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The Cumbrians pack their bags for a long trip down to South Wales this weekend, hoping to improve on a dire run of away form that has seen them win only two of their last 17 games on the road, scoring just 11 goals on the way.
The previous league match played between the two was at Swansea's old ground, the Vetch Field, in April 2004, with the Blues inflicting a narrow 2-1 defeat upon the Swans in a Division Three (fourth tier) match. Craig Farrell with a penalty and Peter Duffield scored the goals in either half for United that day in front of 5,238 spectators, an improved run of form away from home late in that 2003-04 season would still prove to be in vain though as the Cumbrians were relegated to the Nationwide Conference at the end of a wretched campaign that saw them win only one of their first 18 league games.
Of course the last time the two teams met came at the Millennium Stadium in the LDV Vans final eight months ago, the Swans, a division higher than Carlisle at the time, winning 2-1 as 42,028 fans watched a match that will be remembered for the idiotic post-game actions of City players Lee Trundle and the unrepentant Alan Tate as much as the match itself. Trundle himself opened the scoring as early as the third minute with Adam Murray equalising for the Blues in the 40th minute, Adebayo Akinfenwa's 81st minute goal winning the competition for Swansea despite Glenn Murray hitting the bar for the Cumbrians in injury time with a spectacular overhead kick.
Neither side has really had a large win over the other with City's biggest victory over the Blues coming in the 1987-88 season in Division Four by virtue of a 3-1 scoreline in front of just 3,876 fans at the Vetch, United's goal that day coming from Andy Robinson. Carlisle's best victory over the Swans was in the 1996-97 Division Three (fourth tier) promotion season. The Cumbrians thumping City 4-1 at Brunton Park thanks to goals from Steve Hayward, Paul Conway, Warren Aspinall and Owen Archdeacon as 5,114 spectators looked on.
For a detailed analysis of the head-to-head between the two sides, click here
| Recent encounters between the teams: | |||||
| 2005/2006 | Sun 02 Apr | Carlisle | 1 - 2 | Swansea | ASSM |
| 2003/2004 | Sat 03 Apr | Swansea | 1 - 2 | Carlisle | LGE2 |
| 2003/2004 | Sat 27 Sep | Carlisle | 1 - 2 | Swansea | LGE2 |
| 2002/2003 | Sat 15 Mar | Swansea | 1 - 2 | Carlisle | LGE2 |
| 2002/2003 | Sat 26 Oct | Carlisle | 2 - 2 | Swansea | LGE2 |
| 2001/2002 | Sat 09 Mar | Carlisle | 3 - 1 | Swansea | LGE2 |
| 2001/2002 | Sat 15 Dec | Swansea | 0 - 0 | Carlisle | LGE2 |
Recent respective form guides
Swansea have been playing quite well at home in the league recently, winning three, drawing two, and losing just the one of their last six matches. A total of nine goals have been scored by the Swans in those games, with five conceded.
The away form of Carlisle is pretty grim, accumulating just one victory and one draw from their last six matches played on the road. While the Cumbrians have hit home just four goals, nine have found the back of the wrong net.
Swansea lie just outside the play-off positions, in seventh, in the League One table, picking up 32 points from their 21 games so far as they sit two points behind sixth-placed Yeovil Town.
Carlisle's 30 points from 21 games played sees them just two spots, and two points behind City, in ninth position. The Cumbrians being ten points away from the drop-zone and four points off the play-off places.
For a detailed analysis of team form guides throughout the leagues, click here
| Current league form guides: | P | W | D | L | F | A | P |
| Swansea | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 8 |
| Carlisle | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 7 |
FootyMad's prediction ...
FootyMad see this game edging towards a narrow win for the Swans, as the Cumbrians have been none too clever on the road in recent matches. Home win
| Sequence statistics: | |
| Swansea | Unbeaten in the last five home games. Not won in the two most recent matches. |
| Carlisle | Five games since last away draw. An overall losing run of two matches. |