Shots boss Dean Holdsworth spoke to his club's official website ahead of his side's Carling Cup second round tie at home to Carlisle, Holdsworth hoping the Town supporters get behind his players :
”It’s exciting and I’m glad we’ve got a point to show for it from a League game in between and it’s an exciting time for the club. It’s a cup game so lets hope they [the supporters] all turn up and support us and give us that edge of a twelfth-man and we’ve got our rewards of a home draw from a gutsy and superb performance against West Ham so let’s hope they all turn up.
”We’ll go in to the match as under-dogs but we’re at home and we’ve got a little bit of a point to prove at home – we’ve not got the two results we’ve wanted at home so far, but I certainly think the players will be excited about the tie and it’s another game for us at home and we’ve got to enjoy it. If we get something from the cup then we’ll be delighted. We haven’t banked on it in our budget which is great, it’ll be a bonus and the lads will cherish the moment if they go through to the next round if they can do that.”
In team news for the Shots this evening they will have left-back Anthony Straker available for selection after appealing Straker's red card for a professional foul in their 1-1 draw away to Oxford United on Saturday. In that game Shots skipper and right-back Ben Herd picked up a knock in a heavy challenge but he is expected to be fit, although the home side are missing midfielder Jake Taylor who has returned to his parent club Reading following a one month loan spell at the Recreation Ground.
The referee for tonight's match is James Linington from Newport on the Isle of Wight and he will be assisted down the lines by John Hopkins from Wickford in Essex and Guy Stretton from Leicester. Meanwhile the fourth official is Phil Knight from Canterbury in Kent. The set of officials perhaps responsible tonight for overseeing 30 minutes of extra time and a penalty shootout in a competition in which there are seven substitutes allowed on the bench.