Carlisle United face a Wigan Athletic side tonight which has taken only one point from their last four games.
They have lost their last three and scored just once in those defeats, to find themselves back in danger looking over their shoulders at the relegation trap door.
In a pre-match press conference manager Shaun Maloney said: “It’s a very important game, they’re down there at the bottom, and we’re down there as well.
“And that’s the kind of season it is, where the priority has always been to stay in the league.
“This game certainly seems bigger, because of the league positions, and our form in the last three or four games.
“But it’s been like that for a lot of this season, we’ve been on really good runs, then we lose, and it feels like three or four bad games, and we have to get ourselves back on track.
“I think these kinds of games always feel even bigger because of our league position.”
Wigan were docked eight points at the start of the season and if they still had those points would be in a comfortable mid-table position.
But for the last match, a home defeat to Derby on Boxing Day, they included seven Academy products in the starting line-up.
However, the return of Thelo Aasgaard off the bench in the second half after two months out was a massive bonus, while Jordan Jones is also hoping to face Carlisle after illness.
Maloney said: “I hope Jordan is fit, he gives us that one-v-one threat. We might be asking a lot for him to be ready in time, but we’ll give him that chance.
“Thelo being back is a boost, when you have players on the field with certain profiles, that does help. It was definitely ahead of schedule, he’s only had one session.
“Ideally, I wouldn’t have wanted to use him even in the Carlisle game, but needs must. He’ll be in contention to play against Carlisle.”
Paul Simpson’s men drew 1-1 with Wigan at Brunton Park early in the season. The Latics had handed out a football lesson in the first match but United fought back brilliantly in the second to earn a fine point.
