THE season may be only reaching halfway but Carlisle are probably already ticking the days down until it ends.

It has been a miserable campaign for the Cumbrians who face City in fourth from bottom.

They recently sacked boss Steve Pressley, who had only been appointed in January, but replacement Chris Beech suffered his first defeat in charge at the weekend – a miserable 3-0 loss at Colchester.

It was a lifeless performance pretty much summing up the problems they have had all season.

Keeper Adam Collin said: "I'm biting my tongue at times. It’s the first defeat under the new manager and we thought we’d sort of turned a corner.

“It should be a good crowd on Boxing Day and we need to repay them for that display.

"We need to bounce back and have a reaction, show them that we do care and there’s something there to be proud of as fans."

Former City defender Nathaniel Knight-Percival sparked their downfall with a comical own goal and could pay the price if Jarrad Branthwaite is over the illness that prevented him travelling to Essex.

Branthwaite, a 17-year-old local lad, is the one bright hope at Brunton Park.

The tall academy product has been the key man in Carlisle’s defence and was badly missed at the weekend.

He regularly attracts scouts to matches with Leicester, Everton, Manchester City, Celtic and Rangers among those casting a keen eye on his progress.

Carlisle anticipate a bid in the transfer window for a young talent who is probably worth up to £1m. They will be hoping that if a deal is done, it includes a loan-back for the season.

With Macclesfield’s implosion, the teams hovering around the bottom may be spared any late agony. For Carlisle and Beech, it looks like a case of limping through until May and then building all over again in the summer.