Carlisle United head coach Mike Williamson says “ignoring the noise” has been key as the Blues try to respond to their miserable Boxing Day defeat.

United are back at Brunton Park on Sunday in another huge home game against Accrington Stanley.

The Cumbrians, at the foot of League Two, are in desperate need of a better day on the pitch to end a woeful 2024 on a positive note.

Fans turned on Williamson during Thursday’s 1-0 defeat to Morecambe.

On preparations for Accrington in response to that showing, Williamson said: “It’s just [about] honesty with the lads

“I ask for honesty from them in terms of anything they want to add with feedback, but we just look at the actual performance and go into the actual detail of it.

“We can only focus on what we can improve and try and ignore that noise.

“It's going to be tough for them, but that's the job and that's the nature of it.”

Mike Williamson (Image: Ben Holmes)

Carlisle will be looking to cut the four-point gap to third-bottom Accrington in their last game of the year.

They approach the game - which kicks off at 12.30pm - in the teeth of heightened criticism from the terraces and stands after their season went further into crisis on Boxing Day.

Williamson, who will hope to have certain players back from injury and illness on Sunday, insisted that the bigger picture at United should still give supporters hope in spite of the present struggles.

Asked what fans could cling onto when performances are as bad as they were on Thursday, the head coach said: “The fact [of] what's going on in this football club.

“The owners have come in and changed a lot.

“[And] I think the boys care immensely. They, as well as us, are fighting and working and doing everything we possibly can.

“That's the only thing that they know and we know. We're coming up short right now.

“For us, the only thing we can affect is how we recover [from Thursday] and make sure that we're in the best state of mind for Accrington.

“But the club's got a bright future. I think regardless of what happens moving forward, I think that's what the fans [can look to]. I think when it does turn, it will be a fantastic place to be.”

The Accrington game will be the last of a record-breaking year for the fewest home league wins in a calendar year for the Blues. The previous record low is four, and United are on two going into the Stanley clash.

That fact caps a dreadful period which included last season’s slide to League One relegation, the poor start to this campaign in League Two under Paul Simpson and their ongoing struggles under Williamson.

Michael Kelly, the former United keeper, will be back at Brunton Park on Sunday with fellow strugglers Accrington (Image: PA)

When it was put to the head coach that this points to the team simply not being good enough, as opposed just to struggling under the “pressure” of the current position, he said: “I think that of course there's going to be factors that go into why we're in the situation we're in, but it’s up to me to take full responsibility of it.

“We're working and the football club, the lads, have been in a very, very tough period for the last couple of seasons.

“There's going to be elements of hangover and healing, but the bottom line is that I have to take full responsibility for it because that performance wasn't good enough.”

Sunday's opponents Accrington have a game in hand on United after their Boxing Day trip to Tranmere Rovers was postponed because of fog.

John Doolan's side are winless in six in the league. The Lancashire club, whose squad is set to include former Blues goalkeeper Michael Kelly, have two wins, two draws and six defeats in their away fixtures so far.

END OF YEAR SALE: Get unlimited access to our in-depth Carlisle United coverage by subscribing to the News & Star for £25 for all of 2025 or £6 for 6 months - click HERE