Football tends to be played out "on paper" quite a lot these days and you can look at that side of it again this morning after a last season unseeded Carlisle picked up their easiest tie possible in the draw when they were paired with Huddersfield at home. This campaign though a seeded Carlisle have the 3rd hardest possible tie out of the 34 options having been drawn away to Oldham Athletic in a tie likely to be played on Tuesday August 9th.
The Blues hoping to improve on the only other time they have faced the Latics in the League Cup as far as the involvement of an away tie is concerned, that being a 7-5 aggregate defeat in the 1987-88 second round. Carlisle winning the first leg 4-3 in front of 2,271 spectators at Brunton Park before going down to a hefty 4-1 defeat in the reverse fixture at Boundary Park two weeks later.
United did take on Oldham at home in the competition as recently as the 2009-10 campaign though, the Cumbrians winning a tight encounter 1-0 thanks to a late 89th minute Scott Dobie header as 2,509 fans looked on. Last season in League One, in which three points separated Carlisle in 12th and Oldham in 17th, United won what turned out to be a keenly fought encounter, albeit mainly by one member of the Latics coaching staff, the Cumbrians grabbing a tight 1-0 win courtesy of an 80th minute Craig Curran strike.
As far as overall form for Carlisle at Oldham is concerned though the Latics are well ahead having won 20 of the 36 games played between the two sides at Boundary Park over the years, eight having finished level, with United tasting victory in just eight matches. The last win for the Blues at Oldham before last season actually coming as far back as a 3-2 Second Division win in 1984-85.
Away from Carlisle and Oldham the first round draw has thrown up a few interesting ties with Leeds and Bradford City involved in a local derby, although it's hardly as local as Nottingham Forest taking on Notts County in what promises to be a cracking encounter. Meanwhile in the southern half of the draw, the relatively local derbies come in the south-west as Exeter take on Yeovil at home and Bristol City play Swindon at Ashton Gate.
Northern Section First Round
Rochdale v Chesterfield
Port Vale v Huddersfield Town
Rotherham United v Leicester City
Hull City v Macclesfield Town
Hartlepool United v Sheffield United
Leeds United v Bradford City
Doncaster Rovers v Tranmere Rovers
Walsall v Middlesbrough
Barnsley v Morecambe
Accrington Stanley v Scunthorpe United
Derby County v Shrewsbury Town
Oldham Athletic v Carlisle United
Bury v Coventry City
Sheffield Wednesday v Blackpool
Burnley v Burton Albion
Preston North End v Crewe Alexandra
Nottingham Forest v Notts County
Southern Section First Round
Brighton & Hove Albion v Gillingham
AFC Bournemouth v Dagenham & Redbridge
Ipswich Town v Northampton Town
Cheltenham Town v Milton Keynes Dons
Bristol Rovers v Watford
Plymouth Argyle v Millwall
Oxford United v Cardiff City
West Ham United v Aldershot Town
Southampton v Torquay United
Charlton Athletic v Reading
Portsmouth v Barnet
Stevenage v Peterborough United
Southend United v Leyton Orient
Wycombe Wanderers v Colchester United
Hereford United v Brentford
Exeter City v Yeovil Town
Bristol City v Swindon Town
Crystal Palace v Crawley Town/AFC Wimbledon
*ties to be played week commencing 8th August