Carlisle United will be plying their trade in the fifth tier next season
From Dream to Disaster: How Carlisle United’s American Adventure Went Off the Rails
A Bright New Dawn Turns Dark
When the Florida-based Piatak family took the reins at Carlisle United in November 2023, hopes were sky-high. The club, boasting a devoted fanbase and deep roots in the local community, seemed perfectly poised for growth. Comparisons to Wrexham were inevitable — a proud club with new ownership, renewed ambition, and a real opportunity to rise.
After relegation from League One, the plan was straightforward enough: assemble one of League Two’s biggest budgets, draw the sixth largest crowds, sprinkle in a World Cup-winning manager, a local hero, and a Premier League legend — and bounce straight back up. What, as they say, could possibly go wrong?
Sadly for Carlisle, almost everything.
Their 3-2 defeat at Cheltenham Town confirmed a second consecutive relegation, sending them plummeting into the National League with a game still remaining. Since their promotion glory day at Wembley, Carlisle have lost an eye-watering 54 of their last 91 league fixtures. Not exactly the Hollywood script they had in mind.
From Wembley Glory to Rapid Decline
It was barely two years ago that Carlisle fans witnessed one of the happiest days in the club’s modern history. Promotion to League One, achieved through a tense play-off final win against Stockport County, crowned the fairytale return of local lad Paul Simpson. Adding a third promotion to his name, Simpson’s stock had never been higher.
But the leap to League One proved a step too far. Competing in the third tier with a budget better suited to the lower reaches of League Two left Carlisle hopelessly adrift. Winning just seven matches and amassing a club-record low of 30 points, they endured the worst season in their history. Still, with the Piataks promising investment and change, hope lingered.
Simpson’s Second Coming Ends in Sadness
Despite surviving the drop, Simpson was tasked with rebuilding over the summer. With 12 new arrivals and lofty ambitions for an immediate return to League One, insiders believed Simpson had a 10-game audition to show progress.
He got four.
After three bruising defeats, including a drubbing at Gillingham and a sobering hammering by MK Dons, Simpson was sacked on 31 August — just one day after the transfer window slammed shut.
Caretaker boss Mark Birch oversaw two more losses before Tom Piatak declared that promotion remained the target. Mike Williamson, admired for his possession-heavy approach at MK Dons, was installed as head coach, even with the club floundering in 22nd place. It sounded good on paper. Reality, however, was somewhat less glamorous.
‘Williamson-Ball’ Fails to Enthral
Williamson won his first match away at Swindon Town, and for a fleeting moment, it seemed like a turnaround could be brewing.
It wasn’t.
Supporters quickly lost patience with the new boss’s tactics, especially the laborious three-at-the-back set-up that left fans longing for something — anything — more direct. By Boxing Day, after a miserable home defeat to basement dwellers Morecambe, the Brunton Park faithful were chanting for his removal.
Instead of changing the manager, the club changed half the squad. Eleven new players arrived during the January window, as sporting director Rob Clarkson helped implement a grand plan for a “Carlisle way” — a vision supposedly bigger than any individual coach.
Tom Piatak doubled down on backing Williamson in January. By 3 February, after a humiliating 5-1 home battering by Swindon (featuring no fewer than nine January signings), Williamson was sacked. His record stood at a bleak four wins in 22 league games, with the team failing to score in half of them. A bold new philosophy, but perhaps not a winning one.
Hughes’ Arrival: Too Little, Too Late
Searching for a second new boss of the season, Carlisle pulled a rabbit out of the hat by appointing Manchester United and Wales legend Mark Hughes. Having been out of work for 16 months, Hughes’ return raised eyebrows across the football world — but could he rescue the sinking ship?
Performances did improve under the 61-year-old, but not enough to avoid disaster. Hughes was openly critical of the players’ fitness levels, admitting he often had to substitute players simply because they couldn’t last a full 90 minutes. Bounce matches were hastily arranged to try and whip the squad into shape.
By late March, Carlisle had finally strung together their best form in two years, collecting 10 points from 12. Alas, the revival came too late. The damage was done long before, and relegation was sealed at Cheltenham.
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What Now for Carlisle United?
Carlisle must now prepare for life back in the National League for the first time since 2005. Back then, they bounced straight back at the first attempt. This time, with a bloated squad needing trimming and question marks over whether Hughes will stay, the path forward is far from certain.
Recent history offers warning signs: Stockport County and Wrexham both languished in non-league football for over a decade before clawing their way back. Carlisle fans will desperately hope they are not heading for a similar exile after two seasons of misery.
A Club in Crisis: Serious Questions to Answer
On 26 April 1975, Carlisle drew 0-0 at Derby County, waving goodbye to their solitary season in the top flight. Exactly 50 years later, on 26 April 2025, they said farewell again — this time to their Football League status altogether.
Carlisle supporters don’t need reminding how grim this season has been. Under the Piataks’ stewardship, two catastrophic relegations have unfolded, with questionable managerial sackings and transfer windows spent on players who either didn’t fit or didn’t perform.
The grand plan to “Own The North” looks increasingly like a distant fantasy. Right now, most Carlisle fans would settle for owning their place back in the Football League.
