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The Blues are ready to welcome the Gulls to Cumbria tomorrow, looking to continue an impressive record at home. The Cumbrians are clearly on top in this fixture, having won ten and lost only four of the 17 games contested.
The previous match played between the two teams at Brunton Park was within the last three years, in December 2003, with United running out comfortable 2-0 winners in a Division Three encounter. The victory for the Blues couldn't have come at much of a lower ebb for the club though, as just 3,600 spectators saw Carlisle claim only their second win in a opening run of 22 league games that saw 18 end in defeat, twelve of those losses coming in a row prior to this win. The goals on the day came from an Andy Preece shot in the 16th minute and a rasping long-ranger from Paul Arnison after 53 minutes. Tony Bedeau also receiving a red card in the 71st minute for the visitors from referee Michael Jones, after he swung a vicious elbow at United left-back Tom Cowan.
That game is widely recognised by Blues boss Paul Simpson, and United fans alike, as the day that the club finally started to wake back up from it's slumber. Carlisle fighting back against the drop in the second half of the season as they showed play-off form to give themselves a chance of safety, only to fall just short with one game left. The Cumbrians took that form with them into the Conference promotion campaign to bounce back into the league at the first attempt though. The team also surprising the majority of people by achieving a second successive promotion, and perhaps the League Two title, this season.
For a detailed analysis of the head-to-head between the two sides, click here
| Recent encounters between the teams: | |||||
| 2005/2006 | Sat 12 Nov | Torquay | 3 - 4 | Carlisle | LGE2 |
| 2003/2004 | Sat 06 Mar | Torquay | 4 - 1 | Carlisle | LGE2 |
| 2003/2004 | Sat 20 Dec | Carlisle | 2 - 0 | Torquay | LGE2 |
| 2002/2003 | Sat 26 Apr | Torquay | 2 - 3 | Carlisle | LGE2 |
| 2002/2003 | Sat 05 Oct | Carlisle | 1 - 2 | Torquay | LGE2 |
| 2001/2002 | Tue 19 Feb | Carlisle | 2 - 0 | Torquay | LGE2 |
| 2001/2002 | Mon 27 Aug | Torquay | 2 - 1 | Carlisle | LGE2 |
Recent respective form guides
Carlisle could not have a more impressive recent home form, having won five of their last six league home games, the Blues being undefeated at Brunton Park for 14 games since the 26th of November. In those previous six matches the Cumbrians have rattled up an impressive 15 goals, and conceded only five.
Torquay have an average recent record on the road, picking up two good wins, but losing three, from their last six. Only four goals have been registered in this time, with just five leaked at the wrong end though. The Gulls have improved a bit on their travels of late although they have still been defeated 13 times in 22 league games away from Plainmoor.
Carlisle are leading the way in the League Two table, with their 43 games giving them a return of 82 points. The Blues have already secured automatic promotion but their lead in the race for the title has been cut to three points by a Northampton Town side who have won six of their last seven games. United have a game in hand and a superior goal difference though, so one win from their last outings would see them claim the championship crown.
Torquay, on the other side of the coin, are stuck down in the relegation zone in League Two with a return of just 48 points from their 44 games thus far. The Devonians looked dead and buried at one point only for three wins in a row to catapult them to the brink of the saftety. With teams around them facing each other in the run-in the Gulls also know that two more wins from their last two matches would see them guaranteed League Two football next season.
For a detailed analysis of team form guides throughout the leagues, click here
| Current league form guides: | P | W | D | L | F | A | P |
| Carlisle | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 14 |
| Torquay | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 9 |
FootyMad's prediction ...
It's good news for United fans, because, with them being in such great nick at home, I just cannot see any further than an emphatic win for the Cumbrians. Home win
| Sequence statistics: | |
| Carlisle | Eight games since last home draw. Unbeaten in league for 13 games, not lost at home since 1-0 defeat against Wycombe in late November. |
| Torquay | Won three games in a row. Last drawn game nine outings ago. |