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The Blues travel to Cheshire to take on the Hatters at the weekend, needing to turn around their fortunes away to County. The Cumbrians hoping to improve on a record which has seen them lose 22 and win only eight of the 35 games contested between the two sides at Edgeley Park.
The last time the two teams met there was almost four and a half years ago, in August 2001, with Stockport running out comfortable 3-0 winners in a League Cup round one match. Shefki Kuqi opened the scoring for the Hatters after 21 minutes with Scott Taylor bagging a second-half brace on 56 and 83 to complete the scoreline in front of just 2,075 spectators. The sides haven't played against each other in the league in Cheshire since the 1995-96 season, when United were relegated from League Division Two in their first campaign at that level after winning the Division Three championship the season before. County did the double over Carlisle that year and took the spoils at Edgeley Park courtesy of a 2-0 win, seen by a Boxing Day crowd of 5,941, Alun Armstrong and John Jeffers grabbing the goals in either half.
For a detailed analysis of the head-to-head between the two sides, click here
| Recent encounters between the teams: | |||||
| 2005/2006 | Sat 29 Oct | Carlisle | 6 - 0 | Stockport | LGE2 |
| 2002/2003 | Tue 12 Nov | Carlisle | 0 - 0 | Stockport | ASSM |
| 2001/2002 | Tue 21 Aug | Stockport | 3 - 0 | Carlisle | LGEC |
| 1995/1996 | Sat 02 Mar | Carlisle | 0 - 1 | Stockport | LGE1 |
| 1995/1996 | Tue 26 Dec | Stockport | 2 - 0 | Carlisle | LGE1 |
| 1990/1991 | Sat 02 Feb | Carlisle | 1 - 0 | Stockport | LGE2 |
| 1990/1991 | Mon 17 Sep | Stockport | 3 - 1 | Carlisle | LGE2 |
Recent respective form guides
County have shown reasonable home form this season in losing only five games, although they have drawn ten of their 22 league matches, and they have won four and been defeated only twice in the last six played. A total of nine goals have been scored by the Hatters in those games, with five conceded, as the drawn games at Edgeley Park have started to completely dry up.
United have had an excellent run of league form away from home recently, with four victories and two draws from their last six games. Those matches have seen the Cumbrians hammering home 14 goals, while conceding only three. The Blues have also lost just four league games away from Brunton Park all season, a big reason for their League Two success.
County are hovering perilously just one place above the relegation zone, with 51 points from 45 matches. Oxford are only two points behind the Hatters, with a much better goal difference, although they face a tough game at home to promotion-chasing Leyton Orient on Saturday, Stockport know though that a win will see them safe whatever happens elsewhere.
United are leading the way in the League Two table, with their 45 games giving them a return of 85 points, and that is where they will stay unless second placed Northampton Town can win and turn around a 17-goal differential on Saturday, the final day of a long regular season.
For a detailed analysis of team form guides throughout the leagues, click here
| Current form guides: | P | W | D | L | F | A | P |
| Stockport | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 11 | 8 |
| Carlisle | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 11 |
FootyMad's prediction ...
The Cumbrians have been performing with great credit on their travels, but, with so much to play for County, the Madmen see the Hatters claiming a useful point. Score draw
| Sequence statistics: | |
| Stockport | Eleven goals conceded in last six matches. A remarkable nine games since last home draw. |
| Carlisle | Only one defeat in last 15 league matches. Undefeated in last seven league away games. |