Carlisle United boss Mike Williamson has spoken of the importance of his side’s clash with Cheltenham Town this afternoon, via The News and Star.
Williamson’s side goes into the fixture three points adrift of safety in the bottom two of the entire Football League.
Huge Game At Brunton Park
The former MK Dons manager is well aware of the magnitude of the visit of the Robins to Cumbria in his quest to secure safety.
“I don’t think I can overemphasise the game – it’s huge.”
“The players know that, the fans, the football club, we know that.”
“Obviously the pressure is mounting, we understand that – that’s part and parcel of why we’re in the game, for big occasions.”
Despite the pressure that comes with being second bottom of League Two, Williamson is confident his side will turn up against Michael Flynn’s men.
“We know that we [have to] turn up and we play the way we want to play, on the front foot, we set about and we make sure – at the start of the game especially – we’re really aggressive and we start the way we mean to go on.”
“We’ve got every confidence that we can get the win.”
Dismal Run Of Form
In the seven league games since the new manager was appointed, The Blues have gained just five points from a possible 21. Their one victory came against Swindon Town and they have suffered some heavy losses in that time, including a 4-0 reverse at AFC Wimbledon.
Starting today, Carlisle’s next three games are against teams who currently find themselves in the bottom ten. After Cheltenham, they travel to Salford City before visiting new boys Bromley.
Writer’s View
The next three fixtures for Carlisle could prove crucial in their quest to escape the drop this season.
A win this afternoon would pile the pressure on newly appointed Swindon Town manager Ian Holloway, and begin to drag the Cumbrians towards safety.
Williamson has walked into a pressure cooker situation at the foot of the league and hasn’t achieved any sort of ‘new manager bounce’. The next three fixtures are crucial for him to get some momentum and get his new squad believing again.
