Latest news with #BruntonPark
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Craig David hoping to bring a 'massive night' to fans at new Cumbrian music festival
BRITISH music icon Craig David is bringing his TS5 show to Carlisle next month - and he is promising to bring a 'massive night' to the city. Craig shared his excitement ahead of his performance at Carlisle Weekender, which will take place at Brunton Park Stadium on June 6. The multi-platinum selling artist, known for hits such as '7 Days', 'Fill Me In', and 'Walking Away', will headline the event with his TS5 show as part of a star-studded weekend line-up. Speaking exclusively to News & Star about the upcoming show, Craig shared his enthusiasm for returning to the North of England. "I'm looking forward to coming to Carlisle for the Weekender," he said. "There's always such a great energy up north, and I can't wait to bring the party to Brunton Park with my TS5 show. 'It will be a massive night with all the classics, and some fresh tunes. TS5 blends my DJ roots with live vocals – it's always a vibe, and I know the Carlisle crowd will bring that energy!" The Carlisle Weekender is set to be one of the most significant music events in the county this year, with thousands expected to attend. Since bursting onto the scene with his debut album, 'Born To Do It', a genre-defining record that established Craig David as one of the UK's most beloved artists, Craig has since remained at the helm of his own unique, authentically British sound. He has helped bring garage music from the underground to the forefront of the mainstream, and become one of the most successful artists in UK chart history. "I've been working on some cool projects and I'm really looking forward to releasing my new album 'Commitment' on August 8," he added. 'Touring and visiting different cities worldwide are among the best parts of the job. I always want to make sure it's a night people remember. TS5 is about that live connection – mixing tracks, performing, and creating an unforgettable night." Craig David's performance at the Carlisle Weekender marks his latest stop in a busy summer, and he's determined to make it a highlight of the summer. "I'm looking forward to seeing everyone there – let's make it special," he said. The Carlisle Weekender, which takes place on June 6 and 7 at Brunton Park Stadium, features acts such as Dizzee Rascal, Gabrielle, Gok Wan, and Sigala. Tickets are on sale and available via
BBC News
20-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Hughes to stay as Carlisle boss in National League
Carlisle United manager Mark Hughes will remain with the club following their relegation from League Two to the National took over at Brunton Park in February after Mike Williamson was sacked, with Carlisle five points from safety and 18 games former Wales, Manchester City and Fulham boss could not keep the club in the league, however, and they were finally relegated after their defeat at Cheltenham Town."Since joining back in February, the support I've received from the fans has been exceptional - thank you," Hughes told the club website., external"I hope to see more of the same next season as we aim for an immediate return to the EFL." "Mark brought the squad together during the closing stretch of the season and gave us a fighting chance," chairman Tom Piatak added."His leadership, composure, and connection with the players was clear, and we're confident in his ability to lead us forward."Despite their relegation, Hughes reinvigorated his side for the end-of-season run-in as they lost just once at home under his tenure and won three consecutive games for the first time in more than two years.A run of 10 points from four games in April came too late to pull them out of trouble, however, with Hughes wanting to remain in post despite the drop to non-league football.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Carlisle United defender makes move after promotion
Former Carlisle United defender Tom Anderson has dropped back down to League Two weeks after winning promotion. He has left fourth-tier champions Doncaster Rovers to sign for relegated Shrewsbury Town. Anderson, who was on loan at Brunton Park in the 2014/15 season, has signed a two-year deal with Michael Appleton's club. The 31-year-old's move brings an end to his seven-year spell at Doncaster, where he had turned down a new deal. "I had a great time at Doncaster, but everything comes to an end," said Anderson. "I spoke to Michael [Appleton] and Micky [Moore, director of football] and their ambitions for the season match mine. "They have both told me to come in and be the player I am. "It was refreshing to hear their ambitions. That's what you want when you get a new challenge." 🚨 Shrewsbury Town are delighted to announce the signing of defender Tom Anderson on a two-year deal. 🖊️ The commanding centre-back put pen to paper on a contract with the club earlier today and will officially become a Salop player on July 1. Welcome Tom!#Salop 💙🧡 — Shrewsbury Town FC (@shrewsburytown) May 16, 2025 Moore added of Anderson: 'He's a player we've identified as possessing the qualities and character that we feel have been lacking in the squad." Anderson was one of two ex-Blues who helped Doncaster to promotion, with midfielder Jordan Gibson another key man for Grant McCann's League One-bound team. Anderson was among Keith Curle's earliest signings at Brunton Park in 2014 when he joined on loan from Burnley. He made nine appearances for the Blues. Shrewsbury finished bottom of League One last season as they were relegated to the fourth tier. The Salop outfit recently released former Carlisle defender Morgan Feeney.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Carlisle United confirm retained and released list
Carlisle United have released EIGHT first-team players as the relegated Blues finally published their retained and released list. Leaving Brunton Park at the end of their contracts are Sam Lavelle, Ben Barclay, Taylor Charters, Paul Dummett, Callum Guy, Dylan McGeouch, Josh Vela and Anton Dudik. But the Blues have confirmed that Jack Ellis is staying after activating a clause in his deal. They have also offered new deals to Matt Dennis and Kadeem Harris. And the Cumbrians have also announced that teenager Jake Allan has been handed a deal to join the professional ranks along with Sam Hetherington and Dan Hopper. Carlisle confirmed their decisions a day before the May 17 deadline to inform players of their fate. The announcement comes ahead of any confirmation on the head coach position at Brunton Park amid ongoing talks with Mark Hughes. It also follows Monday's appointment of Marc Tierney as head of football operations. United's retained list was not accompanied by any comment from anyone in the club hierarchy. The decisions include the end of some significant Brunton Park careers as the club prepare for life in the National League. Callum Guy leaves after five-and-a-half years (Image: Richard Parkes) Midfielder Guy departs after five-and-a-half years at the club, during which he made 181 appearances. He was part of the side that won League Two promotion via the play-offs in 2023. The matchwinner that day - Taylor Charters, who struck the winning shoot-out penalty against Stockport County at Wembley - is also moving on. The home-grown midfielder, from Maryport, came through the club's academy and made 87 first-team appearances. Defender Lavelle, who captained the team for much of his two-year stay at Brunton Park, leaves after playing 89 times for the Blues. In the cases of Guy and midfielder Vela - who leaves after a season and a half - United decided against taking up options in their deals. Defender Barclay, who joined Carlisle permanently two summers ago after his play-off heroics whilst on loan from Stockport, leaves having made 53 appearances in his permanent spell at the club. Midfielder McGeouch and defender Dummett leave after injury-hit spells, in McGeouch's case over two years and with Dummett since January. There is also no new deal for young Ukrainian striker Dudik, who joined Carlisle in January 2024 and extended his stay last summer. Jack Ellis is set to stay at United (Image: Richard Parkes) But Cumbrian defender Ellis has earned an extension to his time at Brunton Park with United having taken up an option in the 21-year-old's deal. Ellis, who has made 64 first-team appearances, returned to the side under Mark Hughes during the closing stages of last season. And United have tabled offers in a bid to keep striker Dennis and attacking midfielder Harris, who were two of the bright spots in their futile bid to cling onto their EFL status. United had delayed a decision on third-year scholar Allan but have now confirmed that he has accepted an offer to join the professional ranks at the club. He is joined by fellow teenagers Hetherington and Hopper, the latter following his late father Tony to professional status at his home-city club. Forward Freddie O'Donoghue and goalkeeper Thomas Randall have extended their scholarships for a third year. Carlisle have a further 18 senior pros still under contract and no indication has yet been made as to whether United may seek to move any of those players on.
Daily Mirror
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Carlisle's American dream goes south as Man Utd legend Mark Hughes suffers EFL relegation
"Let us start by saying this clearly: we are deeply sorry." Carlisle United chairman Tom Piatak has got used to writing relegation statements. That's because during his American family's 18 cash-happy football-miserable months in charge at Brunton Park, the Cumbrians have suffered back-to-back relegations. And this time, it wasn't a predictable return to League Two after Paul Simpson's magic wore off, it was a shocking demotion to non-league. Those of a certain age - including myself - have never watched Carlisle play a match in the fifth tier, while a good portion of the club's loyal supporters fondly remember the hazy days of the Blues playing in the old First Division in the 1974-75 season. Fifty years on from Carlisle's most famous campaign, though, came their worst. A sickening cocktail of record transfers, lucrative contracts, two managers sacked, 33 players used and a so-called modernisation of the club has, in reality, sent them back 21 years - the last time that they were in the National League. Local hero Simpson - who was given the grace of an ill-prepared League One season after winning an unlikely promotion in 2023 - only lasted four league games, despite the family having 'tremendous faith' in him two weeks prior and spending heavily on his targets in the summer. Mike Williamson, a young coach staunchly wedded to a possession-based style of play, was poached from MK Dons, who'd been hammered in the League Two play-offs the previous season. It seemed like a progressive appointment but Carlisle went backwards. It took a 5-1 thrashing at home to Swindon at the end of January for the Piataks to finally put the former Newcastle defender out of his misery - even though they'd just made 11 signings under his and new sporting director Rob Clarkson's watch. Williamson's football never captured the hearts of the Brunton Park faithful nor enough points to render the experiment anything but an abject failure. So if you can't do a Wrexham, get a manager from Wrexham. Mark Hughes' hometown club have shown everyone how it's done - if you've got the money, of course. Manchester United legend Hughes had been out of work for more than a year, having been axed by Bradford City in what he labelled 'ludicrous' circumstances. The ex-Wales manager guided the Bantams to a play-off finish the season prior when they were beaten by Carlisle in the semi-finals. Will Carlisle United bounce back next season? Give us your prediction in the comments section. Hughes, disliked by sections of the Carlisle fan base thanks to his time at Bradford, was a surprise appointment - certainly not the profile of head coach that the club had sought out after Simpson's sacking. The 61-year-old was tasked with keeping them in the Football League, but their relegation was confirmed with the Cumbrians more points away from safety than when he took over, despite a statistically better record than Williamson. But in Piatak's statement, released following Saturday's meek 3-2 loss at Cheltenham, the American businessman and former US Army captain described talks with Hughes as 'ongoing and positive'. It suggests that the Welshman has been doing enough right in the family's eyes to keep his rolling contract going into next season. The more optimistic supporters at Brunton Park believe that Hughes has been a breath of fresh air, a stark contrast to Williamson thanks to his more direct and flexible approach in games, and straight-talking manner in interviews. There was no new manager bounce, however, with Hughes bemoaning the squad's alleged lack of fitness after just one win from his first eight games. Yes, damage had already been done, but Hughes wasn't fixing whatever scale of problem Carlisle faced. A mid-April resurgence was eventually sparked, much thanks to Georgie Kelly's belated return from injury, to give the Blues an inkling of hope. The ex-League of Ireland hitman has scored five goals since April 5, damningly making him Carlisle's joint top-goalscorer, overtaking centre-back Sam Lavelle. That's alongside January arrival Matthew Dennis, who looked like a Hail Mary signing, as the Cumbrians' winter recruitment drive left them with four strikers who only had 11 EFL goals in their respective careers between them. "Time will tell," Clarkson regarding his decision not to bring in a proven striker, despite all of the money spent and resources used in their new data-led strategy. And so it has, leaving 38-year-old Clarkson - who'd never held the position of sporting director at any of his previous clubs - to become one of the faces of Carlisle's great failure, having only arrived in November. There've been so many questionable decisions, so many disappointments, so many instances of standards being dropped, it's difficult to know where to start when the Piataks, Clarkson, CEO Nigel Clibbens and even some players - all of whom will forever be marked by this catastrophe on their CVs - sift through the wreckage of this dreadful campaign. Whether or not Hughes will be involved remains to be seen; with his record currently standing at five wins, five draws, and seven losses after 17 games. But one thing that whoever's calling the shots next season can rely on is the incredible - and I mean incredible - support of the club's fans. Their home crowds and away followings regularly rank highly compared to other League Two teams, remarkable when you considered that they're situated just below the Scottish border. There were nearly 1,000 travelling fans watching down at Cheltenham as their beloved club's EFL status slipped away, having packed Brunton Park with 10,000 home supporters on Good Friday when they beat leaders Port Vale 3-2. You might've seen on social media over the weekend that next term's journey to face Truro City in the National League will be a 14-hour round trip from Carlisle. But they'll be there, the Blue Army. "That unwavering support is the soul of this football club," Piatak wrote. "It deserves better." The Florida-based family's commitment to Carlisle - both the club and city - can't be questioned from a financial perspective. After a £4.8million outlay in their first few months following the club's takeover, a further £2m was injected in February. Carlisle's accounts for the 2023-24 season recently revealed that a further £4m will be needed next term in order to fulfil their financial projections. Within those accounts, a summer-written statement from the chairman declares that Carlisle are 'poised for greatness' - hardly common for a team who'll finish 91st out of 92 this season. Praise is due for the improvements made to the club's infrastructure. Their underperforming, rudderless squad have been treated to luxury surroundings both at home and away; a new training ground is progressing; and the matchday experience at Brunton Park is markedly improved - the reason why families keep coming back week after week in spite of what they're seeing on the pitch from the most expensive Carlisle squad ever assembled. The 'realistic and achievable' goal which Piatak spoke of in 2023 was to become a mid-table Championship club within three to five years. For that pipe dream to come true, they'll have to emulate Wrexham - correctly, this time. Let these past 18 months be a lesson. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
