Phil Yelland examines Carlisle United's previous record in Barrow ahead of Saturday's big League Two meeting at The Dunes Hotel Stadium.
Saturday sees us welcome Carlisle United to The Dunes Hotel Stadium for the first time with fans for a Football League game since March 1964. On that Monday evening, we trailed 2-0 at half time but Ernie Ackerley and Jack Maddison scored in the second half to secure us a point in a 2-2 draw.
That, of course, was the same result as we had when we last met here last April. Jack Armer gave the visitors the lead before goals from Scott Quigley and Patrick Brough put us in front. However, a late penalty form Offrande Zanzala rescued a point for United.
There are players on both sides this weekend who have played for the other club. Paul Farman and Patrick Brough have been regulars for us this season, whilst Jamie Devitt returned to United in January following his departure from Barrow.
Our last win against Carlisle on home soil was just short of 62 years ago on 9th April 1960 when, in Division Four we completed a 5-1 triumph. Two penalties from Ben Clark, plus goals from Jackie Roberston, Billy Murdoch and Ray Brennan did the damage. Since that game, our four Football League encounters here have seen two United wins and two draws – one of those (a 3-0 victory in March 1962) was United’s biggest.
You have to go back more than a century for the clubs’ first meeting in Barrow. That was at Little Park, Roose in 1905 in the FA Cup Second Qualifying Round when we won 4-2. The goals that day came from Watty, Worthington, Harvey and Boyle. Carlisle gained revenge just over 12 months later in the Third Qualifying Round at Roose winning 2-1.Two seasons later, the clubs met for the first time in a league game when they drew 1-1 at Little Park in the Lancashire Combination Division One.
The first meeting between the clubs at Holker Street in the Football League took place in Division Three North in November 1928 when the teams drew 1-1 - Bill Crayston scored our goal. Two seasons later, we recorded our biggest home win over United - a 7-2 rout with doubles from Harry Briggs, Billy Millar and Albert Walker and a single from Frank Allen.
Back in August 1939, the clubs met here in August in a match for the Football League Jubilee Fund. We won 4-3, with all four goals coming from Tom Harris, who had scored 28 times the previous season. It was one of four games that campaign before the War intervened.
After the War, we won three home games in a row against Carlisle across the 1946/47 and 1947/48 seasons in Division Three North. However, that started a run of six games without a win (three draws and three defeats), before goals form Ronnie Codd and James Collins gave us a 2-1 win in the 1954/55 season.
This will be the 42nd meeting between the sides here in all competitions. We have won 19 times, United have won 11 times and 11 games have finished level.
Let’s hope we can make it win number 20 on Saturday afternoon!