12 points from their first 9 games.
The Cumbrians’ last five games have consisted of four wins and four cleans sheets but their only defeat came in this run which was a 2-1 defeat to struggling Sutton United.
Mark Hughes’ side are current in 3rd place in the National League with 20 points from their first 9 games.
Players To Watch
The first Altrincham player to watch is forward Jimmy Knowles, the 24-year-old has scored goals for Boston and Accrington before his move to Altrincham. Knowles has 4 goals and 2 assists so far this season.
Knowles’ eye for goal and ability to know where to be in the box is second to none and that shows in his statistics so far this season. Carlisle defence will have to be on top of their game to keep him quiet.
The second Altrincham player to watch is Kahrel Reddin, the tricky winger came through the Aston Villa academy before moving to Stoke and has now found a home at Altrincham. His pace and trickery could give the Carlisle United defence some serious problems.
Reddin has 2 goals and 1 assist so far this season and at 21-years-old he is still learning the game and his final ball will improve.
The first Carlisle player to watch is going to be Regan Linney, the former Altrincham man retiring to his old ground with 8 goals to his name already this season.
His direct running, trickery to beat a full back and ability to find the back of the net is second to none in the National League and he will be looking to get one over on his old team here.
The second Carlisle player to watch is going to be Luke Armstrong. His running and work rate off the ball, his ability to stretch defences with intelligent runs and his ability to find the back of the net means between him and Linney the Altrincham defenders will be worried in this one.
Armstrong has 4 goals and 2 assists to his name so far this season and with the team creating the amount chances they are you can’t help but think he’ll be getting a lot more this season.
A pretty simple prediction this week, unless there are any injuries I don’t see why Hughes would want to change anything, don’t change a winning team with momentum.
I do think the right wing is a position up for grabs between Luamba and Ajiboye but bother have been very inconsistent so far this season, if there was to be a change I would say it would be there.
My Score Prediction
Altrincham 1-2 Carlisle United
Altrincham are a mixed bag and have only lost once at home so far this season so it will be a tough place to go against a team that will test the defence but I think Carlisle are building some momentum off the back of three straight wins and three straight clean sheets so they will just edge it in a hard fought game.
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Yesterday, Carlisle United announced the appointment of former club captain Danny Grainger as Lead Youth Development Phase Coach.
Danny joins as Lead Youth Development Coach following his departure from Morecambe in August following the change of ownership at the club.
A Look At Grainger’s Career
Danny’s history with the Cumbrians is well documented. The Penrith-born Danny joined the blues in 2014 after spells with Dunfermline, St Mirren, Hearts and St Johnstone, he went on to captain the side, making 165 appearances and scoring 27 goals during a successful spell with the club which saw him become a fan favourite.
Following his retirement from playing, Danny moved into management and coaching. Grainger took charge at Workington in 2019 before holding senior roles as Assistant Head Coach at Falkirk in 2021 and Assistant Manager at Morecambe until August 2025.
What Has Been Said?
The club announced that in his new position as Lead YDP Coach, Danny will oversee the coaching and development of the Youth Development Phase, ensuring young players benefit from the best possible environment, technical guidance, and a clear pathway towards first team football.
Danny Grainger said: “I’m over the moon to be joining the club as Lead YDP Coach. I am looking forward to passing on my knowledge of the game through the Academy and helping the young players on their personal journey as they progress through the Academy.
“There’s something powerful about being part of something you genuinely care about. I’m motivated to give my best every day because this club means a lot to me.”
Academy Manager, Steven Rudd said: “We’re absolutely delighted to welcome Danny to the club as our new Lead Youth Development Phase Coach.
“As someone who’s played the game at a high level, he brings not only valuable experience but also a deep understanding of what it takes to progress through the Academy system and what it takes to play for Carlisle United.
“Having worked with Danny before, I know he will set high standards across the Youth Development Phase and look to help the next generation of players coming through. We’re confident he’ll be a fantastic addition to the environment we’re building here.”
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Dan and Craig would like to warmly welcome Danny Grainger back to Brunton Park and we hope his time with the club is a successful one.
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Carlisle United made it five wins from their last six games after securing an entertaining 2-0 victory over high-scoring Aldershot Town thanks to second half strikes from Regan Linney and Bevis Mugabi.
Mark Hughes’ side were looking to build on recent positive performances and almost made the perfect start to the game as talisman Regan Linney found space down the left flank in the 2nd minute and squared across the box to Junior Luamba, but his effort was well blocked by Brighton loanee Charlie Penman.
Carlisle continued to press Aldershot high up the pitch and almost got their reward in the 15th minute as Stephen Wearne pinched the ball from Dejan Tetek deep inside the Shots half but his shot was deflected on the way through and easily saved by former Carlisle loanee Marcus Dewhurst. Luamba was involved again moments later as his effort was acrobatically hit by Linney, but the ball sailed well wide of Dewhurst’s right hand post.
The visitors’ shot stopper was properly called into action a few minutes later as Linney received the ball on the left flank before nutmegging Archy Taylor and firing an effort towards the far post but Dewhurst stuck out an arm and managed to superbly tip the ball over the bar to deny the league’s top scorer his seventh goal of the campaign. The Cumbrians really had control of the first half an hour of the game and could have had a couple more goals but the final ball was really letting them down at times, through poor decision making and just a lack of quality.
One man not lacking in quality is Linney and he was a continous threat to Tommy Widdrington’s side, having a couple of good chances just after the half hour mark as Tetek again gave the ball away cheaply before Wearne again played in Linney, who saw his left footed shot saved down low by Dewhurst, the resulting corner again fell to the former Altrincham man inside the area but his stabbed effort was once again saved by the feet of Dewhurst.
Despite the home side’s dominance, Aldershot were looking to prove why they’re the league’s leading scorers and almost caught Carlisle napping as the dangerous Josh Barrett found space on the left and whipped an excellent cross onto the head of Ryan Hill, but the midfielder saw his header loop onto Gabe Breeze’s crossbar before being eventually dealt with by the Carlisle defence.
United looked to threaten in wide areas themselves and full back Archie Davies fired in a cross from deep which met the head of Wearne, but his header sailed comfortably over the goal. The home side had yet anohther couple of good chances to find the breakthrough in first half stoppage time as a cut back from Luamba was scuffed by Linney, before the resulting ball fell to Alex Gilliead who slipped in Cameron Harper down the left hand side of the area but his first time effort flew well over the bar, leaving Carlisle frustratingly stuck at 0-0 going into the break.
HALF TIME: Carlisle 0 – 0 Aldershot
Despite their first half profligacy, Carlisle wasted no time at all and took the lead just moments after the restart as Wearne brought down a Harper ball over the top before finding Linney down the inside left channel and this time United’s number 10 made no mistake, firing low and hard past Dewhurst to give Mark Hughes’ side the lead.
The goal seemed to spark some life into Aldershot, who had a good spell of pressure in the following minutes with Josh Barrett and Archy Taylor finding good bits of space to threaten the Blues’ defence. United weren’t taking their foot off the gas either however as they broke away from the Aldershot press before Linney fed the ball through to the onrushing Harper, but the ex Inverness man again fired well over the bar. Carlisle had a chance down the other flank moments later as some great pressing from Luamba and Luke Armstrong saw the ball fall into the path of Luamba who ran through against Dewhurst, but the angle was against him and he could only shoot straight at the former Sheffield United youngster.
Carlisle were almost made to regret their missed chances on a couple of occasions just after the hour mark as ex Blue Tristan Abrahams latched onto a cross from James Clarridge which saw the ball ricochet around the area, but his close range effort was well saved by the feet of Breeze, Aldershot were keen to avoid drawing their first blank of the season and had another great chance minutes later as a ball from the right flank found its way to the back post to former Carlisle trialist Kwame Thomas, but Breeze again down low to maintain United’s 1-0 lead.
United weren’t keen on sitting on the one goal advantage however, continuing to pile the pressure on and in the 65th minute they capitalised on a poor clearance from a corner which fell at the feet of Harper, who played the ball low into the feet of Armstrong, who spun his man superbly to fire a shot towards goal which was superbly hooked off the line by the outstretched leg of Penman. Carlisle weren’t to be denied for long however as another corner was only cleared as far as substitute Harvey Macadam, whose cross found the feet of Bevis Mugabi, and the big centre back looked like a centre forward, showing excellent composure to slot the ball in the bottom right hand corner to double the home side’s advantage.
Aldershot looked to find a way back into the game in the remaining minutes and left themselves open at the back, and an incisive pass through the midfield by Ellis found Wearne on the centre circle before the ex MK Dons man spun and played in Armstrong down the right hand side, but his 20 yard effort was well saved again down low by Dewhurst.
The Shots toiled to try and find a way through the United backline but Mugabi and captain Terrell Thomas stood firm and saw United to become the only side so far this season to prevent Aldershot from finding the back of the net in a game.
Aldershot: Dewhurst, Penman (Jones 73′), Meerholz, Clarridge, Taylor, Hill, Tetek (Henry 73′), Widdrington, Barrett (Rai 88′), Abrahams (Ghandour 60′), Thomas
How Did United Perform?
I think Carlisle can be thoroughly satisfied with their performance this afternoon, truth be told there could and should have been more goals in the game, with us really just lacking that finishing touch and final ball in key moments of the first half, combined with the fantastic performance of Dewhurst in the Aldershot goal.
That said however, Aldershot did have chances of their own and had Ryan Hill’s header found the target in the first half it could have been a different game, and Gabe Breeze made a couple of great stops with the game at 1-0 to keep us on the front foot.
The midfield and defence were a particularly pleasing point as Thomas and Mugabi both looked extremely solid and composed at the back, while Alex Gillead absolutely bossed and ran the game in midfield, the work ethic from the whole team was excellent too, with us picking up a lot of the second balls in key areas which we have failed to do in a few of the earlier games this season.
We have a tough run of games coming up and confidence is absolutely key going into them, so hopefully taking what was ultimately a comfortable 3 points against a potent side will spur Mark Hughes and the team on to tackle the challenges still to come.
Carlisle Player Ratings
Breeze – 7: Couple of really good saves in the second half to keep Aldershot out, could have been a different game otherwise, distribution still leaving a tad to be desired but otherwise a very solid outing
Davies – 7: Constant threat down the right hand side with some direct runs and a couple of dangerous crosses into the box, final ball was lacking on occasion however, never threatened too much on the defensive side of things.
Thomas – 8: Really solid performance from the United captain, looked composed at the back and kept his concentration throughout in a couple of dangerous situations and distributed the ball well too.
Mugabi – 8: Took his goal like a striker and along with Thomas, won nearly everything in the air and was composed with the ball at his feet too, especially after the confidence boost from finding the net. Was given the sponsors’ man of the match and i can understand why.
Harper – 7: Similar to Davies, got into plenty of promising positions going forward and found some key passes but lacked composure in the finish when chances fell to him, also defended well as Aldershot targeted United’s left hand side.
Ellis – 7: Has really start quietening the doubters over him playing in midfield, constant energy and hard work to break up play in the middle of the park and definitely has an eye for a pass too
Gilliead – 9 (MOTM): His best performance of what’s been a very promising second spell at the club, dictated the game superbly in the middle, made some powerful drives through the midfield and was first to nigh on every second ball. Seems to be getting better with every game so far.
Wearne – 7: Picked up some great pockets of space in midfield and was always looking to drive forward and threaten the Aldershot defence, let down at times by poor choice and quality of pass, however.
Luamba – 6: Never really got going in the game despite a few flashes of danger, was muscled off the ball a little too easily at times but i applaud his directness and desire to get forward.
Linney – 7: Looked a little sluggish at points in the first half but was still one of the most threatening players on the pitch, only denied by some great stops by Dewhurst, grew into the second half and took his goal very well.
Armstrong – 7: Worked his socks off as he always does, linked up well with the attacking midfield trio well and won a lot of flick ons, maybe guilty of overcomplicating things at points with his lay offs but otherwise a good performance.
Subs:
Macadam – 7: Put himself about really well when he came on, got on the ball a lot and set up United’s second goal.
Kelly – 7: Held the ball up well as usual, probably would have got a goal on a different day.
Whelan, Grant, Ajiboye: N/A (Not on long enough)
Please note these are Craig’s opinions and nothing official!
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We are working alongside Liam and his YouTube channel Blue Army TV this season to make sure we bring you the best Carlisle United content we possibly can. You can subscribe to his channel and follow him on X, his handles are below:
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On Saturday, Mark Hughes’ Carlisle United welcome Tommy Widdrington’s Aldershot Town to Brunton Park.
The Cumbrians will be looking to build on their recent back to back wins over Brackley Town and Truro City and The Shots will be looking to turn their recent run of draws in to wins.
How Have Both Teams Started The Season?
Carlisle United are in third place in the National League after a solid start to their season. The blues have seventeen points from their first eight games having won five, drawn two and lost one of their opening eight games.
Aldershot are in twelfth place in the National League and are the top scorers in the league but they are also prone to conceding a lot of goals. The Shots lost their first three games of the season 3-2 then won 5-1 and and 4-0 and have drawn their last three games 3-3, 2-2 and 2-2.
Players To Watch
The first player to watch for Carlisle United is Archie Davies, the right-back is a constant attacking threat down the right for The Cumbrians he makes brave runs with the ball and isn’t afraid to take his man on. He has a great cross and final ball and also takes a brilliant set piece as well.
The second player to watch for Mark Hughes’ side is Luke Armstrong, the striker scored twice last time out against Truro and has four goals and two assists to his name so far this season. It’s not only his goals that are impressive it’s also his relentless work rate and runs off the ball that cause opposition defenders real problems.
The first player to watch for Aldershot is their top goalscorer Ryan Hill. The 27-year-old midfielder has four goals and two assists so far this season and is a constant threat up top for them. The Shots are the top scoring team in the league and Hill is one of the main reasons for that.
The second player to watch for The Shots is Josh Barrett. The attacking midfielder has two goals and three assists so far this season and much like Hill is one of the integral reasons for that. Barrett and Hill will look to link up play with the frontmen and cause the blues defence serious problems.
I think Mark Hughes won’t want to change much from a winning team but I do think Luamba offers more than Ajiboye so that may be the only change for the blues.
My Score Prediction
Carlisle United 3-2 Aldershot
With Aldershot’s record of scoring goals this season but also conceding I’m expecting an entertaining game with lots of chances and goals.
I’ve done my reverse psychology technique in my predictions over the last few weeks and it’s worked but I have received some comments online for it so instead this week I’m going with a different approach and I’m going for a Carlisle United win however if we don’t win blame it on the people who have been upset with my predictions and have taken them too seriously.
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On Saturday, Mark Hughes’ Carlisle United side comfortably beat John Askey’s Truro City at Brunton Park 3-0.
Two quick fire first half goals from Luke Armstrong gave the Cumbrians the ascendancy and then a brilliant solo goal from Regan Linney sealed the three points in the second half.
Match Review
Truro started the game well and were passing the ball around well but with little attacking threat.
In the 10th minute a brilliant team move lead to the opening goal, Archie Davies found Cameron Harper, Cameron Harper then found Wearne on the left of the area and he crossed for Luke Armstrong to tap home to give Carlisle a 1-0 lead.
Shortly after in the 12th minute, Regan Linney turned inside on the his foot and had a shot that looped up after a defensive block and Luke Armstrong was in the right place once again to finish smartly to give the blues a comfortable 2-0 lead.
Both of Carlisle United wingers were getting lots of joy against their full backs and were putting dangerous balls in to the box but just couldn’t find that end product to put the game to bed.
HT Carlisle United 2-0 Truro City
The second half started off quite flat with Truro enjoying some spells of possession and their best chance of the game came from a series of well worked corners as Will Dean shot just wide from the edge of the area.
On the hour mark a piece of individual brilliant sealed the game for Mark Hughes’ side as Regan Linney beat two players, nutmegged the defender in the box and finished brilliantly in to the roof of the net from a tight angle. A moment that had everyone on their feet
From then it was just a matter of how many for Carlisle United but they failed to add to their goals tally despite a great for Harvey Macadam on the break and shots from Callum Whelan and Luke Armstrong that went just wide.
Truro nearly got on the scoresheet as Gabe Breeze held on the ball too long when and was closed down by Tyler Harvey but luckily for Breeze and Carlisle the ball was deflected over the bar.
FTCarlisle United 3-0 Truro City
Massive credit to the 78 Truro supporters who made the long trip, they are a credit to themselves and their team and have nothing but everyone’s respect, good luck to them for the rest of the season.
How Did Carlisle Perform?
First half after a slow start, Carlisle played some exciting football at times. David Ajiboye was a threat down the right, Regan Linney as always was a threat down the left and Luke Armstrong’s movement was causing their defence serious problems.
There were still some some lapses in concentration at times but it’s a lot more forgivable when you’re two goals to the good.
Second half was similar to the first with a slow start to the half but after the third goal Carlisle really found their confidence again and were playing some nice football and creating openings and chances in behind both full backs.
Overall I would say Carlisle weren’t at their best but they didn’t have to be. Mark Hughes’ side will know there are a lot tougher tests to come in the next few months. As for Truro they were far from their best but they will probably be content it was only 3-0 in the end and they will have games against their fellow strugglers to come that will be imperative to their survival hopes.
My Carlisle United Player Ratings
Gabe Breeze -6- came for set pieces well, didn’t have a lot to do except one save in the first half. Nearly got caught out in the second half that could’ve cost us a goal.
Archie Davies -7- made some great runs forward and created space for the wingers at times. Defensively didn’t do anything wrong, another solid afternoon for Davies.
Bevis Mugabi -6- comfortable afternoon in general for the defence but a couple of times Mugabi missed his headers and nearly gave the ball away with the ball at his feet.
Terell Thomas -7- a lapse in the first half from Thomas but apart from that he won pretty much every header, knew when to pass and when to go along and had a very good game.
Cameron Harper -7- was targeted early on by Truro but stood his ground. He defended well and had a huge part to play in the opening goal with his pass to Wearne.
Jack Ellis -7.5- comfortable in midfield, he was calm and composed, he broke the play up well and found the pass when under pressure, really impressive.
Alex Gilliead -7- done a job in the midfield, won possession back at times, made runs in to dangerous areas and kept the ball well.
Stephen Wearne -7- covered a lot of ground in the midfield, made some runs off the midfielders and got the assist for Luke Armstrong’s opening goal.
David Ajiboye -6- got in some dangerous positions in the first half but lacked an end product but overall much improved from what we’ve seen from him so far this season.
Regan Linney -8.5- a constant threat, always gets his head up when he’s on the ball and runs the defenders. He had a huge part to play in the second goal and got his brilliant goal in the second half, my man of the match.
Luke Armstrong -8.5- a very close second to Regan Linney for man of the match, took both his goals like a striker should, he never stopped running and created space for others with some intelligent running.
SUBSTITUTES
Callum Whelan -7- kept the ball well when he came on and was unlucky to not get on the scoresheet himself.
Junior Luamba -7- made some direct runs when he came on and had the beaten of his man. He almost got an assist when he came on as well.
Harvey Macadam -6- done a job when he came on and should’ve scored when clean through on goal but shot wide.
Georgie Kelly -6- held the ball up brilliantly and gave their defence a lot to think about when he came on.
Josh Grant -6- made some good tackles when he came on and kept the ball well, signs of real improvement from Grant after his debut against Solihull.
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We are working alongside Liam and his YouTube channel Blue Army TV this season to make sure we bring you the best Carlisle United content we possibly can. You can subscribe to his channel and follow him on X, his handles are below:
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Another partnership Paddock Perception has is with Carlisle United YouTube channel CU04, they have amazing content on their channel and we are looking forward to working with them this season. You can follow them here:
X- @CU04_YOUTUBE
YouTube – @CU04
Thank you everyone for reading Paddock Perception, your support means everything! Please don’t forget you can follow Dan and Craig on X for more football content:
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