How Jamie Devitt earned every bit of his Carlisle popularity*

Four games, zero goals, zero assists—the ideal encapsulation of the claim that, occasionally, football isn’t actually about statistics at all.

Jamie Devitt did not charge past the strikers and into the penalty box during those matches against Leyton Orient, Rochdale, Oldham Athletic, and Northampton Town. Unlike the Devitt of previously, he was not blasting free kicks into the upper corner. He wasn’t making beautiful passes through narrow spaces or speaking a foreign language to some of the people surrounding him.

the was not particularly necessary for Carlisle United at the period of hardship. They had additional runners, finishers, and flair players. They needed some serenity, some command, and some long-lost glue.

Over the course of those four games, it was a spectacle to watch a player compile all of his knowledge and football sage advice and use it lavishly but quietly. Devitt seemed to play a straightforward game in February and March, but up until then, this Carlisle side had made the straightforward seem like quantum physics.

Connecting passes, controlling a game, making wise choices during tense situations—by the conclusion, all of this was well beyond Keith Millen’s squad, who had recruited Devitt in January but had not given him a chance to play. Given his recent history of injuries and his inability of playing consistent football at Barrow, doing so might have been risky.

Paul Simpson, however, saw Devitt as the ideal candidate for the position. Devitt, along with Callum Guy, restored some foundations to a Carlisle team that was struggling. Where others had faltered and panicked, he played and passed.

The midfielder played 61, 67, 73, and 61 minutes in those contests. Another injury then ruined his season. However, at that point, United’s lead in points and their unexpected surge in form made them unstoppable when it came to their Football League survival.