Barrow AFC boss Andy Whing says his side are determined to end their poor record against Carlisle United tonight.
The south Cumbrians are yet to defeat Carlisle in league action since returning to the EFL in 2020.
Whing hopes it is eighth time lucky for Barrow in this evening’s televised game – which he described as a “massive” occasion for the home club.
“I know supporters are going to be massive for us on Thursday,” said head coach Whing.
“We’ve won three out of four at home, making Holker Street a fortress, making it hard for other teams to get something from. Supporters are massively, massively helpful in that fact.
“It’s a massive game for the football club, everybody knows that. Our record [against Carlisle] is not very good, people keep telling me. That’s something to try and change if we can.
“We will make sure we do everything we can to make sure we’re at it.”
United are unbeaten in seven league meetings with Barrow since 2020.
Carlisle, though, are 14 points adrift of their rivals in the current League Two table, the Blues rock bottom and Barrow in 18th.
United, after consecutive goalless draws at home, are desperate for a first win under Mark Hughes that would reduce their survival gap to two points.
Barrow lost the reverse fixture 1-0 at Brunton Park in August after a late Andy Dallas header was disallowed (Image: Ben Holmes)
Barrow are out to improve after back-to-back defeats, including last Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Crewe Alexandra.
“We’ve talked a lot that we need a reaction from that, and what better game to get a reaction in,” added Whing in a club " target="_blank" class="link"> interview.
“Everyone knows how important the game is on Thursday. Nobody has to tell me how important it is. I was a player and am a football fan myself – if my team’s in a local derby, I’m desperate for my team to do well.
“You want that passion, desire, that care from players, managers, etc, and supporters.”
Whing wants a mixture of composure and “fight” from his team against Hughes’ side.
“When I was a player I wanted to play in these games – they were exciting more than nervous. You should be excited at playing in these sorts of games and occasions,” he added.
“We’ve got a group of players who are really looking forward to the game.
“People can talk about just playing your own game and not letting the emotions get hold of you, but sometimes you want to see fight, a bit of heart, people running more than they would have run before.
“I know these games are completely different to your run-of-the-mill kind of games. You want to see composure, our structure and shape of the team and controlling that aspect, but you also want to see heart and desire.”
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