Gates have slipped back after an opening day attendance that was officially given as 11,041 against Hartlepool. A crowd of some 4,039 attended the last league fixture against Oxford United. Courtenay admitted the club needed between 4,500 and 5,000 to break even and the Dubliner believes some fans who said they would return when Michael Knighton left have not kept their promise. Courtenay is hoping United's longest winning run for over four years will persuade the stayaways to come back tomorrow and swell the Brunton Park coffers. The Cumbrians have defeated Oxford, Kidderminster and Stockport County to record three straight wins and have lost just once in their last seven games. "Everyone in Carlisle seems to want a league club, wants to achieve and says we should be in the first division, but if they think Saturday afternoon is a time for mowing the grass or going shopping, they have got it wrong. We are not even paying our way. I'm having to finance things out of my own pocket. I'm prepared to do that in the short term, but in the long term it is not going to work. No club can be run out of an individual's finance," he said. "We have given up our lifestyle to come to Carlisle and it is not to be bottom of Division Three. But we need people to believe in us and give us some time to get things right. I'm happy with the progress we have made so far, both with the internal atmosphere and the football side, but we have only started. We are maybe 20 per cent of the way. The level of commitment and the work that is being done is huge. The commitment and durability of the fans has been very divided. We have a hardcore of 3,500 to 4,000 people who, I must say, are among the best fans in the world. They are loyal, enthusiastic and consistent. They stick with us and we take an incredible amount of away fans to games. It is unbelievable. "I have twice sat with them at away games and that is a mark of respect to the people who put their time, money and effort into supporting Carlisle United. We know and recognise the loyalty of these people, but we do have reservations about the other 9,500 who signed the petition to say when the club was sold they would go back to Brunton Park." Courtenay said the club was 72 hours away from extinction when he took it over in July and that the time that has passed since then, which has only been a little over 3 months, has felt like 30 years. He added that he wanted to build the best youth system in Britain, starting with the under-nine team upwards. The recent introduction of Paul Kee as youth development specialist will herald a revolution in the way youngsters are coached at the club, with an emphasis on basic skills rather than competitive games at an early age. Come early, say CCUIST Supporters' trust CCUIST have appealed to fans to turn up early tomorrow for the Cup tie with Lincoln as a crowd of over 5,000 is expected. CCUIST volunteers have been selling tickets from three Portakabins outside Brunton Park. The ticket booths will be open from 1pm but the tickets can also be bought from the ticket office in the morning. Prices are as follows: East Stand and B,C,D and E Stands £13 Adults £8 Concessions, Paddock and Warwick Road End £10 Adults £7 Concessions. Picture from News & Star |
