It was certainly a much more experienced United line-up too that took to the field at Borough Park this afternoon compared to the mixture of youngsters and trialists that had gone down heavily at Kendal. Carlisle boss Greg Abbott choosing to field a different eleven in each half, the side that started the game being :
Joe Anyinsah - Gary Madine
Conor Tinnion - Michael Burns - Paul Thirlwell - Cleveland Taylor
Evan Horwood - Ian Harte - Josh Gowling - Tony Kane
Adam Collin
And that eleven couldn't have started the game better either as the Blues took the lead in the second minute. Ian Harte's free-kick in from the left finding Gary Madine all alone at the back-post, Madine then volleying back across goal from there for forgotten man Josh Gowling to scuff the ball into the net with the bottom of his studs from three yards out.
Carlisle goalkeeping coach Tony Caig the Reds stopper having an early clean sheet spoiled, while in the United goalmouth was Adam Collin, signed from Workington in the summer. Caig forced into making his first save of the day in the 11th minute as, somewhat unorthodoxly, he hacked the ball away with his feet as a Harte 25-yard free-kick arrowed low towards the bottom corner.
The home side should really have equalised three minutes later but Michael Reed could only head into the side netting from a tight angle following a Gari Rowntree cross in. Reds then had two chances to pull level in the 19th minute only for Collin, after some slack United defending, made an excellent double save from first Reed then Callum Ruttledge.
Workington had come back into the game well now and neither side really made much of the possession they had for a while, both defences finally getting themselves organised properly. Conor Tinnion, Gary Madine and Cleveland Taylor all impressing for the Blues though, Tinnion with a few mazy runs, Madine with some excellent dropping off and hold-up play, while Taylor put in a real hardworking shift on the right wing.
Tinnion and Madine both combining after 34 minutes to set up skipper Paul Thirlwell for a 25-yard strike that fairly crashed away off the top of the Reds crossbar. Collin though once more called into action for Carlisle five minutes later when he made a good stop from Tony Hopper's 15-yard strike. That being the last real action of the half as the Blues players for the second period trooped around the pitch to the changing rooms, that eleven being :
Scott Dobie - Gary Madine
Matty Robson - Liam Davison - Marc Bridge-Wilkinson - Gavin Rothery
Michael Burns - Peter Murphy - Richard Keogh - David Raven
Mark Gillespie
So Michael Burns was the one Carlisle player who had drawn the short straw as he started the second half as well, this time at left-back, although Madine also came out, that despite the plan to replace him at the break with trialist Jan Klukowski. Madine getting a little longer from boss Greg Abbott after impressing in the first-half.
Reds making three changes themselves as Aaron Taylor, Andy Langford and trialist Mario Campagna all came on for Caig, trialist right-back Darren Casson and Rowntree respectively. All those switches in personnel during the interval making it a rather quiet period of the game for the 719 spectators in attendance.
The first action of any note being two more Blues substitutions on the 58 mintue mark as 16-year old Steven Swinglehurst came on for Burns and Madine was finally replaced by Klukowski. Reds then making their own change two minutes after the hour-mark as Dan Shannon came on in place of Ruttledge.
Klukowski and Gavin Rothery both saw half-chances come and go moments later before Hopper was replaced by Adam Main for the home side midway through the half. United then the ones keeping the fourth official busy as Davison, who had turned his ankle five minutes earlier, left the field as Jonny Blake came on in the United engine room.
You couldn't have asked for much duller pre-season fare in the second-half to be honest as we were now in the 75th minute and neither goalkeeper had had a serious save to make. The game though bursting into life with two goals in sixty seconds around the 80 minute mark.
Carlisle first making it 2-0 when Rothery's cross in from the right on the break broke to the right boot of Klukowski ten yards from the Workington goal. The 21-year old attacker sliding the ball low back across Taylor and into the Reds net from 12 yards out.
That two-goal cushion being shortlived though as Workington went straight up the other end and pulled the score back to 2-1. Henney knocking the ball into an empty net from the edge of the United penalty area after Swinglehurst, second-half skipper Peter Murphy, and more importantly second-year YTS goalkeeper Mark Gillespie had all got themselves in a real muddle as they ended up a pile on the floor going for the same ball.
The two sides swapping chances to further trouble the scorers in the 81st and 85th minutes. Phil McLuckie first heading well over the top for Reds from a good position before unimpressive Carlisle summer signing Matty Robson could only shoot wide of the near-post from an even better position just 12 yards out.
The final word in the game though going to Klukowski as the big trialist got on the end of a cross in from the right by Blake following good approach play by Rothery. The diving Klukowski studding a low finish home into the bottom corner from close range with his right boot to leave the final scoreline as 3-1 to United.
Workington line-up :
Tony Caig (Aaron Taylor 46), Darren Casson (Andy Langford 46), Gari Rowntree (Mario Campagna 46), Kyle May, Lee Andrews, Phil McLuckie, Matt Henney, Tony Hopper (Adam Main 67), Michael Reed, Callum Ruttledge (Dan Shannon 62), Anthony Wright.
Unused substitute :
Greg Mitchell.
United first-half line-up :
Adam Collin, Tony Kane, Evan Horwood, Josh Gowling, Ian Harte, Paul Thirlwell (c), Cleveland Taylor, Michael Burns, Gary Madine, Joe Anyinsah, Conor Tinnion.
United second-half line-up :
Mark Gillespie, David Raven, Michael Burns (Steven Swinglehurst 58), Richard Keogh, Peter Murphy (c), Liam Davison (Jonny Blake 69), Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, Gavin Rothery, Scott Dobie, Gary Madine (Jan Klukowski 58), Matty Robson.
Unused substitutes :
Tom Aldred, Andy Cook and Simon Lakeland.
Referee - Lee Metcalfe (Preston).
Attendance - 719.
Pre-Season Results 2009-10 : Click here