After playing, and losing to, Premier League Hull City at Brunton Park on Tuesday night, it was down to Championship action for United today as they faced Middlesbrough at home. In all honesty though it was the recently relegated 'Boro that looked by far the better of the two visiting sides, as well as the far more interested, a factor that should never be underestimated.
Perhaps that was down to them bringing a weaker squad than expected due to injury, big guns Sanli Tuncay (back), Afonso Alves (achilles), Jeremie Aliadiere (ankle) and Dider Digard, Marvin Emnes and Jonathan Grounds (all hip flexor) all missing the game, while Mido, after reporting late for pre-season, was left at the Riverside Stadium to work on his fitness.
The visitors started in much brighter fashion than Hull had done and they went ahead with pretty much the first attack of the game on four minutes. United's Tom Taiwo not only giving away possession but also upending Mark Yeates before the 'Boro man entered the penalty area, Adam Johnson stepping up to bend the free-kick left-footed around the Blues wall and into the blind corner of Lenny Pidgeley's net, not the side you want to be beaten on.
Pidgeley keeping goal for the Cumbrians behind a back four from left to right of Ian Harte, Peter Murphy, Richard Keogh and David Raven. Carlisle, like Tuesday, starting in a 4-4-2 formation with Scott Dobie and Joe Anyinsah upfront, backed up by Matty Robson, Paul Thirlwell, Tom Taiwo and Cleveland Taylor across the middle from left to right, player/coach Graham Kavanagh again missing out due to a shoulder problem.
Like nearly all of United's crosses in the first-half, one from Taylor shortly afterwards was easily held by Brad Jones. Julio Arca for the visitors, after a barnstorming tackle by Harte on Gary O'Neil, then firing wide of the Carlisle goal from long range on ten minutes. The Blues then having a half-chance after 17 minutes when Keogh missed his half-volley 15 yards out following a Dobie knock-down on a Harte free-kick in.
A slightly surreal moment then came in the 25th minute when Matthew Bates limped off for the 'Boro with a knee problem. The midfielder disappearing off the pitch and down the tunnel much to the bemusement of an unknowing Gareth Southgate, who was left staring down the tunnel wondering where Bates had got to.
Sixty seconds later and the visitors went close when David Wheater, up for an O'Neil free-kick into the Carlisle box, saw his looping 15-yard header well tipped over the top by Pidgeley. The two sides then swapping fruitless penalty appeals on 30 and 37 minutes respectively, Dobie first going down in a challenge with Robert Huth before Adam Johnson was looking for a spot-kick after going to the floor past Keogh.
Dobie then having his best moment of the match in the 40th minute when he cleverly dummied a pass up to him from Murphy. That move seeing him easily go past Huth as he then chased the ball down, Jones though getting there first as Dobie pulled out of any potential challenge a little bit too easily. Harte then for the Blues blocking a Jonathan Franks shot three minutes later in the last action of the half.
Unlike United Middlesbrough remained unchanged at half-time, Carlisle bringing on Tony Kane for Raven, Evan Horwood for Harte, Danny Livesey for Keogh and Gavin Rothery for Taylor in straight swaps.Two minutes in and the visitors missed the first opportunity when O'Neil, 12 yards out, headed over from a deep cross put in by the influential Argentinian Arca.
Taiwo then, from an Anyinsah lay-off, had a 20-yarder blocked by Wheater on 48 minutes, before Franks put together some approach play for Yeates, who on the edge of the 'D' curled a left-footer goalwards which brought an excellent one-handed save out of Pidgeley. The resultant corner seeing Kane pressed into action as he was forced to clear away off the line Wheater's powerful header.
A change in combination then came for the Cumbrians with 56 minutes on the clock when Gary Madine replaced an ineffective Anyinsah and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson came on for an equally ineffective Dobie. That double swap seeing Madine go on his own upfront with Bridge-Wilkinson pushing up behind him in a 4-4-1-1 formation, Madine, like Tuesday, doing more on his own than the other strikers two had done together.
The visitors then keeping the fourth official busy as they made a triple change bang on the hour-mark, that being Danny Coyne for Jones in goal, Justin Hoyte for Wheater and Seb Hines for Arca. Pidgeley then left watching as a Huth header was again hacked off the line by Kane, before he did make good saves on a long-range effort by O'Neil and a much closer shot from Franks.
A raft of substitutions then followed before the next chance to score did bring a goal on 75 minutes. Adam Collin replacing Pidgeley in the United goal, Michael Burns coming on for Thirlwell and then young Conor Tinnion replacing Robson on the left, Middlesbrough meanwhile bringing on Rhys Williams and Nathan Porritt for Andrew Taylor and Yeates respectively.
The strike that made it 2-0 to Middlesbrough involving two of the new boys, Williams having it all too easy as he skipped in 20 yards from the right completely unchallenged before firing a well-placed drive across Collin and into the far corner of the Cumbrians net from 15 yards out. A good goal from Williams but a desperately poor one from a Carlisle perspective.
A couple of minutes later and United had about their one and only real chance of the afternoon, an under pressure Madine though sending a ten-yard diving header wide of the 'Boro near-post following a good cross in from Kane. Livesey then seeing his header, 12 yards out, from a Bridge-Wilkinson corner going well over on 79 minutes before Gary Martin became the last substitute of the afternoon as he replaced the impressive Adam Johnson four minutes later.
Tinnion then did well on the left five minutes before time to get past Williams and put in a cross that Rothery laid off to Bridge-Wilkinson 18 yards out, the United midfielder though seeing his shot from there spin away off the body of Hoyte. The last word in the match going to O'Neil three minutes later as his dipping right-footer from 25 yards out dropped just onto the roof of the Carlisle net over a seemingly beaten Collin.
United line-up :
Lenny Pidgeley (Adam Collin 74), David Raven (Tony Kane 46), Ian Harte (Evan Horwood 46), Richard Keogh (Danny Livesey 46), Peter Murphy, Paul Thirlwell (Michael Burns 72), Tom Taiwo, Cleveland Taylor (Gavin Rothery 46), Joe Anyinsah (Gary Madine 56), Scott Dobie (Marc Bridge-Wilkinson 56), Matty Robson (Conor Tinnion 74).
No unused substitutes.
Middlesbrough line-up :
Brad Jones (Danny Coyne 60), Tony McMahon, Robert Huth, David Wheater (Justin Hoyte 60), Andrew Taylor (Rhys Williams 72), Gary O'Neil, Julio Arca (Seb Hines 60), Matthew Bates (Josh Walker 25), Adam Johnson (Gary Martin 83), Mark Yeates (Nathan Porritt 72), Jonathan Franks.
Unused substitutes :
John Johnson and Richard Smallwood.
Referee - Clive Oliver (Ashington).
Attendance - 2,420 (370 away fans).
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