We preview the long trip to Carlisle...
Carlisle United FC
Sky Bet League One
Brunton Park, Warwick Rd, Carlisle, CA1 1LL
Kick-off: 3pm
Weather forecast: 10°c, thick cloud
Referee: James Adcock
LAST TIME WE MET:
TEAM NEWS:
Morais is hopeful of a return this weekend, whilst unfortunately for Deacon it looks as though the injury which forced him off on Tuesday will affect his chances this weekend.
Carlisle have been decimated by injuries and an ankle knock to Liam Noble sustained last night, has added to their woes. Paul Thirlwell, Sean O’Hanlon and Matty Robson are also being assessed on a day-to-day basis and Mark Gillespie has just come back from a week at St George’s Park.
VIEW FROM THE DRESSING ROOM:
GW spoke on Thursday afternoon about the team's aim for a top half finish this season.
“The form has been much better, that’s for sure. I think everybody would have expected that bringing three or four lads in of proven quality would make a difference and it’s no surprise to me that it has.
“We’ve had to select a lot of lads with very little League 1 experience this year and they’ve done a lot of learning, which will serve them well in the long term, but when you’ve got lads who are a little bit more established who’ve got a little more know-how behind them, it helps the cause for sure.
“The team spirit since we cleared the decks in January and saw nine walk out the door has changed completely. The influences that were perhaps detrimental to the forward momentum of the team have been removed and they’ve been replaced by people who are adding to the momentum of the team.
“We want to finish in the top half of the table and to finish in the top half of the table we’ve got to win a lot of points, there’s no hiding from that. We’ve got 33 points that we can win and we’re going to have win a good fair few of them to reach our objective.”
BETTING:
Stevenage are slight outsiders for the win with Sky Bet - 9/5 compared to Carlisle’s 7/5 so the bookies are certainly wary of an away win for the Boro!
If you’re looking to back a correct score, 1-0 is 15/2 whilst 2-0 is 12/1.
Despite scoring in the last two games, Jimmy Smith is still a generous 11/2 to score in 90 minutes, whilst 16/1 to score first.
Sign up to Sky Bet through the attached links and earn yourself and your club some cash.
RECENT FORM:
Carlisle are currently on a four game run without a win, so they will be eager to get back to winning ways and open up a gap over Stevenage. Carlisle started off the season in a dreadful manner – losing 5-1, 4-0 and 4-0 in their first three games. Ironically, the 3-1 win over Stevenage in September helped get their season up and running, and it's only been in the last few weeks that the club have started to drift back down towards the relegation zone.
KEY MAN:
David Amoo is the clubs top scorer, with 11 goals this season. The former Liverpool striker is enjoying his most prolific spell in front of goal in his career, although at 22 he’s clearly got plenty to look forward to. Amoo is one of the quickest forwards in the league and as a youth he represented London as a sprinter in the English Schools National Track and Field Championships.