Carlisle United vs Wealdstone | Match Preview
- Aryan Jolly
- Jan 2
- 3 min read
The games are coming thick and fast for Sam Cox’s Wealdstone as they make the long trip to Cumbria to face a high-flying Carlisle United side. The Stones will be looking to improve on their recent performances and pick up their first win in just over two weeks on Saturday.
The Basics
Date: Saturday, January 3
Venue: Brunton Park, Carlisle, CA1 1LL
Competition: The Enterprise National League
Kick Off Time: 3:00 pm
Broadcast Information: The game will be available to watch live via DAZN (non-UK residents only)
This Week At The Vale
On Tuesday night, the Stones unfortunately fell to defeat against Aldershot Town. The Shots opened the scoring early on, before doubling the lead inside the first 10 minutes. Connor McAvoy gave Wealdstone some hope with a headed goal, but the home side ultimately secured a four-one victory.
Speaking following the match, Sam Cox said it was “difficult” to cope with conceding an early goal. The 35-year-old recognised that the team are going through a rough patch at the moment, and said the group need to “roll our sleeves up” to effect a turnaround in results. You can find his full post-match interview here.
Tickets for our next home game, against Dagenham and Redbridge in the FA Trophy, are now on sale, once again at a reduced price!
Adults can buy a standing ticket for just £15, whilst under 19s can secure admission for a mere £5! Seated tickets cost £2 more and must be booked online, in advance. Please also note that season tickets are not valid for this fixture.
The Opposition
Recent form: LWLWW
League Position: 4th
Following their relegation from League Two at the end of last season, many tipped Carlisle United to immediately bounce back into the Football League and earn promotion this season.
Mark Hughes’ side have done a good job thus far, firmly establishing themselves amongst the top six sides, all of whom still have a good chance of winning the league.
However, the Cumbrians have two major areas of concern. They have conceded the most goals of any side in the top seven, and the top three all have games in hand on Mark Hughes’ men.
Their recent form has also been relatively poor. Like Wealdstone, Carlisle were knocked out of the FA Cup in the Second Round, losing by four goals to one against Blackburn. Following that loss, the Cumbrians conceded three goals in a home defeat against Woking, before losing against Boreham Wood on the verge of Christmas.
They seem to have found their stride once again in the last couple of games, albeit against out -of-form opponents. They dominated against Gateshead, winning three-nil, before securing a reasonably comfortable one-nil victory over Morecambe last time out.
The reverse fixture: Wealdstone 0-1 Carlisle United: Over 2,000 fans turned up to watch the first-ever meeting between the Stones and Carlisle in late August, in which the team unfortunately suffered their first defeat of the season.
The Stones fought well against a much more well-financed unit in front of the DAZN TV cameras, with Sean Adarkwa and Max Kretzschmar having big chances to give Sam Cox’s men the lead.
Unfortunately, the only goal of the game came from a set piece. Luke Armstrong ghosted away from his man and met Archie Davies’ corner at the front post, firing a powerful header past Dante Baptiste.
The Danger Man - Regan Linney: Carlisle United’s danger man is once again Regan Linney.
The attacker, who can lead the line but has predominantly played off the left-hand side this season, is having another stupendous season in the fifth tier, backing up his excellent performances in the 2024/25 season.
Linney has notched 13 league goals in 25 league games, making him the third-highest scorer in the National League. However, the 28-year-old does not just possess a lethal eye for goal, but also excellent creativity, as he has also registered six assists in the league this season.
Carlisle’s talisman went through somewhat of a lean period from mid-November to mid-December, but has been back to his best in recent weeks, scoring twice and making one assist in his last four games.
Buy Your Tickets Now!
This will be the first opportunity Stones fans have ever had to see the team at Brunton Park, so make sure to buy your tickets via the link below!
