Keith Curle wants Emirates FA Cup belief from his Carlisle charges

Keith Curle takes Carlisle United into Emirates FA Cup action against Everton on Sunday urging his team to believe in themselves.

The League Two club will take on Roberto Martinez’s side in front of a sell-out crowd at Brunton Park in front of the BT Sport cameras.

And whilst many onlookers will see the Premier League outfit as firm favourites to progress, the former Manchester City and Wimbledon defender remains optimistic.

"People say we play Everton at the weekend and that’s where the journey ends, but I don’t think that’s the case at all," he revealed. 

"I see this as a chance for us to make more friends, and potentially more money, by putting in as good a performance as possible. 

"I know I have good players in that dressing room, so the journey could well extend beyond Sunday. 

"It’s a game we can all look forward to and we want to make sure we know as much as we can about them so we can cause them some problems."

Carlisle hit the headlines as a town and a football club last month when heavy rainfall in the area resulted in severe floods in Cumbria and a full pitch under water at their home ground.

That resulted in Curle’s side having to play a series of ‘home’ games at venues such as Ewood Park, Deepdale and Bloomfield Road whilst their own patch was recovered.

But they’re now back in Cumbria and preparing for a game which has caught the imagination of their local public with all tickets selling out within days of going on sale.

"The biggest challenge for me recently has been managing the distractions and making sure the players have been focused on a daily basis," explained Curle.

"The pleasing thing is that they’re a very responsive group and they take on board new challenges. 

"We’ll try and do something different during the build-up but I won’t be taking them sky diving, or anything like that. 

"I’ll think of something to give them a pleasant distraction, because by Friday and Saturday they’ll be tuning in to the jobs they have to do."

Curle also admits he doesn’t know what to expect from Everton either, with the Merseyside club in action in the League Cup semi-final on Wednesday evening and potential changes to the line-up at Goodison Park by the time they meet again at the weekend.

"I’ll be watching Everton on Wednesday night and [assistant coach] Colin West will watch them on Sunday," he added. 

"They have an Under-21 game on Thursday so we’ll go and have a look at that as well. 

"We don’t know what type of team they will select so we want to make sure we know as much about them as possible. 

"We’ll be looking to gain any advantage we can and we’ll only be able to do that by putting the work in beforehand."