I am rather worryingly reminded of the 1998-99 run-in when ultimately Jimmy Glass rode to the rescue. The final match was at home to Plymouth Argyle who as it happened had nothing to play for on the day. Those of a nervous disposition may not want to be reminded that the last game this year is at home to AFC Bournemouth who have spent most of the last two months in the top three. If we're lucky either we'll be safe or they'll be promoted before the game kicks off. But something tells me neither scenario will come to pass. So be prepared and make sure you have spare underwear easily to hand! Ironically Mr Jimmy Glass now lives down near Bournemouth so if they have a spare seat on the coach on the way up, they may like to offer him a ride. If JC can get past the Football League's transfer deadline rules, he could yet play a part on the day in question. If he's simply there to watch from the director's box, he may provide the inspiration required. Before then, on April 6 to be precise, we will make our first visit to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff to play Bristol City in the final of the LDV Vans Trophy. We have of course been to the final twice before when it was played at Wembley Stadium and as virtually everyone who calls him or herself a Carlisle fan was present at at least one of those games, the outcomes don't really need recalling. Suffice to say both games were very nervy affairs that went into extra-time and one of them had a very happy ending. The statistical boffins among us will also not need reminding that United have yet to score a goal in a Wembley final, as penalties don't really count! It would be nice to net one at Cardiff, but at the end of the day, it gets dark - and league reality will hit home. The most important game in Wales in the next four weeks will be at the Vetch Field, Swansea on Saturday. Three points from that game and the prospects of a successful fight against relegation will improve markedly. It's these games that United need to win as points taken off relegation rivals really do count double. After Swansea it's on to an equally critical home game against Macclesfield. It will be interesting to see the size of gates at these games as a queue that stretches down Warwick Road can probably be expected when the LDV Final tickets go on general sale next Wednesday, but how many of these people will have seen any of the games that got Carlisle into the final? Not that many I expect will be the answer. There have been renewed calls for Roddy Collins's head in the past week following a string of disappointing league results. While Roddy has rode a wave of good fortune and good performances on the road to Cardiff, the league form over the same period has been disconcertingly inconsistent. While there's no doubting the team are much improved from the shambolic early weeks of this season when goals were being shipped with gay abandon, there is still a self-destruct button that is pressed all too often especially at Brunton Park. I can't recall a more disappointing campaign in front of the Cumbrian faithful which must in part explain the dip in attendances. On the road, travelling fans will testify that some of our displays have been straight out of the top drawer but away form alone can't be relied upon to keep us in the league for next season. Roddy is not one to stand back and do nothing and he has not been slow to bring on substitutes if things aren't going right. Some of these tactical switches have worked but quite a few haven't and that allied to the huge turnover in players this season means we've never really had a settled side. With more suspensions looming, it's likely we'll never quite get there this season but the talent is undeniably there in the current squad. We so badly need to be able to identify our best XI and stick with it. At home it does seem we have a habit of charging forward in search of goals and have left gaps that counter-attacking sides have exploited. There were elements of this in the recent defeats against Hull and Scunthorpe. We've got to tighten up. Away from home we've had three clean sheets in the last four games, so we can do it but we can't do it in front of our own fans. The arrival of Paul Raven has been a big plus for me, but you have to remember he's not going to be the fastest player on our books and the further away he is from his own penalty area, the more likely he is to be outpaced by attackers. They don't need to have the ball at their feet to get past him either. If we can cover for him and he continues to read the game as well as I've seen him doing up to now, we should be hard to score against in these vital last few games. Of course if we go down the cries for Roddy Collins's removal will become a lot louder and I wonder if he would stay in that situation. If we stay up, it will not be enough for a lot of people who expected so much more from this first season under JC, especially considering the big financial outlay on new players. In Division 3 terms, we've been in the Arsenal/Man Utd category for buying. So, if JC thinks its been a tough time to date (and it has) he may be about to find out that its going to get a whole lot tougher. Al |
