Carlisle United manager Paul Simpson vows to 'keep going' as Blues prepare to fight for promotion

Carlisle United manager Paul Simpson says he is confident in his side as he prepares them for the final stage of the season with just 10 matches left.

The Blues currently occupy fourth place in the League Two table with opponents Bradford City lingering just five points and two places behind in sixth.

A stalemate at home against fellow promotion hopefuls Stevenage on Saturday saw Carlisle drop down to fourth in the table - but a draw at least against Bradford will see them rise back into the automatic promotion places.

Speaking to the club's website ahead of the Bradford match manager Paul Simpson said: "It’s a brilliant game, you always get a big crowd at Bradford, there’s always a good atmosphere and a little bit of hostility around it.

"We’ve got so much to play for, so let’s look forward to it."

“It’s another important game, but every single one is when you’re sat in the league position that we are. There’s so much to play for.

“We are so close to achieving something that you've got to get up for every single game, whether that be physically and mentally or technical and tactical, you have to be spot on."

The draw at home to Stevenage was not disastrous for Paul Simpson's side, but dropping out of the automatic promotion spots ensures there is still plenty of work to be done to ensure promotion.

The schedule of a 46-game league season can be gruelling for some teams - but Simpson believes his players are equipped to cope with the demands the league comes with.

He said: "I think the technical side let us down a bit on Saturday, so let’s hope that tonight we make sure that part of it is better.

"There are some tired legs but it’s football, you get on with it. We know the fixtures, we know we have a game, and we’ve had many Saturday-Tuesday runs already this season. You just deal with it."

With 10 games of the season to go things are hotting up at the top of League Two.

Once runaway leaders Leyton Orient now only have a five-point gap to second place Stevenage with Carlisle sitting just two points behind.

Speaking about the upcoming run of fixtures manager Simpson said: "It’s 10 games in seven weeks. So what? Let's bring it on.

"Let's get the next one. Let's get freshened up and be prepared.

"We're no different to Bradford, they played on Saturday. We'll go into it on an even keel and hopefully we'll come out on top.

“This run of fixtures, we all want to do ourselves justice. Like I say, there's always a good crowd, it’s always got a bit of atmosphere and a little bit of hostility about it.

“It’s a good one to be involved in and if as a footballer we can't get up for that type of game, then we have got problems. We’re still in a good position, so let’s keep it going.”

The Carlisle United manager knows that if his side are to taste promotion this season they will need to emulate the fine performances that have been shown in the opening 36 matches of the campaign.

He said: "The players inspire each other, the way they go about it. They’ve got to go and inspire themselves for number 37 now.  

“We’re in a good position now but it’s after the 46 games that we'll concern ourselves. We just keep working.

"Keep going the way we've been doing, hope that we get enough energy into the team and hope we can go and do it properly there."

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