This article is part of the ‘League Preview’ series, in which every day we take a detailed look at one of Aldershot Town’s 23 prospective opponents for the upcoming National League season.
Today’s focus is the first of two new teams to have joined the division via the EFL’s trap-door, and the only team in this year’s competition to have previously competed in England’s top-flight, Carlisle United.
Finishing the 2024/25 League Two season in 23rd place, ‘the Cumbrians’ will be entering only their second non-league campaign in 98 years.
Tasked with ensuring the club bounce back at the first time of asking, just as they did in 2004/05, is perhaps the most noteworthy member of personnel in the entire division, two-time PFA Players’ Player of the year, Mark Hughes.
The 61-year-old Welshman joined the club in February, and while he was unable to stave off relegation in this short time, having occupied the dugout in a whopping 467 Premier League matches, the seventh-highest of any manager, he is undoubtedly the most storied head-coach in non-league at present.
Club stature, resources and playing-staff make Sparky’s side understandable early favourites for automatic promotion, but will the Blues live up to expectations in a typically unpredictable Enterprise National League season?
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Where is Carlisle?
Situated at the extremity of England’s North West, approximately 12 miles from the Anglo-Scottish border, the ~78,000 population city of Carlisle is the largest settlement in Cumbria. Approximately 322 miles from the EBB Stadium, the 5h 47m journey will mark Aldershot’s longest away trip of the upcoming league season.
Carlisle United is one of two professional football clubs in the county, alongside 2019/20 National League champions, Barrow AFC. With Barrow’s continued participation in League Two, the upcoming season marks the first time since 1928 that the Blues have played in a lower division than their rivals.
While it may appear as though Carlisle might have one of the more significant catchment areas in the division when looking at a map, outside of the city itself, this most rural of regions, combined with the noisy existence of Premier League Newcastle and Sunderland to the east, limits the local influence of the side somewhat. Aside from countless villages and hamlets, Carlisle currently serves as the closest place to see fifth-tier football or higher in the towns of Penrith (~17,000 pop.), Whitehaven (23,000), and most notably, Workington (25,000).
The Blues play their home matches at Brunton Park. The 17,949 capacity ground has been the club’s home since 1909, and is the largest ground in this season’s National League by some distance. Surviving both fires and extreme flooding over the years, this ever durable ground is one of the most impressively preserved in all of English football, and for those brave enough to make the pilgrimage, certainly one to tick off the list.
Carlisle finished the 2024/25 season with an average league attendance of 7,425, the highest among teams in this season’s competition. However, with the usual promise of EFL football no longer on offer, this figure is likely to fall during the upcoming term.
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Recent history and club highlights
After a sensational play-off promotion to League One, it has been an incredibly trying two years for the Cumbrians. An average PPG of 0.78 since the start of the 2023/24 season resulted in successive relegation campaigns, ending a 20-year stay in the Football League.
2024/25 – League Two (23rd, Relegated)
2023/24 – League One (24th, Relegated)
2022/23 – League Two (5th, Promoted via play-offs)
2021/22 – League Two (20th)
2020/21 – League Two (10th)
2019/20 – League Two (18th)
2018/19 – League Two (11th)
2017/18 – League Two (10th)
2016/17 – League Two (6th)
2015/16 – League Two (10th)
Their recent history exemplifies the side’s typical existence between third and fourth tiers, though Carlisle do boast a short history as a top-flight club, enjoying one season in the First Division in 1974-75, beating the likes of Sunderland, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa to the all-important final promotion place the previous campaign. It was during this era that the club enjoyed their furthest domestic cup runs, reaching the quarter final stage of the FA Cup in 1975, as well as the semi-final of the League Cup in 1970.
While relegation to non-league is a rarity for the club, their modern history might have been much different had it not been for the now-mythical ‘Jimmy Glass moment’ in 1999. On the verge of Fourth Division relegation, and needing a goal to achieve survival, Glass, a goalkeeper signed on emergency loan from Swindon Town, scored a 95th minute winner from a corner kick to keep the Blues in the Football League. This once in a lifetime tale remains among the most enviable ‘I was there’ moments in English football history.
Their most notable success of the 21st century saw them claim the 2010-11 EFL Trophy. Peter Murphy’s 12th minute opener was enough to defeat Brentford 1-0 in front of a Wembley Stadium crowd of over 40,000.
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Pre-season, incoming transfers and other news
At time of writing, Carlisle have made 7 first team signings.
| Player | Pos. | Age | Arriving from… | Highest level played |
| David Ajiboye | RW | 26 | Peterborough | League One (Peterborough) |
| Bevis Mugabi | CB | 30 | Anorthosis | SPL (Motherwell) |
| Morgan Feeney | CB | 26 | Shrewsbury Town | Europa League (Everton) |
| Josh Grant | CDM | 26 | Wealdstone | League One (Bristol Rovers) |
| Sam Murray | LB | 20 | Man United U21 | N/A |
| Junior Luamba | RW | 22 | Salford City | League Two (Salford) |
| Regan Linney | CF | 28 | Altrincham | National League (Altrincham) |
Former England U19 defender Morgan Feeney and Uganda international Bevis Mugabi come into the side with impressive footballing CV’s for this level. However, it may be the addition of Altrincham’s Regan Linney who most catches the imagination of the fanbase, the forward scored 25 goals in all competitions for the Robins last campaign, and will be looking to improve on that number this term. Suspended during both fixtures in 2024/25, Linney is yet to score against the Shots.
Carlisle’s current pre-season schedule is as follows:
Carlisle United 0-1 Motherwell (08/07)
AFC Fylde 0-2 Carlisle United (19/07)
South Shields vs Carlisle United (22/07)
Harrogate Town vs Carlisle United (26/07)
Chester vs Carlisle United (02/08)
After preparations conclude with a trip to sixth-tier Chester, the Cumbrians will begin their latest National League stint with a visit to Woking on Saturday, 9th August.
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When will Aldershot and Carlisle play each other?
The third of three hefty away journeys in succession, Aldershot are due to make the pilgrimage to Brunton Park on Saturday, 13th September, while Mark Hughes’ men will travel to the EBB in the height of winter on Saturday 24th, January, weather permitting…
While Aldershot Town and Carlisle technically first met in 2004, the Cumbrians’ travels to North Hampshire date back as far as the opening day of the 1958-59 season, where the Blues emerged 1-0 victors over Aldershot FC. Before reformation in 1992, the sides met a further 17 times, all but two of which occurring in Football League play.
Exclusively referring to the phoenix club, Aldershot Town have met Carlisle five times, with four of those coming in the 2004/05 as the two met in a dramatic play-off semi-final.
With Nicholas Crittenden scoring the only goal in North Hampshire, the Shots took a 1-0 lead up north, though the return leg started in disastrous fashion, the blues taking a 2-0 lead into half-time.
In what was almost the final action of normal time, 20-year-old Jamie Slabber’s header equalised the tie in the 95th minute in front of over 10,000 supporters at Brunton Park. With the game heading to penalties, five successful spot-kicks was enough to see hosts through. Carlisle would go on to secure promotion, while the Shots would have to wait until 2008 for retribution.
Games played: 5
Aldershot wins: 2
Carlisle wins: 3
Draws: 0
Aggregate score: 5-9
Record Shots victory: 2-0 (2011)
Record Carlisle victory: 5-0 (2004)
Their most recent meeting came in 2011/12, where, both Football League sides at the time, the two met in the second round of the League Cup. The Shots emerged 2-0 victors on their way to earning a glamour tie against Manchester United at the EBB Stadium.
With over 13 years between fixtures, can the Shots retain bragging rights between the two?
