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"It is our longest trip and it's one that takes a bit out of you in terms of the journey time, but we go up there knowing we've got positive results from our last two trips. We won at Carlisle on my first game in charge three years ago and there was obviously the 3-2 last year - so we'll go there with confidence that we can get on the board away from home to follow on from the six points we've got here.
"Last year our away record covered over the cracks that we had at home but we'd like to get points in both areas. I don't think we'll ever see a repeat of last year when we got as many points away from home as we did here, but if we are to have a successful season we are going to have to pick up our fair share on the road.
"We know what Carlisle are about - we went up with them last season - and we had them watched twice last week. When you look at their starting line-up you can see that personnel-wise they haven't changed much from last year. They will be able to say the same about us, but from our point of view it isn't a trip into the unknown.
"I see the two strikers as Carlisle's main threat. (Karl) Hawley and (Michael) Bridges have got to be dealt with and the supply has to be cut off to them. Bridges was one of the best players in League Two and the same will probably go for this division, and Hawley, with all the goals he got last year, will have to be accounted for too.
"We have to deal with them because we need a solid foundation for our ball-playing skills to come out. We've taken 18 players to Carlisle and seven lads who were getting in the squad last year have been left behind to train with Andy Scott this morning. We've got 25 fit players so that makes selection difficult for me - but that's a good headache to have!"
At this early stage in the season the O's go into the game with an full injury-free squad to choose from, although defender Adam Tann and striker Lee Steele did not train during the early part of the week because of thigh problems. The East London outfit make the long journey up to Cumbria looking for their first points on their travels, having been defeated 3-0 at Port Vale on the opening day of the League Two campaign. Two morale-boosting home wins have followed though, through a 2-0 victory over local rivals Millwall, and a narrow 3-2 win, courtesy of a Steele winner deep into injury time, over Bournemouth.