2000–01 Carlisle United F.C. season explained

Club:	Carlisle United F.C.
Season:	2000–01
Manager:	Ian Atkins
Chairman:	Michael Knighton
Stadium:	Brunton Park
League:	Division Three
Cup1:	FA Cup
League Result:	22nd
Cup1 Result:	Third round
Cup2 Result:	First round
Cup3 Result:	First round
Prevseason:	1999–2000
Nextseason:	2001–02

For the 2000–01 season, Carlisle United F.C. competed in Football League Division Three.

Season summary

After the previous season saw relegation to the Football Conference avoided on the last day for the second year in a row, manager Martin Wilkinson was sacked and replaced by Ian Atkins, who had almost steered Chester City to Football League survival at Carlisle's expense.

Any hope that Atkins would produce an immediate turn-around was quickly dashed when the first half of the campaign turned out even worse than those of either of the previous two seasons, with only three matches won before the turn of the year, and Carlisle entering 2001 looking hopelessly adrift at the bottom of the table. The team's spirits picked up thereafter thanks to a run to the third round of the FA Cup, where they were eliminated by Premier League Arsenal, and Carlisle's league form greatly improved, allowing them to secure safety on the penultimate weekend of the season (largely thanks to relegation rivals Barnet and Torquay United ending up playing each other on the final day, making it mathematically impossible for both clubs to overtake Carlisle).

With Irish businessman John Courtenay making overtures about purchasing the club, Atkins left by mutual agreement at the season's end, partly to become director of football at newly-relegated Oxford United, and partly to make way for Courtenay's preferred manager, Roddy Collins.

Results & fixtures

Third Division

Matches

Match Day	Date	Opponent	H/A	Score
1	12 August	Halifax Town	H	2–2
2	19 August	Leyton Orient	A	0–1
3	25 August	York City	H	1–1
4	29 August	Shrewsbury Town	A	1–0
5	2 September	Kidderminster Harriers	A	1–0
6	9 September	Rochdale	H	1–2
7	12 September	Chesterfield	H	2–4
8	16 September	Plymouth Argyle	A	0–2
9	23 September	Exeter City	H	0–1
10	30 September	Darlington	A	0–1
11	6 October	Cheltenham Town	A	0–1
12	14 October	Barnet	H	0–2
13	17 October	Cardiff City	H	2–2
14	21 October	Torquay United	A	2–4
15	24 October	Blackpool	A	2–3
16	28 October	Scunthorpe United	H	1–2
17	4 November	Brighton and Hove Albion	A	1–4
18	11 November	Southend United	H	3–1
19	25 November	Hull City	A	1–2
20	2 December	Lincoln City	H	1–1
21	16 December	Macclesfield Town	A	0–1
22	22 December	Mansfield Town	A	1–1
23	13 January	Shrewsbury Town	H	1–0
24	20 January	Hartlepool United	A	2–2
25	27 January	Mansfield Town	H	2–1
26	30 January	York City	A	0–0
27	3 February	Kiddermister Harriers	H	2–0
28	13 February	Hartlepool United	H	2–3
29	17 February	Plymouth Argyle	H	1–1
30	20 February	Chesterfield	A	1–1
31	24 February	Exeter City	A	0–1
32	3 March	Darlington	H	0–2
33	6 March	Barnet	A	1–0
34	10 March	Cheltenham Town	H	1–1
35	13 March	Leyton Orient	H	1–0
36	17 March	Cardiff City	A	1–4
37	23 March	Torquay United	H	1–0
38	27 March	Halifax Town	A	0–0
39	31 March	Macclesfield Town	H	1–0
40	10 April	Rochdale	A	0–6
41	14 April	Blackpool	H	1–0
42	16 April	Scunthorpe United	A	0–3
43	21 April	Brighton and Hove Albion	H	0–0
44	28 April	Southend United	A	1–1
45	2 May	Lincoln City	A	1–1
46	5 May	Hull City	H	0–0

English League Cup

See main article: 2000–01 Football League Cup.

Round	Date	Opponent	H/A	Score	Attendance
R1 L1	22 August	Grimsby Town	A	0–2	1,914
R1 L2	5 September	Grimsby Town	H	1–1	2,228

FA Cup

See main article: 2000–01 FA Cup.

Round	Date	Opponent	H/A	Score	Attendance
R1	18 November	Woking	H	5–1	2,647
R2	9 December	Kidderminster Harriers	A	2–0	2,533
R3	6 January	Arsenal	H	0–1	15,300

Football League Trophy

See main article: 2000–01 Football League Trophy.

References

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