All the facts ahead of tomorrow's match at the Kenny
Town welcome Carlisle United to Kenilworth Road this Saturday at the ideal time, as the Cumbrians are currently on their worst run of form this season.
Whilst Nathan Jones’ side progressed in both the Emirates FA Cup and the Checkatrade Trophy, Carlisle lost to Rochdale and Mansfield Town to exit both competitions.
That was the first time Keith Curle’s side have suffered back-to-back defeats this season, having only lost in the league once so far – a 2-0 defeat to Newport County.
That isn’t to say Carlisle aren’t doing well though. Currently sat in second in the Sky Bet League Two table with the joint best goal difference in the division, the Cumbrians are averaging two points a game, with 38 points from 19 matches.
Town are on a good run of their own however, having only lost two of their last 16 matches in all competitions. That run has seen Jones’ team maintain a place in the play-off spots, currently sat in fifth place heading into the weekend.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s match, the Hatters boss was complimentary of the work that Curle has done during his tenure as boss of the Brunton Park outfit, as well as making it clear that this is very much a big clash for his side.
Jones said: “This is a big one because of the proximity of the teams in the league and so on. They have started fantastically well.
“Keith Curle has done a fantastic job. He has assembled a squad, they have had real good continuity from last year to this.
“All he has done is improve the squad. He has improved it with Jamie Devitt and Shaun Miller, people like that. Everything else has just been a continuation of what he already had.”
The last time the two faced each other – in April this year – it ended in a 2-1 win for Town, as Joe Pigott and Josh McQuoid scored a goal each at Brunton Park.
This weekend’s match is going to be refereed by Mark Heywood, who has taken charge of 18 games so far this season. He has dished out 83 yellows in those matches, but impressively, has only handed out one red card this term.
Tickets are still available from the ticket office for the match, in person, online, which you can access by clicking here, or via the phone on 01582 416976.