Preston North End Match Stats Preview

History of the Carlisle United v Preston North End fixture

The Blues face the Lilywhites in Cumbria on Tuesday evening, holding a marginal historical advantage in matches between the two sides at Brunton Park. Of the seventeen games played over the years, United have recorded seven wins, and Preston have come away with five victories, while the other five matches have ended in draws .

The last time the two teams met in Carlisle though was nearly fifteen years in October 1997, as the visitors ran out cosy 0-2 winners in a League Division Two (tier three) match, that being Preston's largest margin of victory in their five wins at Brunton Park. The North End goals, on a mid-October Friday evening scored by Gary Parkinson on 23 minutes then Lee Ashcroft after 47 minutes in front of 6,541 spectators inside Brunton Park.

Carlisle's last victory at home to North End meanwhile was in the Autoglass Trophy first round in the 1993-94 season, a campaign in which United reached the Northern Area final before losing 4-3 on aggregate to Huddersfield. The Blues starting things off though at the opening stage by winning 2-0 thanks to goals from Peter Valentine and Darren Edmondson in either half as 3,909 fans looked on.

Before that game you have to go back over 30 years to find Carlisle's last league win at home to North End, United defeating the Lilywhites 1-0 at home in the old Third Division season of 1981-82. The sole Blues goal, in the final game of a six match winning run for the Cumbrians scored by Keith Houghton on an early February Tuesday evening in front of 5,044 spectators.

Carlisle's biggest win at home to the Lilywhites meanwhile came in the old Second Division in the 1972-73 campaign. United thrashing North End 6-1 on Boxing Day 1972, two days before yours truly was born. The Blues goals scored by Joe Laidlaw and Dennis Martin with a brace apiece, while Chris Balderstone and Kenny Wilson also weighed in with single strikes. The solitary Preston reply being netted by Alex Bruce as 9,939 fans looked on.

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 are in decent form at home on the back of a fourteen match unbeaten Brunton Park run, United also having won four and drawn two of their last home six games. A hefty total of twelve goals have been scored by the Cumbrians in those matches, with six conceded. In complete contrast to Carlisle, North End are having a torrid time on their travels, accumulating just one victory, last time out, one draw and four defeats from their last six games played on the road. While the Lilywhites have netted five times in those matches, a bumper ten goals have hit the back of the wrong net.

Carlisle currently lie in seventh place on goal difference and just outside the play-off positions in the npower League One table, picking up 56 points from their 35 games contested to date. Preston meanwhile see themselves just below half way in the division, in fourteenth spot, showing a record of 45 points from their 36 games played so far.

Current overall team form

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

FootyMad's prediction ...

Carlisle may be coming up against a decent side in Preston, but the Footymad panel do believe that it's going to result in a narrow home win for the Cumbrians........ Home Win

Sequence statistics

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