What do Carlisle United's pre-season numbers tell us?

FREQUENT FLIERS

Carlisle have completed seven pre-season games against Penrith, Kendal Town, Workington Reds, St Mirren, Rochdale, Gateshead and Stockport County.

Some 27 players were used in those encounters – and nine players have featured in every single game.

They are: Aaron Hayden, Josh Vela, Dylan McGeouch, Dan Butterworth, Charlie Wyke, Terell Thomas, Ben Barclay, Harrison Neal and Luke Armstrong.

Aaron Hayden is among those to have played in every friendly this summer (Image: Richard Parkes)

Another cluster of players have had six outings each: Sam Lavelle, Cameron Harper, Jon Mellish, Taylor Charters, Archie Davies (who signed before friendly number two), Jack Ellis and Freddie O’Donoghue.

Those who’ve had five are Harry Lewis and Ethan Robson, with the rest chalking up fewer outings.

MOST MINUTES

It is clear which players have been relied upon the most by Paul Simpson in the seven summer games – and a clear enough indication of which players are going to be central figures.

Comfortably the most minutes have been completed by Terell Thomas, the summer signing in defence getting through 435 minutes – 69 per cent of all the available pre-season pitch time.

Terell Thomas has played more minutes than any other Blues player in pre-season (Image: Ben Holmes)

He is the only man to pass the 400-minute mark. Second is Luke Armstrong, who chalked up 390 minutes, closely followed by Harrison Neal on 388 and Jon Mellish on 375.

Mellish, although missing one game for family reasons, still totted up more minutes than the majority of the squad – another sign of his durability and how central he is to the Blues.

Ben Barclay also got plenty of time on the pitch with 371 minutes, a number enhanced by his early substitute outing in place of the injured Dylan McGeouch against Stockport.

Josh Vela, Aaron Hayden, Harry Lewis and Charlie Wyke are next on the list, and by this stage an obvious enough picture emerges of who may be Simpson’s bankers in the campaign to come.

90-MINUTE MEN

It is notable, when studying the individual records of players in pre-season, who has chalked up full-game appearances and who has been more lightly raced.

Once again, Thomas is at the head of the pack; the only player to have played three full matches this summer.

Two more have had a pair of 90-minute outings, those being Harry Lewis and Jon Mellish.

Harry Lewis is one of just three players to have played two full games or more (Image: Richard Parkes)

Eight further players have a single 90-minute performance to their name over the course of the seven-game run.

Then there is a host yet to hit that full-game mark, for different reasons.

Simpson has clearly been eager not to over-stretch Charlie Wyke given his longest outing so far has amounted to 65 minutes.

Josh Vela did not play a full game in pre-season, getting fairly close against Stockport but withdrawn after 76 minutes having taken a knock earlier in the game.

Dan Butterworth did not make it past the 60-minute point in any of his seven outings, while Ethan Robson had a 75-minute showing under his belt before his hamstring went.

Dylan McGeouch, another midfielder now injured, has an hour as his maximum pre-season outing, with Taylor Charters’ longest time on the pitch also 60 minutes (on two occasions).

Archie Davies nearly hit the maximum – playing 86 minutes against Stockport.

Of the rest who did not play a full game, some are from the younger end (Sam Hetherington, Jake Allan, Aran Fitzpatrick, Freddie O’Donoghue, Dan Hopper), others (Georgie Kelly) have had fitness issues to overcome, some have simply seen others in their position used more often (Jude Smith) and in the case of Dan Adu-Adjei, he’s only just joined.

KEEPER HIERARCHY

Paul Simpson wants a competitive goalkeeping department this season, and believes the unit of Harry Lewis, Gabe Breeze and Jude Smith can form just that.

In pre-season, at least, the pecking order is clear if it is based on minutes alone.

Lewis is plainly first choice with 352 minutes from his five appearances. Breeze, the young Cumbrian, is next with 203 from four outings. Third in line is summer signing Smith, who’s had just 75 minutes in a United jersey from two outings.

Fans have seen relatively little of Jude Smith so far (Image: Richard Parkes)

Whether the latter two will swap places in this respect may depend on what Simpson decides to do in terms of loan football, with Breeze a possible candidate for that to build-up his first-team experience.

Right now, though, it appears his case as Lewis’ direct understudy is strongest.

GOALS

Carlisle have scored 16 goals in their seven games – eight of them against Penrith in their pre-season opener, the rest shared out in the remainder.

Individually, Dan Butterworth leads the way with three. Two of those came at Penrith, the other a consolation strike at Rochdale.

After that, three players have two apiece.

Dan Butterworth leads the pre-season scoring charts with three goals (Image: Ben Holmes)

Charlie Wyke’s solitary goalscoring display so far brought a brace at Kendal Town.

His fellow frontman Luke Armstrong scored in the first and last friendlies – at Penrith and against Stockport County.

Terell Thomas also has two to his name, scoring from corners against Kendal and St Mirren.

Taylor Charters also helped himself to a couple in the Penrith game.

Five other players have a goal apiece: Harrison Neal, Cameron Harper, Sam Hetherington, Freddie O’Donoghue and Dan Adu-Adjei.

TOTAL MINUTES PER PLAYER

THOMAS 45 45 30 90 90 45 90 = 435

ARMSTRONG 45 45 45 75 45 90 45 = 390

NEAL 45 45 30 60 73 45 90 = 388

MELLISH 45 45 60 90 45 90 = 375

BARCLAY 45 45 60 30 28 90 73 = 371

VELA 45 45 30 60 67 45 76 = 368

HAYDEN 45 45 30 60 62 30 90 = 362

LEWIS 45 60 90 67 90 = 352

WYKE 32 45 45 60 67 30 65 = 344

LAVELLE 45 45 60 90 17 60 = 317

DAVIES 45 30 60 61 30 86 = 312

HARPER 45 45 24 61 45 90 = 310

MCGEOUCH 45 45 60 30 60 45 17 = 302

BUTTERWORTH 45 45 60 30 23 60 14 = 277

CHARTERS 45 45 30 60 29 60 = 269

ELLIS 45 60 30 29 90 4 = 258

ROBSON 45 45 60 75 30 = 255

BREEZE 45 45 23 90 = 203

O’DONOGHUE 45 45 30 30 23 30 = 203

FITZPATRICK 45 45 66 30 = 186

HETHERINGTON 58 45 60 = 163

KELLY 15 45 60 25 = 145

ALLAN 45 45 30 15 = 135

SMITH 45 30 = 75

ADU-ADJEI 45 = 45

O’BRIEN 45 = 45

HOPPER 45 = 45

GOALS

BUTTERWORTH 3

CHARTERS 2

THOMAS 2

WYKE 2

ARMSTRONG 2

NEAL 1

HARPER 1

HETHERINGTON 1

O’DONOGHUE 1

ADU-ADJEI 1

UNITED'S PRE-SEASON RECORD

Played 7

Won 3

Drew 2

Lost 2

Scored 16

Conceded 7

RESULTS

Penrith 0-8 Carlisle United

Kendal Town 0-3 Carlisle United

Workington Reds 0-0 Carlisle United

St Mirren 2-2 Carlisle United

Rochdale 2-1 Carlisle United

Gateshead 2-0 Carlisle United

Carlisle United 2-1 Stockport County