Carlisle, after being at their week long training camp at Slaley Hall, make the short trip a little further east tomorrow to take on Gateshead in their second pre-season friendly of the 2011-12 campaign. United having defeated Kendal 5-1 at Parkside Road last Friday evening, while Gateshead themselves started off their warm-up preparations with a 1-0 home defeat against Carlisle's League One rivals Huddersfield last Saturday, before they then went down 3-1 at Blue Square Bet North side Harrogate Town on Wednesday evening, Heed boss Ian Bogie commenting to his club's official website on those games :
"We played very well against Huddersfield but did not follow that up at Harrogate and will need to be much better against a good Carlisle side. Players cannot pick and choose which games they are up for in pre-season. It is easy to rise to the occasion at home against the big clubs but they have to do that on a consistent basis.
"The sides we are playing away from home are all below us in the pyramid but they all have a good pedigree and you have to play at a good level in these games. Results are not the be all and end all in pre-season, particularly early on, but I expect good performances individually and collectively.
"Players have mainly been given 45 minute run outs so far and there has been a lot of chopping and changing which you have to do at this early stage. We want to head to our training camp in the Lakes on the back of a good display against Carlisle and it will be a good work out for both sides. It should be a real test. Carlisle have a week’s more advantage than us in their pre-season training programme but I would like to think ours are pretty good now too.”
Selection-wise Gateshead will be without the injured duo of ex-Gretna youngster Nathan Fisher and former Carlisle trialist James Marwood. The game though will see the return of midfielder Josh Gillies for his first match of the home side's pre-season campaign, while they will also be boosted by the inclusion of trialists Kyle Nix (ex-Mansfield) and Chris Moore (former Darlington). Aside from Marwood, the other United connection in the Gateshead squad being one-time Blues winger Martin Brittain.
As for Carlisle themselves it looks likely that the Cumbrians will once more field a different starting eleven in either half, no doubt including returning loan signing Liam Noble and trialists Stuart Green and Lasse Merring-Mikkelsen. Admission to the game for the 2pm kick-off is £10 for adults, £5 for students and the over 60s and £2 for under 16s, with the United fans housed in covered seating (it is forecast to rain heavily). Finally car parking at the Gateshead International Stadium is free on a first come first served basis.