Forest Green Rovers return to The New Lawn tomorrow afternoon to take on third-place Carlisle United in the National League.
Rovers suffered their second defeat in a row on Wednesday night as they left the Crown Oil Arena empty-handed, losing 2-1 to league leaders Rochdale.
Kyle McAllister pulled Rovers level before Emmanuel Dieseruvwe’s second goal of the game denied Robbie Savage’s side anything from the game.
Rovers will be looking to bounce back this weekend and close the gap to their opposition.
The Opposition: Carlisle United
League Position: 3rd
Nickname: ‘The Cumbrians’
Carlisle United have had a solid campaign to date, having suffered relegation into the National League last season.
The Cumbrians suffered back-to-back relegations from League One and then League Two to drop out of the Football League for the first time in over 20 years.
They currently sit third in the league table, four points above Rovers, who sit in sixth and have also played a game less.
The club made a strong start to the season, losing just one of their opening 10 games.
They went on to suffer defeats to York City and Rochdale at the end of September before a strong October saw them climb back up the table.
This included the fixture where the two sides met earlier in the season, where a six-goal thriller was played out at Brunton Park.
The home side would take all three points after seeing off a spirited Rovers side by four goals to two.
A Regan Linney brace alongside strikes from Harvey Macadam and Georgie Kelly earned the North-East side the victory despite Jayden Clarke and Harvey Bunker drawing Rovers level on two occasions.
Arguably, the highlight of the Cumbrians season so far came in the FA cup, where they defeated League One side Reading 3-2 at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
They came from 2-0 down to overcome the Royals in extra-time, thanks to a Regan Linney hat-trick, which included two stoppage time strikes to take the game to the extra 30 minutes.
They have remained a consistent outfit since then, only suffering three further defeats in the league and consolidating their position in the play-offs.
The club will be looking to close the gap on the top two and potentially force their way back into the title race.
The Manager: Mark Hughes
Manchester United legend Mark Hughes is the man in the dugout for Carlisle United.
Hughes was appointed back in February 2025, but could not prevent the club from dropping out of the Football League.
It was confirmed, however, that he would remain with the Cumbrians despite relegation and has had a solid campaign so far.
The 61-year-old managed several clubs in the Premier League, including Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers, Fulham and Stoke City.
Now managing outside of the EFL for the first time in his career, Hughes will be looking to bounce straight back into the Football League at the first time of asking.
Player To Watch: Regan Linney
Despite a recent dry spell, striker Regan Linney is still a serious threat for the Cumbrians.
Linney has 13 goals in the league to date and is currently sitting fourth in the top scorer charts.
The 28-year-old joined the club last Summer after an impressive two-year spell with fellow National League side Altrincham.
The forward scored on 42 goals in 91 games before United acquired the player’s services for an undisclosed fee.
A player who certainly knows where the back of the net is, Rovers will need to be aware of the striker in and around the box.
Head-To-Head:
19/12/2020- Rovers 1-0 Carlisle (Matt 76th)
02/02/2021- Carlisle 1-2 Rovers (Collins 60th & Bailey 75th)
02/10/2021- Carlisle 0-2 Rovers (Matt 32nd & Cadden 32nd)
22/01/2022- Rovers 3-0 Carlisle (Feeney OG 16th, Stevens 52nd & Matt 77th)
18/10/2025- Carlisle 4-2 Rovers (Clarke 26th & Bunker 53rd)
