Carlisle United’s nomadic existence could come to an end this weekend at Blackpool but skipper Danny Grainger is grateful for the support they have received since the flooding that rocked Cumbria.
Storm Desmond left Brunton Park underwater and goalkeeper Mark Gillespie trapped in the top floor of his home next to the stadium.
As a result the Cumbrians have been welcomed by surrounding clubs, playing games at Blackburn’s Ewood Park, Preston’s Deepdale, and this weekend Bloomfield Road.
Carlisle United v Yeovil Town
Emirates FA Cup
Third Round Proper
2pm, Sunday 10 January
Bloomfield Road, Blackpool FC
Winning club to receive £67,500
Coming all the way from Somerset, Yeovil will be the visitors in what is hoped to be the last ‘away’ home game in an all-League Two Emirates FA Cup third round clash.
And it’s not just been the north-west which has shown its support to Carlisle, with Newcastle United lending their academy ground for training last week.
Grainger explained: “It’s not been easy moving around but it’s definitely not an excuse for anyone at the club.
“We’re hoping this will be the last game away from home as we’ve already racked up something like 14,000 miles this season.
“But then again, we’re used to that and we hope there will be a few more from a fourth round tie.
“It’s times like this when you really see the football community at its best and the support we have had has been great. The fans have turned up in their thousands and we’re really grateful to the likes of Blackburn, Preston and Blackpool for letting us use their grounds.
“Newcastle also lent us their academy ground which was great, because we have been a bit limited and don’t want to use the only training ground we’ve got too much.
Grainger would love Carlisle to make it to round four
“We have been really lucky with the support we’ve had and looking at the bigger picture we know it could have been much worse.”
Next up come Yeovil, currently sitting in the bottom two of the Football League, but starting to turn things around under new boss Darren Way.
The clubs met at the end of October, with Carlisle emerging 3-2 winners, but Grainger is expecting a very different game this time around.
He said: “The FA Cup is always different and it’s a huge game for everyone involved with the club.
“Whether you’re playing Yeovil or Welling United, like the last round, it’s always a big occasion.
“The possibility of a fourth round tie is massive but we know it will be tough against Yeovil. We beat them earlier in the season but that was with a different manager and we’re expecting it to be very different.
“We will prepare properly for this one because otherwise there is no chance of a game against one of the Premier League sides in the next round.
“I do feel we’re doing well though, and we felt we deserved more last time out against Plymouth.
“If we can play like that again, but hopefully get a bit more luck, we stand a good chance.”
