 Carlisle was inspired to become a footballer by his father, Mervin, who played semi-professionally for Morecambe and Southport. Carlisle started playing at a young age and represented Lancashire at under-15 level, before being signed by Blackpool where he became a trainee with the youth team. Carlisle signed a professional contract with the club on 13 August 1997 and moved into the first team squad. On 2 September 1997, he made his debut for Blackpool in the side's 4 – 3 victory over Wrexham in the Second Division. He scored his first goal as a professional footballer with the 90th-minute winner in the following match, a 2 – 1 win against Carlisle United at Blackpool's home ground, Bloomfield Road. He was shown the first red card of his career in Blackpool's 1 – 0 victory against Wigan Athletic in the quarter-final of the Football League Trophy on 27 January 1998. He played 12 matches in his first season, scoring two goals.
