A season that began full of promotion promise staggered to a disastrous end as United lost all form and confidence and slid to a dismal 20th out of 24 in Division Four.

Clive Middlemass was the principal casualty of the club's demise, getting the sack in March shortly after a crushing 4-0 home defeat by Gillingham.

The close-season capture of veteran striker Eric Gates was supposed to be the final piece in the promotion jigsaw, but the 35-year-old former England player just never settled in at Brunton Park and he was being roundly booed by fans long before the end of the season. His failure, along with a mystery illness that effectively ended the professional career of captain Nigel Saddington were two key reasons for Carlisle's disappointing campaign.

With long-term injury victims John Halpin and Ian Dalziel not returning until the New Year, the damage had already been done to any promotion hopes, although the collapse of the latter part of the season was still hard to explain.

A 6-0 thrashing at Blackpool shortly after Aidan McCaffrey had taken over from the departed Middlemass and another heavy 6-2 defeat at Lincoln to end the season were indicative of the complete overhaul needed to restore the club's fortunes.

Saddington and Halpin were both released at the end of the season. Brighter hopes flourished with the form of three products of the club's youth policy, Robert Edwards, Darren Edmondson and Jeff Thorpe. Edwards, however, was sold to Bristol City before the end of the season in a move that was virtually a financial necessity.