Carlisle United are on a roll as they prepare to take on rivals Barrow on Tuesday night.

The Cumbrians head into the game on the back of their 1-0 away win at Rochdale over the weekend courtesy of striker John-Kymani Gordon, who scored twice since his loan switch from Crystal Palace earlier this month. Speaking after that game, boss Paul Simpson said it was a ‘really disciplined’ performance by his side and showed their ability to grind out a victory. They are well and truly in the promotion race this season and are currently sat in 4th place, just a point off Northampton Town in 2nd. Striker Ryan Edmondson remains out injured but he isn’t missed at all at the moment with Gordon adapting well to life in the Football League and other options like Kristian Dennis, Omari Patrick and new arrival Joe Garner are all useful alternatives up top. Carlisle are in confident mood and have won their last three matches on the spin now and will fancy their chances of making that four. In addition, they are such a tough team to beat and have lost just twice in their last 12 league outings to lift them into the upper reaches of the table.

Barrow are inconsistent and will be under no illusion how tough their trip to Brunton Park will be. They lost 2-0 at home to Northampton Town last time out in a below-par showing and are no longer in the play-off places which is a blow. Manager Pete Wild said his team didn’t hit the ‘level’ of performance he wants from them as the Cobblers left Holker Street with all three points. On the selection front, number one goalkeeper Paul Farman has been back between the sticks over recent weeks after his short spell on the sidelined with injury. The Bluebirds could only name six players on the bench in their last game due to their small squad size and have until the transfer deadline on 31st January to sign some more players, having already brought in winger Elliot Newby and striker Jake Young this month. Barrow have won just once in their last six in the league and aren’t the same team they were at the start of the campaign and are starting to fade away so this one looks likely to be a home win.

Crewe Alexandra are in for a difficult evening as they welcome local rivals Stockport County to the Alexandra Stadium.

The Railwaymen haven’t played since 14th January due to a couple of postponements and it may take them a while to get back up to speed. It has been an underwhelming season so far for the Cheshire outfit and they sit down in 18th position in the League Two table. They drew 1-1 away at Mansfield Town in their last game with defender Kelvin Mellor scoring their goal. Their manager Lee Bell said he was ‘delighted’ with that result but will know their upcoming clash will be a tricky one. Crewe remain without eight-goal striker Courtney Baker-Richardson which isn’t ideal as he continues on his road to recovery from injury and he has been replaced up top by recent recruit Elliott Nevitt from Tranmere Rovers, who has only scored four times in the league this term. To make matters worse, number one goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo was recalled by Arsenal earlier this month and sent to Sturm Graz, with Crewe replacing him with inexperienced 18-year-old James Beadle on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion. Bell’s side have won just once in their last seven in all competitions and were beaten 2-1 by their next opponents when they met on Boxing Day so they won’t be confident of getting a result.

Stockport’s aim is to get promoted and they will be desperate to bounce back from their 1-0 loss to AFC Wimbledon over the weekend. Boss Dave Challinor has said his side didn’t defend ‘well enough’ and will want to see a reaction. On the injury front, right-back Macauley Southam-Hales is out of action but they have two useful alternatives in the form of recent signing Kyle Knoyle from Doncaster Rovers and former Premier League man Phil Bardsley which highlights their strength in depth. The Hatters remain well in the race for a play-off spot and despite losing last time out, they will fancy their chances of returning to winning ways as they are a tough team to beat. They have lost just three times in their last 13 league matches which has seen them rise to 12th in the table. Stockport have also bolstered their squad in the transfer window by bringing in attacking pair Isaac Olaofe and Jack Stretton from Millwall and Derby County respectively which means they have strong competition in attack for the likes of Paddy Madden and Kyle Wootton so should have too much quality for lowly Crewe.

Salford City and Walsall are two sides who are hoping to be in League One next season and are dangerous teams to play against.

The Ammies are under pressure to go up from their ambitious Class of ’92 owners and they will be desperate to return to winning ways after their 3-2 loss at Crawley Town over the weekend. Midfield pair Matty Lund and Ryan Watson both featured as usual and got the goals in that one, with Stevie Mallan and Jack Jenkins still out injured in their position, and their Neil Wood said it was a ‘disappointing’ performance and the fact that his side conceded three to a team battling against relegation shows that their defence is fragile. However, at the other end of the pitch, the North West club are full of goals and have scored in all 12 of their last games in all competitions and the last time they didn’t find the net in a match was way back on 16th November. They have loads of threats in attacking areas with players such as Matt Smith, Callum Hendry, Callum Morton and in-form Conor McAleny, who has fired six in his last five outings so Salford will always fancy their chances of scoring a couple. However, they need to ensure they tighten it up at the back if they are to be serious automatic promotion contenders but based on their recent showings, they won’t be holding out much hope.

Walsall were beaten 1-0 by Leicester City in the FA Cup in their last game and put in a battling performance against Premier League opposition. Manager Michael Flynn said it was a ‘great occasion’ for the club despite their defeat and he will be hoping his side can take confidence from it into the league. On the selection front, midfielder Liam Kinsella has been out injured but they have useful depth in his position with players like Brandon Comley, Isaac Hutchinson and Yann Songo’o. Like Salford, the Saddlers usually score and have only fired a blank in two of their last 14 games. They have delved into the transfer market to sign striker Jamille Matt from Forest Green Rovers this winter and he is a proven goal scorer at League Two level and will be eager to show what he can do with the Midlands side. He bagged 20 in all competitions last term and is someone who causes all sorts of problems to defenders at this level. However, Walsall have conceded in all five of their last league outings which shows they are having a few defensive issues at the moment so there should be goals in this one.