Just 5,163 were in attendance as United defeated Shrewsbury 1-0 to edge in front in the battle to reach Cardiff's Millennium Stadium and a possible £500,000 jackpot. When Carlisle last reached this stage of the competition back in 1996-97, a crowd of 7,057 watched the opening leg against Stockport County, almost 2,000 higher than Tuesday night. Average attendances for this season have dropped to well under 5,000 after an initial crowd of over 11,000 for the opening game against Hartlepool last August. Steel, who as chairman of supporters' trust CCUIST is shortly to take his place as the fans' representative on the Board of Directors, wants to see fans back John Courtenay after he shelled out £30,000 to bring Stuart Green back to the club on loan. United will have to find an extra £120,000 if they are to make the move permanent and shatter the nine-year-old club transfer record held by David Reeves with his £121,000 move from Notts County in October 1993. "John Courtenay has put his neck on the line to buy Stuart Green and has put in an amazing amount of time and effort transforming the club since Michael Knighton left," he said. "Not only do Carlisle fans have a chairman who cares about the club and is prepared to invest in new players but they have a real chance to own part of their club." CCUIST are close to finalising a deal that will see them hand over the first £100,000 from their share fund in return for a 20 per cent stake in the club. A further £300,000 will need to be raised over the next three years to secure that stake and Courtenay has also given them the opportunity to buy a further 20 per cent at the same price. He will allow them to own 49 per cent of the shares while he remains at the club and has also given them first refusal on the opportunity to buy a majority shareholding when he decides to call it a day. In return CCUIST will elect a representative to sit on the board. Steel won the first ballot last November and will now represent supporters for the next 12 months. He wants more individuals and companies to commit to the CCUIST initiative. "By donating to CCUIST, you are buying part of the club," he said. The CCUIST basic donation scheme starts at just £1 a week. Individuals can also make a one-off donation into the share fund. Firms can pay £500 to get themselves a two-year corporate membership. Prominent members include the Co-operative Society, Cumbria County Council and Pirelli. Picture from News & Star |
