The thirty-second League One match of the 2008-09 campaign saw Rovers make their longest trip of the season, to Carlisle United. Coach Paul Trollope named an unchanged matchday squad from the previous match, a 2–0 victory over Oldham Athletic at Boundary Park four days earlier. Carlisle took the lead as early as the fourth minute through Graham Kavanagh, before Jeff Hughes equalised for Rovers nine minutes later. Rovers had the better of much of the remainder of the game, but were unable to produce a winning goal.