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The Blues welcome Hartlepool to Cumbria on New Years Day, looking to continue an impressive record. Carlisle clearly on top having won 28 and lost only 11 of the 45 games played between the two sides at Brunton Park.
The last match at Carlisle's home was just over three years ago in November 2004, with Hartlepool winning 1-0 in what was then called the LDV Vans Trophy. Anthony Sweeney scoring the only goal of the Northern Section Second Round tie for the visitors in the 66th minute as 2,871 spectators looked on.
Carlisle's dire run of results in the early part of this decade has seen them actually lose their last five matches at home to Hartlepool. The most recent league defeat coming in the 2002-03 season in the bottom tier of English professional football. The visitors sticking a big pin in the John Courtenay takeover balloon as 10,684 fans crammed inside Brunton Park for the first game under a new regime only to witness a comfortable 3-1 win for the 'Pools.
Mark Tinkler opened the scoring for Chris Turner's Hartlepool a minute before half-time with their lead then being extended two minutes after the break thanks to Richie Humphreys. Tinkler grabbed his second goal of the game in the 77th minute before Brian Wake netted with what would only be a consolation strike for the Blues three minutes later.
Carlisle's biggest win in their Football League history came at home to Hartlepool in the Cumbrians first season at that level. The Blues winning 8-0 in the old Third Division North in 1928-29, the goals, in front of 7,346 spectators, coming from a Jim McConnell hat-trick (three of his 42 for the season), a David Hutchinson brace, Billy Robinson, Billy Ward and Alfred Agar. That 8-0 win coming after the Cumbrians had already hammered 'Pools 6-2 at Brunton Park in the first round of the FA Cup in the 1926-27 season.
Hartlepool's best margin of victory in their eleven wins in Carlisle has twice been by three goals to nil. The first of those successes coming in 1955-56 in the old Division Three North as 4,718 spectators looked on. The latter victory was much more recent as it happened in the August of the 1999-2000 fourth tier campaign. The goals coming from a brace by former Blues-loanee Chris Freestone and a single strike by Tommy Miller in front of 4,033 spectators.
For a detailed analysis of the head-to-head between the two sides, click here
| Recent encounters between the teams: | |||||
| 2007/2008 | Tue 02 Oct | Hartlepool | 2 - 2 | Carlisle | LGE1 |
| 2004/2005 | Tue 02 Nov | Carlisle | 0 - 1 | Hartlepool | ASSM |
| 2002/2003 | Wed 01 Jan | Hartlepool | 2 - 1 | Carlisle | LGE2 |
| 2002/2003 | Sat 10 Aug | Carlisle | 1 - 3 | Hartlepool | LGE2 |
| 2001/2002 | Tue 19 Mar | Carlisle | 0 - 2 | Hartlepool | LGE2 |
| 2001/2002 | Sat 29 Sep | Hartlepool | 3 - 1 | Carlisle | LGE2 |
| 2000/2001 | Tue 13 Feb | Carlisle | 2 - 3 | Hartlepool | LGE2 |
Recent respective form guides
Carlisle have lost just once in their last six home games, winning four and drawing the other one, the one defeat coming at the hands of Stockport in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. A total of ten goals have been scored by the Cumbrians in those games with just five conceded, three of those coming in the loss against the Hatters.
In complete contrast to Carlisle, Hartlepool are having a torrid time on their travels, chalking up just one victory, with five defeats, from the last six, with the one win coming at Conference North strugglers Gainsborough Trinity in the FA Cup. The Pools have scored nine goals in these games - six of which came in one match during the drubbing of the Holy Blues - but have conceded an alarming ten.
Carlisle's total of 36 points from their 21 games played sees them sitting in the play-off places, in fifth, in the League One table. Meanwhile Hartlepool see themselves in the middle of the division, in 14th, showing a record of 29 points from their 23 games contested to date.
For a detailed analysis of team form guides throughout the leagues, click here
| Last six games form guide | P | W | D | L | F | A | P |
| Carlisle | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 8 |
| Hartlepool | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 8 |
FootyMad's prediction ...
Carlisle may be coming up against a decent side in Hartlepool but the Footymad believe that it's going to result in a narrow home win for the Cumbrians. Home Win
| Sequence statistics: | |
| Carlisle | Four games since last home draw. Latest two matches ended in defeat. |
| Hartlepool | No win in the three most recent games. Lost each of the previous five away matches. |