The Cumbrians brave 3-2 win at Plainmoor on Saturday enabled them to retain 22nd position, one point ahead of second-bottom Exeter and five clear of tomorrow's opponents Shrewsbury, who have now failed to win in 14 league games. The Shrews must win the match tomorrow to stay alive. The crunch clash promises to be every bit as nervy, and probably a lot more so, than the last encounter on March 4 when the two teams drew 0-0 to clinch aggregate victory for Carlisle in the Northern Area final of the LDV Vans Trophy. Well over 1,000 Cumbrians are expected to travel down to Gay Meadow to help cheer United across the finishing line. Manager Roddy Collins believes his players have got what it takes to dig out another victory and avoid having to battle it out with play-off bound Bournemouth on the last day of the season with their safety not assured. "Let's wrap up our survival on Tuesday," he said after watching his side dominate the first half at Torquay then nearly fold under the pressure during a tense finale. "This was a massive win for the club. The players know what they have to do. Shrewsbury know they have to win their last two games and our lads know what is required. I am more relieved than happy," he said. Collins admitted that he changed his tactics radically for the Torquay match, switching to a more direct game to combat the home side's more cultured approach. "We didn't pass it around. We went route one and it worked against a good passing side. Ryan Baldacchino was absolutely brilliant," he added. Shrewsbury go into tomorrow's night game having lost their last six games and went down 3-0 at Hartlepool on Saturday to stay firmly rooted to the foot of the table. To compound their misery, they had veteran midfielder Ian Woan sent off in the second half. Manager Kevin Ratcliffe didn't try to hide his disappointment and could offer little in the way of excuses. "We are bottom because we deserve to be," he said. "The fans are right to criticise." Picture from News & Star |
