Carlisle running out of time

GARY Madine may be about to play his final game for Carlisle, whose fate will be all but decided if they are beaten by Athletic on Saturday.

The loan striker is serving a prison sentence for assault but is out on licence - and the conditions include a 7pm curfew. That leaves him no chance of playing in away games at Crawley and Wolves.

Madine (23) has scored twice in the four games he has been able to play since heading back to Cumbria a month ago.

“We were expecting to have him for the Peterborough game and all the others, except Crawley,” Carlisle manager Graham Kavanagh said. “But there has been a shift in the conditions. We were told he was free at weekends until 9pm, but now it’s 7pm.”

Lee Miller, who is likely to play up front alongside Madine in trying to breach Athletic’s back line at Brunton Park, says team members will lift themselves for the challenge of avoiding the drop.

United, who have been in League One for the past eight seasons since promotion, are rated at 4-1 ON to go back down. Form that features one win in the last dozen fixtures indicates there isn’t much fight left in them.

“There’s no point in playing the game if we don’t feel we can get ourselves out of it,” said Miller.

“I’m sure there are a lot of twists and turns still to come in this relegation battle. It’s in our own hands.”