St Etienne beat Grenoble Foot 38 ( what a great name for a football club!😀) 2-0 away on Monday. They are now 9th in the table.

Facing a difficult home game against third placed Metz on Saturday.

Carlisle Utd won 1-0 away to Barrow. The ‘Northumberland Derby?’😀

They remain fifth in the table.

St Etienne went down 3-1 at home to Metz.And drop two places to 11th in the table.

Edited April 22, 20233 yr by erskblue

Carlisle Utd went down 2-3 to Salford at home on Saturday. Remain 5th in the table.

St Etienne drew 1-1 away with Rodez on Saturday. St Etienne are 11th and Rodez 12th in the table respectively.

Sutton Utd vs Carlisle on Monday. My old man bought tickets but I’m starting the day in Wales so may not make it. 

St Etienne had a good 3-2 home win over next placed Guincamp yesterday. They are now 10th in the table, overtaking Guincamp who remain 11th.
 

 

Weren’t they Drogba’s former team before Marseille?

7 hours ago, Munkworth said:

Weren’t they Drogba’s former team before Marseille?

They were indeed.Good shout.

Carlisle Utd drew 1-1 away to Sutton Utd today.

They now face Bradford City in the League Two Semi Final. The two legs of this take place on Sunday 14th and Sat 20th May.

St Etienne lost 2-1 away to Stade Laval yesterday and are now in 11th place.

Carlisle Utd went down 1-0 to Bradford City yesterday,in the first leg of the League Two Semi Final Play Off.

Bradford are managed by Mark Hughes. The second leg is on Saturday! 

Have always followed Portsmouth as my Nan had a pub a stones throw from the Ground and Alloa Athletic in the Scottish League. My brother @Nibs follows Brechin City and we have had loads of banter over the years 

Can't speak for all Americans but getting into football in the states is difficult when you consider there is no pyramid structure. A Tier 3 club was formed in my hometown maybe 4 years ago and I never got interested all things considered. There is no incentive. What does winning the league mean if you stay in the same division?

Think USA soccer needs a massive reform. 

Carlisle Utd reach Wembley ! 

Ben Barclay's extra-time header gave Carlisle United victory over Bradford City and secured a meeting with Stockport County in next Sunday's League Two play-off final.

The defender will not be able to play at Wembley because he is on loan from Stockport, but did not let that disappointment show as he celebrated his crucial goal - making it 3-1 on the day and 3-2 overall.

Brad Halliday put through his own net early on as Carlisle, a goal down from the first leg, got up and running in front of a buoyant crowd at Brunton Park.

Neither side were able to add to the scoring in normal time, with Bradford keeper Harry Lewis touching a shot onto the post, while City also struck the upright through Scott Banks. 

Carlisle scored a second in the first half of extra time when Callum Guy's bobbling half-volley bounced all the way through past Lewis, but their joy was short-lived as substitute Matt Derbyshire levelled the tie.

Barclay then towered to meet Owen Moxon's cross and head home the winner. 

Simpson homecoming brings Carlisle back to life

Paul Simpson's side have rediscovered their focus in the play-offs to see off Bradford City

Paul Simpson's return to his hometown club has breathed new life into Carlisle, first saving the club from relegation last term and now bringing them to within 90 minutes of promotion.

Having secured promotion with the Blues in his first spell in charge, the 56-year-old could repeat that feat when he leads the team out at Wembley in the final.

They have rediscovered their focus brilliantly in the knock-out phase, after a run of just two wins in 11 games toward the end of the campaign saw automatic promotion slip away.

Having bossed the first-half of this second-leg, they kept their cool when Bradford had their purple patch after the break, and had the composure to finish the game off once into extra-time.

Simpson has galvanised existing players, with Jack Armer, Joel Senior and goalscorer Guy playing key roles in this triumph and throughout the campaign, while some shrewd loans and signings such Kristian Dennis, Alfie McCalmont and John-Kymani Gordon have also played their part.

Moxon in particular has been another major import, and came to the fore when it counted in this second leg, with his fierce shot saved in the build-up to Halliday's own goal and a superb cross for Barclay's winner highlighting his quality.

The crowds have also soared, with the oft-empty Waterworks End being reopened for the tail end of the season as fans flocked back to help the Cumbrians over the line.

Supporters who have seen play-off heartache on three occasions now have the opportunity to return to Wembley for the first time since Football League Trophy success in 2011.

Bantams show heart, but fall short

Bradford's impressive support, sizeable stadium and the quality of their football all suggest they are set up for a higher level, but Mark Hughes' side will have to wait at least another year for the opportunity.

In Andy Cook they have one of the division's most prolific strikers, with 31 goals in all competitions, but he was kept quiet across the two legs despite his tireless work.

Bradford look likely to be among the challengers for promotion next term given the talent of Jamie Walker, Cook and Alex Gilliead, although the returns of loanees Banks and Romoney Crichlow are not guaranteed.

Carlisle boss Paul Simpson:

"We are not going there [to Wembley] to make up the numbers.

"I had so much belief in the group we had enough to get over the line.

"They produced a performance to get us a result against a good side.

"I am sweating buckets because I feel like I have gone through the mill myself."

St Etienne beat Quivelly Rouen 4-2 to move up to ninth place in Ligue Two.

Stupid carlisle....

20 hours ago, dkw said:

Stupid carlisle....

We will see…😀

1 hour ago, erskblue said:

We will see…😀

Been speaking to lads that were there, said the place went up when the last goal went in. 1 lad missed his ride home and kipped in the train station, or at least tried to ha ha...

Carlisle Utd are going to play at Wembley tomorrow! Still can’t quite believe that!!

St Etienne drew 2-2 away at Caen, who are in 5th place yesterday.

St Etienne are 10th in the table.

Well done to Carlisle Utd for today’s 5-4 penalties win at Wembley.

Edited May 28, 20233 yr by erskblue

SUN 28 MAY 2023LEAGUE TWO - PLAY-OFF FINAL

Carlisle United1Stockport County1

•  

Carlisle United win 5-4 on penalties

Carlisle United 1-1 Stockport County (5-4 pens): Carlisle promoted to League One

Omari Patrick came on to level the game for Carlisle

Tomas Holy's heroics in the penalty shootout were enough to take Carlisle United up to League One with victory over Stockport County in the League Two play-off final.

Holy saved Ryan Rydel's effort as the Cumbrians won 5-4 on spot-kicks after the two sides played out a 1-1 draw.

Jon Mellish's first-half own goal put Stockport in front but that was cancelled out late on by Omari Patrick.

After a goalless period of extra time, Connor Evans smashed home the first penalty for Stockport and Kristian Dennis followed suit in reply.

Holy dived to his right to beat away Rydel's shot, and Mellish stroked Carlisle ahead in the shootout.

Myles Hippolyte rolled Stockport's third spot-kick down the middle, but Ryan Edmondson was equally cool to send Ben Hinchliffe the wrong way.

Jack Stretton kept Stockport's hopes alive with a confident penalty, only for Owen Moxon to smash into the corner.

Will Collar's penalty finish proved academic, as Taylor Charters scored to win it and take Carlisle up.

The Hatters went ahead when Isaac Olaofe's cross looped up beyond Holy's despairing fingertips, off the unfortunate Mellish.

Defender Akil Wright provided a huge block to deny Carlisle's Joel Senior after he pinched the ball and sprinted clear, and then missed a golden chance to head in a crucial second.

It proved a costly miss, as the introduction of Patrick saw him roll a poor clearance past Hinchliffe for the equaliser.

Senior made a key block in added time to take the game to extra time, as Hippolyte sought a winner.

The extra time period was tight, though Mellish's deflection this time proved timely as it steered Antoni Sarcevic's shot over the top.

Holy tipped over a searing Stretton drive to keep Carlisle level, while his opposite number Hinchliffe made an instinctive save to beat away Dennis' angled header.

It went to spot-kicks, and the Cumbrians held their nerve to settle it.

Play-off jinx put to bed by Cumbrians

Carlisle boss Paul Simpson had visited Wembley five times before this game and lost on every occasion, while the club had never won promotion via the play-offs.

Both of those sequences were ended with this success, as Carlisle buried their previous disappointments with this comeback win.

The Cumbrians showed character to come back from an unfortunate own goal from Mellish, with Simpson's substitutes Dennis and goalscorer Patrick in particular making an impact.

Carlisle spent nine seasons in League Two and will appear in the third tier next term for the first time since 2013-14

Hometown hero Simpson's return to Carlisle last season has been a spectacular success, inheriting a side second from bottom in the table and winning promotion in 18 months.

His signings, such as captain Paul Huntington and goalkeeper Holy, have been key figures, as has assist-master Moxon.

He has also got the best out of existing talent such as Jack Armer and Senior, as they head for League One.

Promotion expert Challinor foiled in Hatters quest

Having won promotions with Colwyn Bay, AFC Fylde, Hartlepool and Stockport in his managerial career, you would have given Dave Challinor every chance of adding to his record in this final.

His side hit the ground running, stretching the game through former Carlisle striker Paddy Madden, and got their reward when Olaofe's cross was deflected in.

Despite conceding, they remained competitive and had chances to win it before eventually succumbing after a shootout.

It was a disappointing end to an otherwise impressive season for Challinor and Stockport, in their first season back at League Two level after winning the National League last term.

Coming within one match of the third tier feels like a huge step forward for a club that finished 14th in National League North as recently as 2013-14.

St Etienne finished off their season last Friday, with a 2-0 home victory over Valenciennes. They finished 8th in Ligue 2.

 

follow Ilkeston Town, playing in Southern league Premier central. Kev Wilson used to manage us years ago until we went into administration. Got a few big names like Jamie Ward as player manager and Leroy Lita joined us this season. Had a fair few promotions in recent years, finished 7th this year so hopefully a promotion push again this season. 

Rotherham United.

Carlisle Utd face Workington away today in their latest pre season friendly.

They’ve beaten Annan Athletic 2-1 last Friday and Greta 2008 7-0 on Tuesday. Both games away from home.

Edited July 15, 20233 yr by erskblue