The Blues will this morning learn their opening-day opponents for 2017/18. Here Jon Colman looks back at how some memorable previous campaigns have got under way

THE GOOD

2010 - United 2 Brentford 0
This remains the last time Carlisle started a league campaign with a victory: a convincing win against Brentford which suggested the Greg Abbott era was improving.
The summer loss of Richard Keogh was covered at right-back by the arrival of American Frank Simek, who tackled Bees winger Myles Weston into the middle of next week.
Abbott's refreshed team also scored first-half goals through Gary Madine and Ian Harte. A better Blues campaign unfolded, including victory in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy at Wembley - against Brentford.

2002 - United 1 Hartlepool 3
Forget the score - this was a day Brunton Park burst back into life, at the start of the post-Knighton era.
The summer had seen the old showman finally depart after 10 volatile years.
In his place came Irishman John Courtenay, who gave hope of a much-needed new beginning at the Blues.
Roddy Collins' team was flawed, and a relegation battle unfolded. But the size of the crowd indicated the real story on that opening day: 10,684.

1991 - Doncaster 0 United 3
Talk about false dawns. The 1991/2 season goes down as one of the bleakest in the club's history, resulting in Aidan McCaffery's team bottom of the entire Football League and spared relegation only by Aldershot's implosion.
It just shows, then, that first impressions can be misleading, for the Blues actually started it at a canter, sweeping aside Doncaster at Belle Vue.
In a natty combination of blue shirts and yellow shorts, United claimed the points through Richard Sendall, Tony Fyfe and Paul Proudlock - but then didn't win again until late October.
Donny had their own troubles, and went on to finish second-bottom - a place above the beleaguered Blues.

1982 - Derby 0 United 3
This was the most emphatic start to life back in the Second Division by Bob Stokoe's United.
Promoted on the final day the previous season, they stormed the Baseball Ground and scored three unanswered goals.
Alan Shoulder grabbed two, Mally Poskett the third, and a side that also included the likes of Trevor Swinburne, Gordon Staniforth and Russ Coughlin made their mark.
It led to a mid-table, 14th-placed finish, which they built on a year later by ending seventh in the second tier. They have never been as high since.

1974 - Chelsea 0 United 2
The gold standard, never to be beaten, was the day Carlisle entered the First Division for the first time and began with a landmark victory at Stamford Bridge.
The goals are in Blues legend. The first, a second-attempt close-range finish by skipper Bill Green. The second, a cross by Les O'Neill which swerved and dipped over Chelsea keeper Peter Bonetti.
On they went, to the top of the entire league, for a few brief, precious weeks.

THE BAD

2014 - United 0 Luton 1
This one figures highly in the history of Brunton Park anti-climaxes. The Blues, newly-relegated, had given manager Graham Kavanagh licence to overhaul the squad for an assault on League Two.
There was also a supporter-led campaign to pack the stadium for the opening day, called #cufc6000.
The outcome against newly-promoted Luton was, though, a let-down. While the attendance did top the 6,000 mark, Carlisle ditched their 3-5-2 system at half-time as Mark Cullen hit the only goal.
It proved the beginning of the end for Kavanagh.

2013 - United 1 Leyton Orient 5
This one was similar, only much more emphatic. Greg Abbott had retained the faith of the board despite the previous season's slump to 17th in League One.
A rebuilt team was duly sent out against Orient to deliver better times. It didn't quite work out.
Carlisle were defensively a mess and their bid was not helped by the loss of Lee Miller to a first-half red card.
Orient, inspired by Dean Cox, ran through and around a sluggish Blues team and by the start of September, Abbott's time was up.

2009 - United 1 Brentford 3
After the previous season's last-day survival, it was plain the revival was not going to happen quickly.
Brentford, this time, had too much momentum and pace for the Blues after their march to League Two promotion.
In the third-tier opener, they ensured a miserable start to 2009/10 for Greg Abbott's side.
Myles Weston got two, Sam Wood the other, and a reliable Ian Harte penalty was small consolation as Carlisle spent much of term in the bottom half again.

1995 - United 1 Bristol Rovers 2
Not the worst opening-day performance by a fair chalk. But Carlisle started this season in the third tier on the back of statistically the best campaign in their history.
Hopes remained high of a Knighton-led surge, even though the summer had seen few additions.
But, after Warren Aspinall's opener, the Pirates raided for two goals, and a supposed term of further progress never got going.
By the following May, they were down.

THE UGLY

2011 - United 0 Notts County 3
This was a bad pantomime and that doesn't just go for Carlisle's defending.
The Blues tumbled to a fatal three-goal deficit at the break, but the fun wasn't confined to the pitch.
There was also, in County frontman Lee Hughes, a magnet for the crowd's discontent.
As he barged and fouled his way to an early substitution, the striker was given an angry send-off, a few objects flying towards him as he grinned his way down the tunnel.

2007 - Walsall 1 United 1
More off-field intrigue, this time in the wake of what seemed a reasonable start to the League One campaign under Neil McDonald.
After Kevin Gall had earned an opening-day point, it was also the end for Carlisle's manager.
McDonald's sacking was announced two days later, leaving the fanbase in shock.
Eventually John Ward took his place, and led the team to an automatic promotion place which they squandered in the final yards, then losing to Leeds in the play-offs.

2003 - United 1 York 2
Down there in the litany of bad Brunton Park openers is this slug-fest between the two sides who would prove the worst in the land.
Roddy Collins' final hurrah was the summer addition of veteran striker Steve Livingstone. His debut lasted just 35 minutes, sent off along with York's Chris Brass for an unsightly tangle on the floor in the penalty area.
The visitors had scored after 58 seconds of the new season and the first step towards relegation to non-league - which Collins' successor Paul Simpson did his best to avert - was made.
United went down in second-bottom position, a point above rock-bottom York.