We waited and we waited….and then we were disappointed.

After 45 days without an away game – and only two at home – fans were eagerly looking forward to United’s return to action at Harrogate.

Unfortunately, it took until the second half for a rusty-looking Blues team to find anything like their usual energy, and by then the damage was done.

Beaten by a first half penalty, we now know, if we didn’t already, that promotion isn’t going to come easy.

Head coach Chris Beech will be looking for improvement when we travel to Salford on Saturday for what is certain to be another severe test.

Our fixture backlog means we have plenty of games in hand on our rivals but the Blues need to get into their stride again quickly.

Away from the pitch, CUOSC have been continuing to hold regular board meetings via Zoom.

They have been much more civilised than the recent parish council affair that made national news - and we have even managed to avoid anyone appearing as a cat.

Over the last 12 months we have recruited two new board members and they have some great ideas which we are keen to implement after lockdown.

It has always been our aim to further strengthen the bond between the club and the community and we are working on plans for a wide ranging project, involving the CUOSC Cup, which was postponed last summer because of the pandemic.

We are also keen to boost our membership, which currently stands at 430. We have a number of ideas in the pipeline which we hope will encourage younger fans, in particular, to sign up.

Meanwhile, CUOSC are backing a grassroots initiative to raise mental health awareness at a challenging time for many supporters. The Football Supporters Association, to which we are affiliated, has launched #TerraceTalk – a fan led campaign to tackle mental health issues.

It comes after months of talks with fans reps across the English Football League. The aim is to generate open and honest discussion about mental health and to encourage supporters who need them to seek out support services.

For more information go to: https://thefsa.org.uk/news/terracetalk-fan-led-campaign-mental-health-campaign-launched/

To find out more about CUOSC and our Carlisle REUnited campaign visit our website at: www.cuosc.org.uk