Carlisle United host Bolton Wanderers at Brunton Park this Saturday in a big weekend at either end of the League One table. Carlisle are fighting for survival whereas Bolton are gaining on automatic promotion.
Carlisle currently sit 23rd in League One after 28 games. The Cumbrians have four wins, eight draws and 16 losses, leaving them on 20 points, two points ahead of Fleetwood and three points from safety.
In their last five games in all competitions, Carlisle have one win and four losses.
A Josh Magennis penalty opened the scoring for Wigan and a goal from Liam Morrison doubled the lead. Carlisle could only manage two shots on target and were unable to find the back of the net and slumped to a 2 - 0 loss. Port Vale took the lead in the fourth minute of the second half, but a late penalty from Jordan Gibson and an even later goal from Jon James Alexander Mellish gave Carlisle the 2 - 1 win.
Both Reece Cole and Sonny Cox gave Exeter the 2 - 0 lead heading into the final quarter of the game. Daniel James Butterworth did get on the scoresheet late in the game, but it wasn’t enough as Exeter held on for a 2 - 1 win. Alfie McCalmont did manage to score for Carlisle, but following a brace from Mark Harris and a goal from Tyler Goodrham gave Oxford United the 3 - 1 win.
The last time out for Carlisle was against Barnsley. Luke Armstrong opened the scoring in the seventh minute but a goal from Devante Cole and a penalty from Herbie Kane gave Barnsley the 2 - 1 win.
Bolton, on the other hand, currently sit third in League One. In 26 games, Bolton have 17 wins, three draws and six losses which leaves them on 54 points, one point from automatic promotion and two points from top of the league Portsmouth.
In their last five games in all competitions, Bolton have two wins, one draw and two losses.
In the Third Round of the FA Cup, Bolton took on Premier League Luton Town. Despite Luton having 63% of the possession and 18 shots, The Hatters couldn’t find the back of the net. Bolton also only had two shots on target and played out a 0 - 0 draw. In the Third Round of the Football League Trophy, Bolton faced Accrington Stanley. Cameron Jerome opened the scoring and an Aaron Morley penalty doubled the lead. Alex Henderson got on the scoresheet for Stanley but a goal from Kyle Dempsey secured the 3 - 1 win for Bolton.
The FA Cup Third Round Replays, Bolton hosted Luton Town. Dion Charles gave Bolton the lead but goals from Tahith Chong and Chiedozie Ogbene gave Luton the 2 - 1 win. Back in League One, Bolton faced Leyton Orient. Dan Agyei scored the only goal of the game early in the second half to give Leyton Orient the 1 - 0 win over Bolton.
The most recent outing for Bolton was against a struggling Cheltenham. Victor Adeboyejo scored the only goal in the first half in a 1 - 0 win for Bolton.
Carlisle and Bolton have met 30 times in their histories, with the first meeting coming back in 1931. Not much can separate the two sides with Carlisle having 12 wins in comparison to Bolton’s 11 wins, with the other seven games ending in a draw.