Carlisle United missed promotion to League Two after losing to Boreham Wood in the National League play-off semi-final.
When Carlisle United supporters filled Brunton Park on Sunday, anticipation ran high that their team would compete for promotion in a Wembley showdown. With a secure third-place finish in the National League, the club aimed for a quick return to League Two through the play-offs. After two hours of football, their hopes vanished as Mark Hughes' side, reduced to ten men, fell to Boreham Wood in extra time, leaving 13,814 fans deeply disappointed. The Cumbria side now faces another season outside the EFL, raising a tough question about whether the past nine months should be viewed as a failure.
Carlisle were relegated from League Two in 2023-24 after a surprise promotion, followed by a disastrous campaign under new American ownership. Hughes joined in February 2025 but could not prevent relegation, though he committed to leading the club in the National League with the goal of an immediate return. The team finished with 95 points, a club record for a 46-game season, winning 29 matches compared to just 17 in the two previous campaigns combined, and kept 17 clean sheets, more than in the two relegation seasons combined.
Carlisle's manager told BBC Radio Cumbria, 'We've had an outstanding season. The club's come a long way in the months that we've worked hard.' He added, 'It was difficult at the beginning of the season, we didn't know what was ahead of us, we didn't know whether or not we had the right personnel, the right characters. It was a big learning curve for a lot of people, myself included. We got close, but not close enough this time.' Regan Linney led the scoring with 23 goals after joining from Altrincham.
Despite an impressive points total, Carlisle never challenged for the National League title, evidenced by heavy defeats like 5-0 at York City and 2-0 at home to Rochdale within four days in September. Those two clubs beat Carlisle twice each after Christmas, while play-off victors Boreham Wood took four points and scored five goals in their two league meetings. Eight of their nine league defeats came against teams finishing in the top half of the table.
The competition at the top of the National League has grown fiercely, with only one automatic promotion spot available. In the last four seasons, three winners secured over 100 points, with Chesterfield's 98 points in 2024 being the exception. Many teams have fallen short in the play-offs and needed multiple attempts to escape the division. Wrexham and Stockport County are prime examples of sides that thrived after promotion.
'There is a bottleneck at the top of the National League. Once teams are able to get out, then invariably they are very, very strong in the league above and there are very good examples of that,' Hughes stated. 'I'm sure that when we get out of this league - which we feel will only be a matter of time as long as things are done right - we will be stronger, but it's just getting out of a very difficult league when only one or two go up.'
The next step for Carlisle is uncertain: will Hughes remain for a second season in the fifth tier, aiming for trips to Fylde and Worthing, or will the club seek a new direction? The 62-year-old manager avoided giving a clear answer immediately after the match but acknowledged conversations would follow. Hughes said, 'I've enjoyed everything we've done as a group. The staff have been outstanding and the players have responded, so I'm grateful for that. The next few days will give everyone a bit of clarity I'm sure.'
Success in modern football is often subjective, especially with social media amplifying every result. For Carlisle United, Mark Hughes' leadership led the team into the National League play-offs with a club-record points tally, lifting the club after two straight relegations. However, some still view his efforts as insufficient, with critics calling him outdated in footballing terms. While Hughes' Carlisle fell short of the division's top sides like York, Rochdale, and Boreham Wood, those clubs had built their systems carefully over time, signing players who fit their style.
Carlisle faced a pivotal choice this season: a pragmatic route to secure an instant return to the EFL or a longer-term project focused on playing attractive football like York and Rochdale. The club chose the former path, which brought some success but ultimately failure due to the missed promotion. Now, the question remains whether Carlisle can embrace the patience needed to build an appealing style of play when falling short of promotion is widely seen as a disappointment.