Members now have the opportunity to win a place in the boardroom and the directors’ box on match days, alongside a guest of their choice. Before each home game, we make a draw of all fee-paying members and the winner gets the above prize.

We caught up with CUOSC member Colin Dorrance, the first winner of our Boardroom experience draw, to see how he enjoyed joining us for the Bolton game.

Colin told us ‘My friend Norman and I have been coming to Brunton Park since we were kids in the late 70s/early 80s, standing in the Paddock, through thick and thin. I think I’ve watched games from all corners of the stadium at one time or another, except the Petteril end. So, when the email came through, we jumped at the opportunity to see the club from a completely different perspective, and by that i mean not just the seat in the directors box. The experience was so much more than that’

Colin and Norman were accompanied by our 1921 Director and our current Vice Chair for their visit, ‘Everyone, from Claire and Matt with CUOSC, to the staff, regulars in the boardroom were very friendly and welcoming. I think we expected it to be a bit stuffy, but it was far from it.’

The changes under the West Stand have impressed us all, and Colin was suitably impressed with ‘The plush new Bar to meet in for pre match drinks and a wee bite to eat.’ There was also the added opportunity to ‘rub shoulders with some ex players too’

One of the added bonuses of the day is the trip pitch side and Colin told us ‘It was a pleasant surprise to get shown down the tunnel just before kick-off, to see the players onto the pitch – quite something when there’s an eleven and half thousand crowd!’

Unfortunately, for obvious reasons we can’t guarantee the family’s attendance every match but Colin continues ‘We also had the added bonus of meeting the new owners Tom and Patty Piatak. I was blown away by how humble and approachable they are – totally dedicated to the club as an asset at the heart of the community. This seems much more than a football project, or a business proposition to them – they seem genuinely concerned for the fans and the benefits that a good club can bring for the whole area. It so happened we sat behind them during the match, their passion is obvious, we even got a ‘high five’ from Tom when Gibson found the net!’

We asked Colin if he could recommend the experience to fellow members, ‘Having lurked around the club, on and off, for over 40 years now, I thoroughly recommend making that little extra commitment to become members of CUOSC. Its only £10 per year – the discounts in the club almost make that worth it alone – but it brings so many new benefits with it, such as the weekly briefings and insights, early access to certain tickets and a range of plans for the future engagement, not least the latest free draw for a chance to get the Directors Box experience.’ We couldn’t have put it better ourselves.

Colin also finished with a rallying call to arms, ‘I was gutted for the owners on Saturday. They apologised for the result, yet they have invested so much personal effort and finance into the club. However, don’t be deceived, the foundations they are laying WILL come good. I have every faith in them. They deserve it. The manager and dedicated staff deserve. Carlisle deserves it. Keep the faith.’

We thank Colin and Norman for their feedback and are so pleased that out our first CUOSC Boardroom experience went down so well.