by Alfie Irving
Ecstasy. Joy. Emotion. Nothing has ever topped the emotions of 4:24 pm on the 28th May 2023 and I don’t think it ever will. Yet, how has such momentum and positivity turned into a season with not much to shout about at all.
However, when we take a step back from it all. Would we have been able to experience these lows and compete against these sorts of teams without that glorious day in May? The simple answer is no.
That day in paradise. Actually, I’ll amend that to that ‘Weekend in Paradise’, if you know you know. Made all of the heartache from supporting Carlisle over the recent years worth it.
From the brink of relegation when Paul Simpson rejoined the club for his second spell in February 2022 to promotion in May 2023 seemed like something of a fever dream.
I spoke to Carlisle’s rehab coach, Geoff Haugh about the day for an inside look into how the changing room experienced that day.
Much had been made of Carlisle’s two previous meetings with Stockport County, with Stockport comfortably beating the Cumbrians 2-0 at home and then leaving Brunton Park with a well deserved point with the return fixture finishing 2-2.
Geoff stated that he thought that, “they [Stockport] were possibly a better footballing team than us, with a bigger budget but they didn’t have our team spirit. We had fantastic team spirit last season…I think that was proven right in the end with the extra time and going a goal down and we equalized with about 9 minutes to go.”
However, the final wasn’t all plain sailing and Stockport took the lead in the 34th minute courtesy of a Jon Mellish own goal. I asked Geoff to describe his feeling after going one nil down. Here’s what he had to say:
Carlisle equalized through Omari Patrick in the 84th minute and Geoff describes that moment from the dugout, “That noise if you could capture that noise and sell it and what went with it and the force that was with it, it was frightening, even now you can heard it on the television, but to hear it on the day.”
It was just as chaotic in the press box and below you can see Jon Colman outline his experience of reporting on such a manic day at Wembley:
Ultimately, it came down to one kick from Maryport-born Taylor Charters to seal the Cumbrians fate in League One. A poetic moment for a lad, who supported the club from a young age and came through the youth system.
Geoff recalls that “I talk to Taylor about that every day and he said that he wasn’t nervous at all [when he took it] but when he looks back on it with it being the last kick of the game and at their end, he has nightmares about missing it.”
Geoff also recalled a conversation between him and Paul Simpson just before Taylor slotted his penalty away, “All the staff were linked. I remember Taylor coming up to take it and I turned and you can see me saying to Simmo on Sky, ‘which way will he go left or right?’ and he went ‘it won’t matter, he’ll go either side and he’ll score.”
Charters slotted past Hinchcliffe and sent the whole sea of Cumbrian blue into raptures. Amongst them, I must admit I teared up as it finally sunk in that we had achieved the impossible. A team with one of the lowest budgets in the league, fighting against all odds to achieve promotion against two of the league’s powerhouses in the playoffs.
Yet, as I write this in December, Carlisle lie 22nd in League One table only managing to muster up 15 points from their opening 20 games.
The severe peril that we find ourselves in has been slightly masked by the introduction of the Piatak family into the mould. Their increased financial muscle should allow Carlisle to bolster their chances at survival.
However, as shown by the latest backlash from fans towards players and staff and Paul Simpson’s call for unity, the club may be in a better place off the pitch than May but they certainly aren’t on the pitch.
League One has been nothing short of a reality check for Simpson and his squad, as well as all of the fans. I for one realised that it would be hard but I didn’t anticipate just the level of competitiveness in the league.
Geoff contributes that the loss of some big characters has had an impact on the squad, “We lost [Jamie] Devitt, We lost Mike Kelly, he was a hell of a character in the dressing room and Denno [Kristian Dennis] was another massive character…I’m not saying the atmosphere is bad this year but its not quite what it was last year.”
As fans we can get lost in the ebbs and flows of wins and losses, and granted the results this season haven’t been spectacular, yet some critical thinking needs to be taken into account. Where would be without Simmo? What budget did we have last year? Did anybody expect us to get promoted last season?
I think when we all sit back and analyse the job that Paul Simpson has done over the last year or so, we can see that he performed nothing short of a miracle to get us promoted and he is doing the same again currently by keeping us in a relegation battle on a shoestring budget.
In a life and a world where nothing is certain, enjoy the uncertainty of football and particularly this crazy football club that we all love. We might never get a moment like Wembley again, but we shouldn’t expect one. We need to relish our time in League One under this great manager whilst we have the chance because nothing at all is certain in football.