Carlisle will be without key midfielders Grant Smith and Chris Lumsdon at Bristol Rovers on Saturday but Michael Bridges is ready for action.Smith tore a thigh muscle during pre-season training last Friday and is currently undergoing a course of rehabilitation that should see him return against Crewe next weekend.

Fellow midfielder Lumsdon is set to have an injection on the back problem that has plagued him since the pre-season friendly against Partick Thistle two weeks ago, but the length of time he faces on the sidelines is still unclear.

Manager John Ward will have to decide whether to opt for young prospect Luke Joyce or the experience of Marc Bridge-Wilkinson to partner Paul Thirlwell in the centre of midfield as his side look to get their season off to a winning start.

Meanwhile Bridges, who returned to the club on loan from Hull during the summer, says he is fit and ready to start despite boss Ward's concerns over his sharpness.

"I want to play and I want to get started. I've got a bit of history at Bristol Rovers - a few of my old mates are down there, Darryl Duffy and Danny Coles, and it will be nice to get one over on them," Bridges said.

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