CARLISLE United will face one of the best strikers to graduate from their academy in recent years tonight, but Greg Abbott is delighted with the players trying to follow in Gary Madine's footsteps.

Sheffield Wednesday are the visitors to Brunton Park tonight in a League One game manager Greg Abbott believes will be ideal to get Saturday’s 4-0 defeat to Charlton Athletic out of their system.

The Cumbrians struggled to replace Madine (pictured top) after a January move thought to be worth £800,000, but in Lee Miller and Rory Loy Abbott thinks he has found a promising partnership.

Miller joined from Middlesbrough on a free transfer in August, and Abbott feels he brings the best out of the team – and especially Loy.

He said: “He gets us high up the pitch, the ball goes in and he occupies the two centre-halves.

“He enables us to keep possession and get our midfield players up the pitch.

“Miller is an important player because we think he is a good player and he is enjoying himself.

“He has a new enthusiasm for the game having spent such a long time at Middlesbrough being in and out of the team.”

Twenty-three-year-old Loy has scored only once this season, but his form has confined the mercurial François Zoko to the bench this month.

Abbott added: “I think if you had added a goal to his game and he was so unlucky (against Charlton), his performance was probably the best he has played since he has been down in England.

“He is doing things a lot more naturally now and the fear has gone out of his game.

“He is a lot more confident and we have tried to get that into him, to say you are developing nicely, you are doing all the right things and don’t heap too much pressure on yourself.

“Big Lee has taken him under his wing and is helping him.

“We are seeing him really develop into a nice asset for the team.”

Matty Robson is suspended after his red card against the Addicks, but Lubomir Michalik’s likely return to the starting line-up would allow Peter Murphy to move to left-back.