By Dan MacLennan - CUOSC chair

Not the opening day that the Blue Army hoped for, but the 4-1 scoreline at Gillingham really didn’t reflect the pattern of the match. Indeed, another ref may have given the shout for a penalty in the first half and then you have a completely different match.

A huge shout out to the over 500 Blues who made what is one of the longest trips we’ll face this season, a fantastic turnout!

This was followed up by a solid performance in defeat to Championship side Stoke in the League Cup in midweek. Whilst the visitors made changes, it’s fair to say that United certainly showed they weren’t merely there to make up the numbers and can depart the competition with no disgrace.

All eyes now turn to the first league home match of the campaign - a ‘derby’ against nearish neighbours Barrow. A big Brunton Park crowd is expected for an earlier than usual kick off, and all the ingredients are there for what should be a cracker.

This weekend also sees CUOSC host a members’ meeting. Foxy's at Brunton Park is the venue on Sunday.

We’ll be going through our move to our new identity of ‘Carlisle United Supporters’ Trust’, unveiling our new logo, talking a little about our mission, revealing the new website and highlighting how we look to support the club moving forwards under the new ownership of Castle Sports Group.

We’ll also be updating on our members’ hospitality competitions, which have been well received by those lucky winners who got to enjoy them last Season.

Mentioning CSG, we’ll have the Piatak family in attendance, and look forward to chatting with them about how they view the relationship with ourselves, as well as fielding questions from members.

There are tickets still available, members should check their emails for details of how to secure one. We’ll also be streaming the meeting for those who can’t make it in person, keep an eye out for more details at the weekend.

Our volunteer days down at Brunton Park are scheduled for next Monday and Tuesday (August 19 and 20), with painting being the main task we’ll be doing. It’s not too late to get in touch if you fancy popping along, we’ll be on site from 10am until 4pm both days - just drop us an email: info@cuosc.org.uk and we’ll get back to you with more details.

Plaques for the memory garden at Brunton Park continue to sell, and we’ll be ordering the first batch ready for installation shortly.

We’ll update those who’ve purchased with a date of when these will be placed and available to view.

If you wish to purchase one in memory of loved ones, then take a look at: https://carlisle-and-cumbria-united-independent-supporters-so.sumupstore.com/product/1-x-memory-garden-plaque

Here’s to hopefully maintaining our recent dominance over Barrow on Saturday, Up the Blues!