Victory will take the Cumbrians back into the Football League after just a single season of non-league football, with a chance to climb back to respectability after years of under-achievement. Defeat will mean another year slugging out in the Conference against clubs such as Southport, Grays and Northwich Victoria. Not exactly an enticing prospect. The real risk of falling attendances should United miss out means the financial future of the club could rest on the 90 minutes (and possibly more) at the Britannia Stadium tomorrow evening. Stevenage Borough are the opposition and will not make it easy for Carlisle who they have beaten twice this season already. Graham Westley's side are the only team to do the double over us and will not be short of motivation as the Hertfordshire outfit have never played league football in their 29-year history. The Borough defeated Hereford 2-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals, a very impressive victory as Hereford were favourites and the second leg was at Edgar Street where Dino Maamria's goal made all the difference. Together with forwards Darryn Stamp and Anthony Elding, Maamria makes up a formidable strike-force which may well be Stevenage's trump card tomorrow. Stamp grabbed both the goals in Stevenage's 2-1 success at Brunton Park on February 22 while Elding has earned England National Game XI caps and was even a target of Paul Simpson's earlier in the campaign. On the wing, white-booted George Boyd was the scourge of United in the return fixture at Broadhall Way on March 5. Boyd may well be used as a substitute in the final but his old-fashioned wing play tore Carlisle apart in the latter stages of that game and Paul Simpson will be looking for a way to neutralise him should he put in a appearance at Stoke. Stevenage are not short of experience and indeed have three players, in Stamp, Elding and Australian-born midfielder Jon Brady who have all won the Conference title during their careers. This season they needed to win their final three games to deprive Morecambe of the last play-off spot and they did it, with a 2-0 win over Leigh RMI in their last game being the decisive result. For United, Paul Simpson has had to prepare for the biggest match in his short managerial career without being certain of whether to stick to the side who defeated Aldershot last week or revert to a more cautious line-up. Winger Brendan McGill came into midfield in place of Adam Murray against the Shots although Simpson insists Murray is still a major part of his plans. For this game, it seems likely that McGill will play and up front Glenn Murray, who was a livewire against Aldershot, is expected to start up front alongside target man Derek Holmes. Simpson will not be naming himself in the squad, but with his manager's hat on he says revenge is not his main motivation for winning on Saturday. "This game is not about revenge as we want success at this club and that is the only thing driving this club on. There is no point in getting to a final and then losing it," he said. When Simpson came to the manager's chair, United were bottom of the league and had lost four games on the bounce. He went on to set an unwanted club record of 12 successive defeats as the Cumbrians were cast adrift at the foot of the table and despite a very strong rally, they suffered relegation in his first campaign in charge. This season his side made a very strong start, with 13 games unbeaten but then started to lose their grip and had a run of nine games without a win during which the club suffered the major floods in January that rendered Brunton Park unusable for five weeks. After all that, another sustained recovery saw 8 wins in the last twelve games and a play-off place secured. So much of Simmo's time in charge has been a roller-coaster ride that its almost on the cards that tomorrow's big match will be another nail-biter. In terms of size, its no contest. United have the support, likely to dwarf that of Borough, not to mention the history and they have big game experience with three major finals and a play-off semi during their recent experience. They have 76 years of Football League history behind them and the experience on the park to rival anyone at this level of the game. However in playing terms there's nothing in it and Stevenage's success over the Cumbrians this season will definitely count for something, if only to fire up the Carlisle players and spur them on to regaining their league place with a famous victory. Prediction: United to reverse the results of earlier in the season with a 2-1 victory. |
