By Ross Parkinson - Carlisle United Supporters' Trust
Another point on the board and another game where we could and probably should have taken all three. The positives are another clean sheet for Gabe Breeze and we certainly created more than enough chances to score. The negatives are the failure to take those chances.
Accrington’s defeat of Tranmere has kept the gap to safety at five points and I remain confident we can pull ourselves out of the mess we’ve put ourselves in, but those missed chances need to be converted sooner rather than later if we are to move up the table.
Tonight’s game with Barrow brings the next opportunity to extend our good record in these fixtures and kick start our season.
The Gillingham game brought a new feature in the East Stand concourse with the installation of the Pre-Order Points. This is a further improvement in a raft of improvements to the clubs offerings over the last 18 months.
We have seen some criticism of these improvements on social media. Whilst I understand the frustration at the on field issues we have at the moment these commercial improvements are vital. Like the big screen and the container bars, they do not take from the football budget, in fact the investment in these areas allows the club to improve its budget by increasing revenue.
It was superb to see the fan zone so full on Saturday. All of this is revenue the club has missed out on for decades. All of this revenue allows the club to invest more on the field and around the ground.
Whilst the on-field results haven’t been good enough we shouldn’t overlook these improvements.
We again operated our gazebo drop-in on Saturday. Thanks to all the members and non-members who came over to air their concerns, share ideas and ask questions. This will continue for the remaining home games this season.
Carlisle United Supporters Trust are teaming up with Saint John Ambulance to help fundraise to place defibrillators within and outside Brunton Park.
Whilst one defibrillator is already in place at Brunton Park, Saint John Ambulance have advised that we place a further defibrillator in the West Stand, two within the East Stand concourse, one each for both home and away supporters, with the final being placed next to the club shop.
This will ensure Brunton Park is one of the safest grounds for fans to visit.
The Trust are delighted to confirm that we will be covering the cost of the first defibrillator machine as well as the secure, heated cabinet. Each defibrillator costs £1,104 and the secure cabinet costs £600, plus installation costs.
We have also committed to covering the costs of ongoing maintenance of the defibrillators and replacements of any pads and batteries as required.
This means we will be looking to fundraise £5,500 to cover the cost of the remaining defibrillators and cabinets. You can donate to this project on our website here: www.cust.org.uk/donations/defib
Whilst we hope these will never be needed, if they are they can be the difference between somebody making it home or not.
Up The Blues.
