Man in the middle
MARTIN COY
In 19 games so far this season he has shown 62 yellow cards and two reds.
Assisted by Paul Newhouse and Gary Hilton
Fourth Official : Chris Isherwood
Carlisle Club NewsUnited return to Brunton Park for the first time in what feels like an age on Saturday afternoon when they play host to high-flying Plymouth Argyle.
Carlisle manager We’ve had nine games and only three of them have been at home, so I really am looking forward to it.
It’s been a hectic period, so it was good to get a full week to prepare we had a couple of days, I think they needed that because you spend a lot of time with each other so it is good to refresh everything and then go again, and we have been back at it and working hard this week.
I’d rather score one more goal than the opponent than keep 10 clean sheets.
Carlisle Match PreviewsOn what we can expect from the Pilgrims, he said: They’re excellent at manipulating the football, they use the full width of the pitch and generally play with two lads up front.
They’ve got very attacking central midfield players, players I’ve known a long time who played against my youth teams years ago, Danny Mayor and people like that. They’ll be strong, but we’ve got to go against that and put our footprint in the game.
They’re a very good side and they play decent football. They get the ball wide, they go for the box and they cross a lot. They have a number of players who can score from outside the area and they have some outstanding individuals.
They’re in a very good place as a club, they have the new stand open at their stadium, an unbelievable manager and a great facility. They’ll be coming here wanting three points and it’ll be up to us to turn the point we start with into three.”
I think they’ve got a great manager in Ryan [Lowe], He did a great with Bury, especially towards the end when the players weren’t getting paid and there was a lot of turmoil around the club. He’s put his stamp on what they’re doing there at Plymouth.
I want the fans to see performances that represent them, he said. They want to see hard work, players going in for tackles, players tracking back, great skill and great goals.
They want to support that and we’ve got to provide that for them. Sometimes at football clubs people say the fans are quiet today, but the players have a responsibility to get them going and the fans have a responsibility to get the players going.
We want to beat Plymouth and represent our supporters in the right way, but of course what you want and what you get are often very different. We’ve got to make sure we get the three points.
InjuriesInjury situation We have none for us, other than Jarrad Branthwaite. Everybody else is good, and Dolly’s confident that the ones that didn’t quite make last week’s squad will be training on Friday. Mo Sagaf turned his ankle at Crewe, and he’s done some running. I’m looking forward to him hopefully training today, but can’t confirm that until we see how Thursday has gone for him.
Christie Elliott was a chest infection, he trained today [Thursday],
TransfersWe signed central defender Max Hunt on an 18-month contract from Derby County,
Gethin Jones signed a deal until the end of the season.
Argyle review of the gameIt has been a difficult season for Carlisle, on and off the pitch, with poor results and a change of head coach combined with a high turnover of players and a reduced budget to work with.
Carlisle have won two, drawn five and lost two of their nine matches in all competitions under new manger Beech.
As the current position of fourth-bottom would indicate. Carlisle have not managed to build any serious winning momentum and their struggles in the autumn eventually cost Steven Pressley his job.
In their worst periods they were defensively loose and toothless in attack, lacking a consistent formula. Certain summer signings have not lived up to hopes and a policy of patience on loan strikers in the summer also backfired.
There have been certain improvements under Chris Beech, Given their league position now, what are the hopes and expectations for the rest of the season? The hope is for any sort of run of victories that can take Carlisle into the comfort of mid-table.
The expectation is probably slightly lesser - simply to see League Two survival achieved.
Chris Beech has recently taken over as manager. and Carlisle have been a bit more solid in his nine games. Other than in defeats at Colchester and Crewe, they have looked tougher to beat and, in three home games, the head coach has yet to see his side concede.
Beech has reduced the attempts to play out from the back that had been a hallmark (and not always in a good way) of Pressley's latter months in charge.
Carlisle do not have the biggest of squads, and have had their share of illness and injury issues recently, so commitments on different fronts may stretch it further.
Key Players He has been sidelined recently, and is not certain to play this weekend, but 17-year-old defender Jarrad Branthwaite (who made his league debut against Argyle in October) has been the most talked-about player at the club this season.
Other key men include the former Argyle loanee Gethin Jones, his midfield namesake Mike, now the club's longest-serving player and goalkeeper Adam Collin, still a reliable No1 at this level. Nathan Thomas had a spell at Argyle earlier in his career and became a fans' favourite with his wing play.
Argyle Team newsFormer Plymouth Argyle adversary Paul Cook is helping the Pilgrims out with training facilities for their away game against Carlisle United on Saturday.
It is all part of Ryan Lowe’s thorough planning for Argyle’s longest trip of the season.
The Pilgrims’ squad left Home Park after training on Thursday and travelled to a hotel in the north-west of England.
They will then complete the mammoth trek to Cumbria on Friday.
Before that, however, they will train at Wigan Athletic’s training ground, thanks to Cook, who is the Latics’ boss.
Josh Grant re-signs on loan to Argyle for the rest of the season.
Ryan Hardie a 22-year-old Blackpool striker will spend the rest of the season with the Pilgrims on loan.
McFadzean closing in on a comeback also is Dom Telford
Rudden linked with Partick move, Billy Clarke is joining Ian Holloway at Grimsby Town.
TAFARI Moore has been offered a settlement deal to release him from his Argyle contract and pursue a career elsewhere.
FansThere is a 4am start for travelling fans
Ryan Lowe is paying for breakfast for them