FourFourTwo UK – September 2019

LASTSEASON

LEAGUETWO16thFACUPSecondRound

LEAGUECUPSecondRoundTOPSCORERLukeVarney(14)

LASTSEASON

LEAGUE TWO 11th FA CUP Second Round

LEAGUE CUP First Round TOP SCORER Hallam Hope (15)

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SEASOn PREVIEW

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The very unpredictable Cumbrians

flirted with the play-offs only for

their campaign to fizzle out; in all,

80 per cent of their victories came

before the end of January. Steven

Pressley deserves some kudos for

experimenting with a false nine –

hardly League Two’s go-to tactic.

Michael Duff has brought positivity

to the club, and the Robins’ form

improved throughout 2018-19

after a terrible start to the season.

Early summer business was based

around goalscorers, but they need

midfield reinforcements before

a top-half finish can look realistic.

The big talking point among the fans

is the budget and impact of director

of football David Holdsworth. A policy

of giving only one-year contracts has

seen last season’s best player, Jamie

Devitt, leave and join Blackpool – cue

an unhappy fanbase.

Our most underrated player is last

term’s top scorer, Hallam Hope. Even

though he scores and creates goals,

the fans have never fully taken to him.

He’s always either great or gash!

The pantomime villain will be David

Holdsworth. His one-year deals policy

means he’s currently in the firing line.

The one change I’d make to the club

would be a change of ownership, and

a lot of fans would say the same. The

current ‘temporary custodians’ have

overseen an 11-year decline from the

top half of League One to mid-table in

League Two, with attendances falling

along the way.

The best away fans are any poor sods

who make the trek up here!

The best away ground is Bradford’s

or Plymouth’s.

The opposition player I secretly

admire is ex-Cumbrian Nicky Adams.

Did you know that Carlisle were the

first English team to win at the Stadio

Olimpico in Rome: 3-2 vs Roma in the

1972 Anglo-Italian Cup.

The signature local dish is the great

Cumberland sausage. Obviously it’s

not on sale at the club, despite the

chairman being a meat wholesaler!

Our best celebrity fan is Lee Brennan

from ’90s boy band 911.

Our key player will be keeper Adam

Collin – he was fantastic for us last

season. There’ll be a completely new

defence in front of him in 2019-20,

so his experience will be vital.

The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is

that Steven Pressley [below] splits the

fanbase. He joined in January when

we were flying, but instantly lost some

key players. Some supporters think he

failed by missing out on the play-offs;

others, myself included, believe that

he deserves a chance to build his own

team this time around.

We’ll finish in the play-offs! Sod it,

let’s go crazy – positivity and all that.

The big talking point among the fans

has been Kevin Dawson. Having been

offered a new contract before the

final home game of last season, the

midfielder eventually jumped ship and

joined our nearest rivals, Forest Green.

This hasn’t gone down well, especially

as he’d said he wanted to stay. We’re

due a win over them lot up the hill...

Look out for George Lloyd. The young

forward returned from a second loan

spell with Hereford mid-season and

then scored in a draw against league

champions Lincoln. Hot shot!

The player I’d happily drive to

another club is Josh Debayo – he’s

athletic, but unable to kick a football.

The one change I’d make to the club

would be to finish the development

at Whaddon Road as well as replacing

the main stand.

Our most underrated player is Chris

Clements [below] – an outstanding

technical footballer who often goes

unnoticed by most of our supporters.

The best away fans are Carlisle’s –

they always travel really well, which is

a great effort considering the location.

The best club social media account

is @JonPalmerSport, a journalist who

covers Cheltenham well.

Did you know that Town once had

a game delayed due to a bomb scare

and all the fans inside the ground had

to leave, so they went across the road

and watched a local park game until

they were allowed back in.

The one recommendation for away

fans is to visit the racecourse if the

racing’s on – it’s the best in the land.

The best thing about the matchday

experience at Cheltenham is our DJ,

Jim Haggin. Legend.

The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is

that Michael Duff [above] is already

a club legend from his playing days,

and he’s carried his philosophies from

working with Burnley’s young talent

into senior management. Playing out

from the back is pleasing on the eye.

If he left, he should be replaced by

Jerry Gill, our popular former player

who’s doing a great job at Bath City.

We’ll finish in the top half if we sign

some quality midfielders.

FAn FILE

DAN MACLENNAN

@TheCumbriansNet

FAn FILE

LEE ETHERIDGE

@hEaLeR_CTFC