Carlisle's keeper conundrum as Simpson says 'nobody is guaranteed to play'

CARLISLE United manager Paul Simpson has said that none of the Blues' goalkeepers are 'guaranteed to play'.

This comes as the Blues prepare to return for pre-season training on Monday, June 24, and after the club announced during the week that they have agreed a deal to sign 21-year-old Scottish goalkeeper Jude Smith.

Smith joins Harry Lewis and Gabe Breeze in the club's goalkeeping ranks.

After the club announced Smith's arrival at Brunton Park, Simpson spoke candidly about the club's goalkeeping situation and asserted that the number one shirt does not belong to any of his keepers.

Speaking on the club's website, he said: "We'll have a look at all three of them in pre-season, nobody is guaranteed to play.

"I'm sure people will look at squad numbers when they come out and make conclusions from those but they've all got to compete in pre-season.

"They all need to show they deserve to be involved.

"If it's a case of the two younger ones who aren't playing, there's no point in them both sitting around, they need games to develop so we'll look at that and assess it as we're going along.

"They're all coming in to show us they want to work hard and do everything they can to be involved in the group."

The Blues are set to be in action six times during pre-season, with performances in these games likely to play an important role in the Carlisle boss's decision-making.

However, using the online platform FootyStats, we compared the keepers to see how the numbers stack up.

Before getting into the figures, it is important to note that Smith, who will join Carlisle out of Newcastle United's youth ranks, and Breeze, who made his Blues debut in December 2023, have significantly fewer minutes than Harry Lewis who was Simpson's preferred shot-stopper after his move from Bradford City in January.

In the 2023/24 season, Lewis played 20 times for the Blues whereas Breeze played four times, and Smith made 10 appearances in the Premier League 2 and Premier League Cup U23 for Newcastle United.

In these games, the keepers conceded 38, six, and 16 goals respectively.

This stat is better represented by the trio's goals conceded per 90-minute stat, with Lewis conceding 1.90 goals per 90, Breeze conceded 1.50 goals per 90, and Smith conceded 1.75 goals per 90.

In terms of save percentages, Breeze leads the way at 60 per cent, whilst Lewis has a save percentage of 53.25 per cent, and Smith's save percentage is not available.

Statistically, each goalkeeper is evenly matched and it will be down to Paul Simpson to select his preferred shot-stopper.