Bumper Carlisle United crowd for Bradford City match as over 1,000 tickets sold
Carlisle United manager Paul Simpson is hoping a bumper travelling Carlisle United support can spur his side on to victory.
The Blues currently occupy fourth place in League Two after 25 matches played this campaign.
Carlisle United travel to take on Mark Hughes' Bradford City side at Valley Parade on Saturday and manager Simpson is expecting a difficult contest.
"It will be a tough game", Simpson said.
The Blues manager continued: "I will be really honest, every game we go into they are tough.
"Especially this time of the season because everyone is scrapping for whatever they can.
"There will be a brilliant atmosphere at the game and we have got to make sure we thrive on it more than they do.
An impressive 2-0 home victory against Newport County in their last match saw Carlisle United maintain fourth place in the table and Simpson has targeted consistency from his side.
He said: “You want much of the same.
"We want the same sort of attitude and we know that we need to play better than we did in the first half against Newport.
"The first half was a bit scrappy, but second half we had more control and a real desire to keep a clean sheet.
"We have got 10 clean sheets so far this season and to be successful you need to be looking at 16, 17 or even 18 clean sheets.
"We have got a long way to go to achieve that. We also have to hope we keep getting goals at the top end of the pitch.
"We have got good options in our forward players and if everyone is on song and everyone is doing the job that we want them to do then that is how we will keep our momentum."
The Blues have scored the second most amount of goals in League Two so far this campaign.
Simpson does not care how his side get three points on the board just as long as they are grinding out victories.
“I just want to play winning football, I don’t care how it happens if I am going to be honest", Simpson said.
He continued: "There are more ways than one to win a match, if it is through good football or playing a long ball up to a striker.
"It doesn’t matter, supporters want to see goals going in at the right end.
"We want to see us creating chances and scoring chances.
"The pleasing thing for me is, I spoke about 10 clean sheets which can still be better, but we are scoring goals which we were not doing last season.
"We have got to keep going that way."
Carlisle United brought former striker and experienced forward Joe Garner back to the club on an 18-month-deal.
The former Rangers and Preston striker will add an element of experience to Simpson's side.
Simpson was delighted at getting the deal over the line for Garner, he said: "He brings a knowledge of how to play, an intelligence around the 18-yard-box to know where the ball is going to drop for him to go and score.
"Scoring goals isn’t luck, there is a knack to it. There is a bit of intelligence you get from scoring goals. Joe has got that."
Carlisle United are currently under investigation from Cumbria Police and the FA into alleged racist chanting from the Warwick Road End in the reverse fixtures against Bradford City on Boxing Day.
Manager Simpson has a clear plea to supporters: "My message has been the same of every incident.
"Please just come and support the team. Support the players, back our players as much as possible.
"We are not a football club that should be involved in those sorts of things.
"The world has changed now and we are a lot more intelligent with those sorts of incidents and I hope they just come and support us like they have done for 99.9% of the time I have been back.
"Let’s just keep it that way."
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