Stevenage's Steve Evans links Carlisle United fans with Leeds United

Evans says Blues supporters would watch their team absolutely anywhere and will turn up in their numbers to the Lamex Stadium this weekend.

The home boss has challenged his own fans to turn out in force to take on United and their “miracle-worker” boss Paul Simpson.

“Carlisle fans will turn up. For League One and League Two level they’re a bit like Leeds United – they’d turn up if you were playing in a car park at the top of the Alps,” said Evans.

“They’ll travel in good numbers and they’ve got a number of southern-based supporters that go to the southern games.

“I’ve experienced that at other clubs – ‘why are there so many Carlisle supporters [here]?’

“They’re a big club. Our support is growing every week, and at home the atmosphere has been terrific.

“It’s your town, your community – you must want your club to be progressive and dare I say it getting towards that top group.”

Stevenage have started life in League One the best of the four clubs who were promoted to the third tier last season.

They sit third after four wins, a draw and a defeat, with fellow promoted sides Northampton, Carlisle and Leyton Orient in 15th, 19th and 20th respectively.

But Evans feels the Cumbrians will be “fine” in League One, whilst he has showered Simpson with praise for the job he has done at Brunton Park.

“Carlisle’s a very decent opponent. I was very fortunate to cover the play-off final between them and Stockport on live television, and you could have literally tossed a coin – you couldn’t split hairs between Carlisle and Stockport,” said Evans in a club interview.

Evans has described Paul Simpson as a miracle worker

“But I can remember saying on the day, ‘If either of those two teams come up, they’ll be good, they’ll compete’.

“What they’ve got is a very experienced manager who, every time he drives into Carlisle, he wins – I’m sure he should be buying a Lottery ticket, Simmo, because he’d probably win it.

“He’s got a really good squad of players, they’ve been active in the transfer window, especially coming up to the deadline with the boy [Joshua] Kayode coming in from Rotherham, who’s a good player.

“They’ve got Edmondson…they’ve got a plethora of talent. They’ll be fine over the season, I’m sure.”

Evans says Stevenage’s own impressive start must not lead to a false sense of early-season security.

“It takes time. We’re under no misguidance here – we’ve still not seen the Derby Countys, Barnsleys, Charltons, who you’d recognise in League One as the big, big clubs,” he added.

“We’ve seen one of them in Portsmouth and we saw the difference when we played them [compared to] the other clubs as to how much more demanding that was going to be to win the game.

“But you only get three points for beating each team and our next opportunity is at home to Carlisle.

“That will be tough but hopefully we’ll be ready, freshened up and good to go.”

On his opposite number, Evans added: “What a wonderful footballer he [Simpson] was. It was no secret to me that he was going to take that into coaching and management.

“He performed a miracle at Carlisle. He came in shortly before I came in at Stevenage [in 2022], and they were poor.

“Paul set about his task at making sure they were in the Football League [and then promotion] was a marvellous, marvellous achievement.

“He’s an elder statesman of the game, like myself, he lives and breathes it, so he will leave no stone unturned to get a result here.

“I look forward to seeing him. He’s one of the game’s good guys.”

Stevenage are without striker Aaron Pressley, son of former Blues manager Steven, to injury today, with Terence Vancooten, Kane Smith and Reece Hannam also sidelined.

But Evans hopes Carl Piergianni, Louis Thompson and Ben Thompson will all be fit to face the Cumbrians.