Dan Kirkup hopes Carlisle City’s progress in cup competitions can prove a catalyst for league improvement.

City this week defeated a young Carlisle United side to reach the quarter-finals of the Fred Conway Cumberland Cup.

That followed the Gillford Park club advancing to the third round of the FA Vase – a club record-equalling run in the competition.

They are due to return to league action this Saturday in a Cumbrian derby against Kendal Town in Northern League Division One, with City sitting 17th after four straight league defeats.

Manager Kirkup said: “I’ve told the players that these cups are keeping our season alive, because you can find, when you're in mid-table and you've got nothing to play for, your season can peter out.

“We’ve got a big one in the FA Vase, and also the Cumberland Cup to continue, and if we can remain in both it’s all to play for after Christmas.

“We do need to pick our league form up, there's no lie about that, but if we can get a couple of wins and keep around that mid-table area then we'll be all right.”

City will hope to claim Cumbrian bragging rights when they welcome tenth-placed Kendal to the Three Rivers Health & Safety Consultancy Stadium – provided the game beats the freeze.

They will be hoping to achieve a league double over Jimmy Marshall’s south Cumbrians having won the away meeting 2-1 in August.

“It’s another good one – we beat them away early in the season, so they'll be coming to get revenge on us. But we'll be ready,” added Kirkup.

City's FA Vase third round trip to Crook Town is scheduled for Saturday, December 7, while they will learn their county senior cup quarter-final opponents next week.

In Northern League Division One this weekend, meanwhile, 14th-placed Penrith are at home to North Shields, hoping to build on last weekend's 2-1 win at Seaham Red Star.