Carlisle United fans are backing the Blues to defy the doubters and make a solid return to League One this season.

While bookmakers and some pundits are tipping Paul Simpson’s newly-promoted team to struggle, supporters are more optimistic.

A survey of the Blue Army by the News & Star produced an average predicted finishing position in 2023/24 of 14th place.

That would mean a solid campaign of mid-table consolidation in Carlisle’s first season back in the third tier for a decade.

And it would represent a better outcome than some are tipping, with the Blues backed to finish bottom by FourFourTwo magazine and among the relegation favourites among bookies.

We asked fans on Twitter and in our Facebook group to tell us how optimistic they were heading into the new season under Simmo.

Of the 172 fans who replied, a majority of predictions were clustered around the lower mid-table area.

Some 20 fans felt Carlisle were destined for a 16th-placed finish, with 19 going for 15th and 15 reckoning they’d be 14th.

Six optimistic supporters backed the Blues to finish in the top two and seal a second successive promotion, with another eight opting for another play-off finish.

Just two were convinced Carlisle would finish in the bottom four as fans back Simmo and the team to handle the step back up to League One.

Fans were not a million miles away with their predictions last season, with our 2022/23 pre-season survey producing an average finishing position of eighth.

That was again a more optimist forecast than many pundits were making – yet Carlisle went on to do even better than that, finishing fifth and winning the play-offs.

SkyBet have the Blues as 100/1 outsiders for the League One title, with just two other clubs carrying longer odds.

The Cumbrians are 40/1 for promotion and 6/4 for relegation, while in the division’s golden boot contest, Joe Garner is 80/1 and Ryan Edmondson 150/1.

Leading football magazine FourFourTwo predicted a 24th-placed finish for Carlisle and an immediate return to League Two.

Some pundits, though, are a little more hopeful about their chances, with the Not The Top 20 podcast tipping the Blues for 19th, and EFL writer Gab Sutton also feeling they will survive in 20th position.