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Carlisle welcome Hartlepool to Brunton Park tomorrow, looking to continue an impressive record. The Cumbrians are clearly on top, having won 29 and lost only 11 of the 46 games played between the two sides in Carlisle.
Last season in League One the Blues defeated Hartlepool 4-2 at Brunton Park on New Year's Day of 2008 in front of 7,496 spectators. Two goals from Joe Garner and single strikes from Jeff Smith and Simon Hackney giving Carlisle the upper hand over a brace of goals from Richie Humphreys for the visitors.
Before that game United's dire run of results in the early part of this decade had seen them actually lose their previous five matches at home to Hartlepool. The most recent league defeat coming in the 2002-03 season in the bottom tier of English professional football. The visitors sticking a big pin in the John Courtenay takeover balloon as 10,684 fans crammed inside Brunton Park for the first game under a new regime only to witness a comfortable 3-1 win for the 'Pools.
Mark Tinkler opened the scoring for Chris Turner's Hartlepool a minute before half-time with their lead then being extended two minutes after the break thanks to Richie Humphreys. Tinkler grabbed his second goal of the game in the 77th minute before Brian Wake netted with what would only be a consolation strike for the Blues three minutes later.
Carlisle's biggest win in their Football League history came at home to Hartlepool in the Cumbrians first season at that level. The Blues winning 8-0 in the old Third Division North in 1928-29, the goals, in front of 7,346 spectators, coming from a Jim McConnell hat-trick (three of his 42 for the season), a David Hutchinson brace, Billy Robinson, Billy Ward and Alfred Agar. That 8-0 win coming after the Cumbrians had already hammered 'Pools 6-2 at Brunton Park in the first round of the FA Cup in the 1926-27 season.
Hartlepool's best margin of victory in their eleven wins in Carlisle has twice been by three goals to nil. The first of those successes coming in 1955-56 in the old Division Three North as 4,718 spectators looked on. The latter victory was much more recent as it happened in the August of the 1999-2000 fourth tier campaign. The goals coming from a brace by former Blues-loanee Chris Freestone and a single strike by Tommy Miller in front of 4,033 spectators.
For a detailed analysis of the head-to-head between the two sides, click here
| Recent encounters between the teams | |||||
| 2007/2008 | Tue 01 Jan | Carlisle | 4 - 2 | Hartlepool | LGE1 |
| 2007/2008 | Tue 02 Oct | Hartlepool | 2 - 2 | Carlisle | LGE1 |
| 2004/2005 | Tue 02 Nov | Carlisle | 0 - 1 | Hartlepool | ASSM |
| 2002/2003 | Wed 01 Jan | Hartlepool | 2 - 1 | Carlisle | LGE2 |
| 2002/2003 | Sat 10 Aug | Carlisle | 1 - 3 | Hartlepool | LGE2 |
| 2001/2002 | Tue 19 Mar | Carlisle | 0 - 2 | Hartlepool | LGE2 |
| 2001/2002 | Sat 29 Sep | Hartlepool | 3 - 1 | Carlisle | LGE2 |
Recent respective form guides
Carlisle have only performed averagely at home recently, having not won at Brunton Park since early September, United winning three, drawing one and losing two of their last six home matches. A healthy total of 14 goals have been scored by the Cumbrians in those games, but a mammoth 11 have also been conceded.
Hartlepool have an average recent record on the road, winning two of their last six away games but losing the other four. While the 'Pools have bagged seven goals, ten have also hit the back of the wrong net.
Carlisle find themselves struggling down in 17th position in the League One table having picked up 14 points from their 13 matches, 13 of which were gained in their first five games. Meanwhile Hartlepool's 20 points from their 13 matches played sees them lie just inside the top half of the table, in 12th place.
For a detailed analysis of team form guides throughout the leagues, click here
| Last six games form guide | P | W | D | L | F | A | P |
| Carlisle | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 16 | 2 |
| Hartlepool | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 10 | 10 |
FootyMad's prediction ...
Carlisle are performing in fits and starts at home in recent games, and the FootyMad panel doesn't see things getting any better, as the visitors squeak past and take all the points. Away win
| Sequence statistics | |
| Carlisle | Latest two games ended in defeat. Not won in the nine most recent matches. |
| Hartlepool | Last drawn game five outings ago Eight matches since last away draw. Won each of the previous three games. |