Match Preview: Carlisle

By Albatross
August 8 2002

For all of us who've been counting the days, it's almost here: Pools kick off away at Carlisle, and Albatross looks at what Pools can expect after their recent change of ownership.

So after all the weeks of waiting, it's finally here. Almost time for the speculations, predictions, and boasts to come up against reality. And first up, it's Carlisle United....

Two weeks ago, this looked like it would be an easy game in a mostly empty stadium. How times change... The much reviled Michael Knighton has finally sold up, and Irish Businessman John Courtenay is now in charge; and one of his first actions has been to reinstate Roddy Collins as Manager. This is without doubt a popular move amongst fans of the Cumbrians; Collins succeeded in giving them their best season for some time and lead them to safety - albeit in the bottom half - while operating under the financial constraints that had seen so many others sacked. His contacts in the Irish League brought in Richie Foran last season, who made quite an impact, and he's already looking to bring other players in from the same source: Brian Shelley and Trevor Molloy should be in the squad, assuming their International Clearance arrives in time.

Carlisle fans are currently riding the crest of a wave, and a bumper crowd is expected - possibly in five figures. However, the team is still taking shape and for all their optimism there have to be question marks against them at the moment. Collins is doing his best to fill out the squad at Brunton Park, but he's running out of time; one of his latest targets is rumoured to be Jon Cullen, but it's still uncertain at the time of writing whether he has signed. 'Keeper Peter Keen and winger Ryan Hevicon are both expected to have put pen to paper in time for Saturday's Match though.

Another blow for Collins has been the failure to re-sign Steve Soley, a big favourite in Carlisle and the man who has been making their midfield tick for some time.

All this adds up to a very unclear picture for this first game. The players will no doubt be on a high, and will have loud and enthusiastic backing; but some of them may almost be having to introduce themselves to each other on the pitch! This is hardly ideal, but Collins will know the players he's bringing in well, and should at least be able to get a team out that will retain its shape, even if the midfielders don't know each other's names properly...

Pools will be going into a highly-charged atmosphere, and a lot will depend on if they can cope with the emotion on and off the pitch and play the sort of football we saw last season. I personally think they can: playing in front of large crowds is something that the likes of Gordon Watson and Ritchie Humphreys should be used to, and they certainly didn't let anyone down in the Playoff match at Whaddon Road.

Other than the still recovering Tommy Widdrington, Pools main injury doubt is Paul Smith; it looks unlikely that the wide man will feature, which may see Humph fill the berth on the left side, although a 5-3-2 may see Mark Robinson preferred there.

Prediction: A Pools win, but a narrow one; 2-1, Flash and Eiffion to bag one each.