Hartlepool United Match Stats Preview

History of the Carlisle United v Hartlepool United fixture

Carlisle welcome Hartlepool to Brunton Park tomorrow, looking to continue an impressive record. The Cumbrians are clearly on top, having won 31, drawn six and lost only 12 of the 49 games played between the two sides in Carlisle.

Last season in League One United took the honours again with a narrow 1-0 victory on a cold Tuesday night in early March, Francois Zoko's backheel midway through the second half for a ten man United side, following the first half sending off of Liam Noble, guiding Carlisle to a tight win as 3,898 fans looked on inside Brunton Park.

In 2009-10 in League One the Blues took all three points once more at home despite going 1-0 down after only five minutes when Armann Bjornsson netted for the visitors. United fought back well though and were 3-1 up just after the hour-mark thanks to goals from Ian Harte (33), Tom Taiwo (52) and Matty Robson (63), Andy Monkhouse's 90th minute strike in front of 4,109 spectators therefore proving to be nothing more than a consolation effort for Hartlepool in the 3-2 defeat they suffered.

Meanwhile in the 2008-09 League One campaign the Cumbrians lost 1-0 at Brunton Park on a Tuesday night in late October. The match was the penultimate one of John Ward's managerial reign and the visitors took all three points when James Brown scored in the 28th minute as 5,637 fans looked on.

Almost four years ago 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 twelve 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.

Recent encounters between the teams

For a detailed analysis of the complete head-to-head record between the two sides, click here

Recent respective form guides

Carlisle's recent home form is poor, winning just two of their last six matches at Brunton Park, and losing the other four. While the Cumbrians have scored seven goals in those games, a worringly large 11 have been leaked at the other end.

Hartlepool's away form is none too clever either though, collecting one win, three draws and two defeats from their last six matches on the road. The Pools have scored seven goals in these games, but have also conceded an alarming nine.

Carlisle's ten points picked up from their six games played so far sees them lie inside the top half of the League One table, in tenth position. Hartlepool, meanwhile, thanks to their far superior goal difference, are on the same number of points from the same amount of matches but they, in sixth place, currently occupy the final play-off spot in the division.

Current overall team form

For a detailed analysis of current team form guides in this or any division, click here

FootyMad's prediction ...

These are testing times at Brunton Park for the Cumbrians and the Footymad panel are unable to see past Hartlepool United claiming victory in a close match..........away win.

Sequence statistics

For a detailed analysis of current team sequences throughout the leagues, click here