Portsmouth to welcome big Carlisle United support to Fratton Park as Paul Simpson's side look to silence Blues

That’s because a creditable 637 of them have signed up to cheer on Paul Simpson’s side at Fratton Park – a visit that will be their longest of the League One season.

There will, of course, still be swathes of blue seats evident in the Milton End as Pompey continue to put the finishing touches to the revamped stand that is yet to welcome home fans.

However, the Cumbrians’ travelling support will be the second highest away attendance experienced by the Blues so far this term – second only to the 1,991 Bristol Rovers fans who were present for the season-opener.

And with all home sections of Fratton Park close to a sell-out, both sets of supporters should help the decibel levels inside PO4 and have the old girl rocking.

As many Pompey supporters will testify, one of the many pitfalls of operating in League One is the away gates on south coast match days. Cheltenham brought with them just 260 supporters when they made the trip to Fratton Park back in August. Meanwhile, 277 Wycombe supporters made the short journey down from Buckinghamshire earlier this month for what would be one of their shortest away trips of the season.

They’re hardly numbers that help contribute to a big-game atmosphere, so Carlisle’s potential showing on Saturday should at least help on that front.

Of course, John Mousinho’s side will be keen to keep the away end relatively quiet as they look to build on their impressive start to the season and maintain their place at the top of the League One table.

However, with Carlisle’s last game on the road – played in front of 4,407 delighted fans – being a surprise 3-1 win at Bolton, manager Simpson hopes his 21st-placed side can rise to the occasion once more.

He told newsandstar.co.uk: ‘It’s a brilliant game to look forward to. If you can’t get up for that game as a member of staff or as a player, we have got problems.

‘It’s a game we have to really go and get our chests puffed out and go and play with enthusiasm, play with energy, play with a bit of bravery and who knows what can come.

‘It will be another great atmosphere, another great place to go

‘We just have to get ourselves ready for it.

‘If we approach it like we did at Bolton – a different game, different formation to play against, but with the same mentality – we will do ourselves justice.’