Stevenage boss Steve Evans has made a sarcastic jibe at Carlisle United’s transfer spending.

What happened?

Evans responded to pre-season comments by Blues boss Paul Simpson about Stevenage’s own recruitment. Evans suggested that Carlisle were hardly the paupers of League Two themselves. Describing a squad with plenty of options in reserve, Evans said: “I know we’ve got seven or eight [players] that can help us sitting behind us. But so has Paul Simpson.

Why it matters for Stevenage

The two clubs are now direct rivals in the automatic promotion race with Stevenage second and United third going into tomorrow’s Brunton Park showdown. As of 2026-06-23, Stevenage stands 6th in League One with 67 points from 42 games, with a recent form of LWWDW. Their last result was a 2-0 loss to Stockport County on 2026-05-13.

What comes next?

Evans denied that it was a pivotal contest in the race but admitted his side would need to put in an “exceptional” performance to get anything out of the game. | Stat | Value | | --- | --- | | League Standing | 6th in League One | | Points | 67 | | Recent Form | LWWDW | Evans said even games United have lost at Brunton Park only provide limited pointers. We are going to play a team that are fairly settled in their personnel, and in their structure and style, and we have to be at our very best in the plan that we come up with to try and come back with a point or all three.