Carlisle United will go to Paul Simpson's former club Rochdale for a pre-season friendly this summer.

A trip to Spotland has been announced as part of the Blues' summer programme ahead of the new season.

United will take on National League side Dale on Saturday, July 27, with a 3pm kick-off.

The game at the Crown Oil Arena is the fifth pre-season game to be confirmed by the Cumbrians, who are also taking on Penrith, Kendal Town, Workington Reds and Stockport County this summer.

Rochdale is a fourth away friendly announced by Carlisle so far.

The game will see Blues boss Simpson return to the club where he started his managerial career.

He was with Rochdale as a player from 2002 to 2003 and was player-manager for part of that time.

Dale are preparing for a second season in the National League having finished 11th last season under boss Jimmy McNulty.

Carlisle's last trip to Rochdale was in January 2023 when a John-Kymani Gordon goal earned a 1-0 win for the Cumbrians in League Two, in front of 1,634 travelling fans.

It is also the scene of some famous United games from past campaigns, such as the night in 2006 when Simpson's Blues sealed the League Two title, and the Auto Windscreens Shield northern final second leg in 1995 when Mick Wadsworth's deckchair army reached Wembley for the first time.

Before the game last season, meanwhile, Blues supporters descended on the Cask & Feather where they broke the pub's away fan record for drinking shots of Jagermeister - an incredible 526 shots downed, including 340 in a single round.

United's friendly line-up currently sees the trip to Penrith on Friday, July 5 before Kendal on Tuesday, July 9 and Workington on Saturday, July 13.

Rochdale then follows on Saturday, July 27 with Stockport County visiting Brunton Park on Saturday, August 3.