|
"While we are never going to win the FA Cup, this is a trophy we can win. I always wanted to win the FA Trophy when we were a Non-League side so now I would love to win this one.
"We know Carlisle from two years ago when we were both in the Conference and they have done really well since then. They are a fair way above us but we are at home and we feel we can beat them - and hopefully go on and do well in the competition."
Meanwhile ex-Burnley striker Paul Mullin commented on the match:
"It is a no pressure game for us really and some of the League One sides might not take it as seriously so hopefully it will be a good game. The final is somewhere like the Millennium Stadium so there is a huge incentive there."
The Blues have only played the reformed Accrington Stanley twice, those two games coming in United's 2004-05 season in the Nationwide Conference. Carlisle won the first encounter 2-1 at the then Interlink Express Stadium in front of an attendance of 3,024, current Blackpool striker Rory Prendergast giving the Reds a first-half lead before a brace from interval substitute Andy Preece gave United all three points. Carlisle also won the return game, this time 2-0 as 4,861 fans looked on inside Brunton Park, goals from Derek Holmes and Karl Hawley in either half sealing the victory.
The old Stanley, who went bust in March 1962 with huge debts in those days of £60,000, including £3,000 in unpaid transfer fees, held the upper hand in games played between the two sides, all but two of the 25 matches played at Peel Park coming in the old Division Three North. The Reds winning fifteen of those games, with the Blues coming away with just six victories, Accrington's biggest win came on New Years Day 1930 when they hammered United 7-2, Carlisle's best victory meanwhile in East Lancashire was on Boxing Day in the 1950-51 campaign courtesy of a 4-0 win.
In minimal injury news Accrington striker Paul Mullin is unlikely to play in the game because of an ankle injury, meanwhile, defender Andrew Tretton (knee) remains a long-term absentee. Also likely to be missing will be top scorer Gary Roberts who is on the verge of completing an emergency loan to Ipswich Town until the end of December, presumably with a permanent transfer in mind once the January transfer window opens.
The referee for tonight's match is David Foster from Newcastle, and he will be assisted down the lines by Paul Kettlewell from Lancashire and Gary Stott from Greater Manchester, meanwhile the fourth official will be John Stokes from the Wirral.
For a complete history of matches played between the teams click here
The Johnstone's Paint Trophy (formerly the LDV) has gone through a big overhaul this season with numerous changes to the traditional format. The most important one being that after six seasons of being involved Nationwide Conference clubs will no longer play in the competition.
Games will no longer go to extra-time either, drawn matches after 90 minutes being decided by a penalty shoot-out. This part of the drive to attract more families and children to matches, the other push in that area being that free tickets will be available to children under the age of 16 if they are accompanied by a paying adult.
Clubs have also been warned by the Football League about playing weakened sides in the early rounds of the competition, as the majority of sides have done in the past. It will now be a requirement that clubs include in their Johnstone's Paint Trophy starting eleven on the night - seven of their eleven players that have appeared most often in their first-team games during the season.
The original North/South format is now even more regionalised in the first round only, with teams divided into North-West, North-East, South West and South-East sections in order to cut down on travelling time and expenses. There will also be money awarded exclusively to the winners of matches in each successive round from an overall pool of £350,000, the prize for the winners being a cool £90,000.