CARLISLE fans who live in Westmorland and Furness have had a tough time getting tickets for the club's FA cup clash with Premier giants Arsenal.

Fans living in the city have been boycotting the club's home matches because of disillusionment with chairman Michael Knighton, but Coun Peter Phizacklea, of Dalton-in-Furness, a lifelong supporter says the absent fans have been coming out of the woodwork in droves to snap up tickets for the glamour tie.

He said that fans living in the south of the county who could not get to Carlisle's ground on the Thursday when ticket sales opened to season-ticket holders would have great difficulty getting to see the match.

Another reason for the wholesale return of fans is the announcement on Wednesday that Knighton had gone, having sold his 93% stake in the club to a consortium led by a Gibraltian investment company which includes Scottish businessman Stephen Brown.

The new owners say manger Ian Atkins will be given funds to strengthen the squad in an attempt to prevent Carlisle, bottom of the Third Division, crashing out of the Football League at the end of the season.