Homeless League 2 club Carlisle United face a mammoth trip to Somerset in an FA Cup replay after being denied an FA Cup Third Round victory over Yeovil Town as the two clubs faught out a 2-2 draw at Blackpool’s Bloomfield Road.
The Cumbrians played the match on neutral territory at Bloomfield Road as their own Brunton Park home continues to be out of use after being severely damaged following the floods on Saturday 5 December.
Carlisle United took the lead in the 25th minute when Danny Grainger’s free kick beat Artur Krysiak in the Yeovil Town goal. The Glovers produced a potential FA Cup storyline of their own when former Carlisle United striker Francois Zoko levelled the scores in the 71st minute.
The Cumbrians looked to have won the match 5 minutes later when Mark Ellis headed Keith Curle’s side back ahead but Shaun Jeffers’ stoppage time equaliser denied United a fairytale passage to the Fourth Round.
Carlisle United are hoping to return home to Brunton Park before their next home fixture against York City on Saturday 23 January. With the FA Cup Fourth Round fixtures taking place just a week later the club will be desparate to win the replay at Huish Park and draw a huge tie in the next round.
An extended cup run would provide a huge boost to the people of Carlisle, many of which suffered major flood damage to their properties last month.
