Carlisle United have new hope for 2025/26 on Newport County evidence | OneFootball

Their status in League Two isn't likely to last much longer, but Carlisle at have some signs to encourage them going forward.

Some Carlisle United supporters would have argued, and may still, following the club's 3-2 win over Newport County, that the injury-prone Georgie Kelly, who the club bought from Rotherham United in January 2024, was the summation of all the club's issues.

The Irishman has had massive struggles with injury, only playing 20 games and a total of 713 minutes in those appearances for the club since arriving at Brunton Park.

He was brought in to help United survive relegation from League One - they didn't. The hope for this campaign was that his experience at a higher level would make him a real threat in the fourth division - it hadn't, and now Carlisle are staring down the barrel of a second successive drop, this time out of the football league.

'Why did we sign him?' A question rightfully posed by many supporters over the past 15 months. We may have got a glimpse at the answer to that question on Saturday when Kelly led the charge, scoring a brace to spearhead the Blues' 3-2 win over Newport.

Georgie Kelly's promising performance vs Newport County

The phrase that's often associated with struggling strikers is 'They just need that one goal, no matter how it happens.' Seeing the ball hit the back of the net can light the blue touch paper of confidence that ignites a centre-forward's season, well that's what the hope is.

Before three o'clock on Saturday, Kelly was still yet to get off the mark in blue and white colours. The victory and the points picked up didn't do anything to affect Carlisle's position in the League Two table, of which they are bottom. What it may have done is given Kelly and the club's supporters a bit more confidence in him.

Not only was he the first player to net two goals in one league game for the Blues since Charlie Wyke did it against Fleetwood Town in mid-September, he was the first striker to display some of the old-fashioned traits that the Blues have been without for some time.

Kelly held the ball up marvelously well, winning nine of his 16 aerial duels. His physicality allowed Carlisle to get up the pitch quickly when they were struggling to build their own fluid attacks. He also played two key passes, creating for the other attack-minded players around him.

It was refreshing to see a forward bring others into the game and take chances when they fall their way. More of that will do very nicely for the Blues.

Georgie Kelly could provide a good attacking base for Carlisle's 2025/26 campaign

Before we all get a bit overexcited about Kelly's showing against Newport, there, of course, needs to be a big caveat that comes along with it. The blame for why we haven't seen this version of him more often can be placed on his own body, which has repeatedly failed him since he joined Carlisle.

There is, however, no doubting that he has some very useful traits to his game when he is up and running, ones that will certainly be of use if Carlisle do drop to the National League for the 2025/26 campaign.

He's a player with experience right across the EFL who can hold a ball up, finish chances and cause problems for defenders when healthy.

Who knows what is to come following the weekend just gone? Maybe there will be more frustration because now we have seen what he can do but he may not be able to continually replicate it because of fitness issues or some other reason. On the flip side of that coin is a positive response where he turns the elation he received from the Warwick Road End into a good run of form that provides hope for next season.