Gavin Skelton insists Carlisle United will attack their next game without trepidation as they try to put an end to their winless run this weekend.

The assistant manager says United are determined to get that elusive first League One victory on the board against Shrewsbury Town.

And Skelton hopes Carlisle can benefit from the kind of support from the Blue Army which they've already had in the 2023/24 season.

Carlisle are awaiting a first win despite being competitive in all their third-tier fixtures so far.

Skelton believes United’s performances have pointed towards progress – but the No2 admits that must now be turned into results.

“The [fans] have stayed with us, and that’s rightly so,” he said. “I think they have stayed with us because they’ve seen the effort and performance levels.

“Even against Exeter [a 2-0 defeat] it was a game that could have gone either way.

News and Star: United's assistant manager hopes fans will continue backing the team in the same strong wayUnited's assistant manager hopes fans will continue backing the team in the same strong way (Image: Barbara Abbott)

“We want to get away from those games where they’re tight and could go either way and where we could have got something.

“We want to get to a point where we got something and we deserved it. Let’s hope that’s this Saturday.”

Carlisle’s clash with the Shrews on Saturday will see a reunion with former captain Morgan Feeney, who turned down a new deal with the Blues this summer.

Feature: Can the Blues recover from a low-scoring start?

He has started every game so far for Matty Taylor’s side, who sit 11th after three wins and two defeats.

Carlisle-born ex-Blues striker Ryan Bowman will also return to Brunton Park with the visitors.

United’s preparation for their fourth home game of the campaign comes at a time they are continuing efforts to strengthen their squad before tomorrow’s transfer deadline.

The Blues have until 11pm on Friday to make further signings, with Paul Simpson hoping to bring in a striker.

From there, the focus will be on the Shrews clash and Skelton added: “It’s a home game and we like to perform well at home.

“We go into it really looking forward to it, with no trepidation, and hopefully the crowd will stay with us, as they have so far.

“They’ve been fantastic, they’ve stuck with us, and if they keep doing that I’m sure that first win isn’t too far away.”