After spending the week at a training camp in Leicesteshire the Cumbrians returned north this evening to play their fourth friendly to date, this one coming against Blue Square Premier outfit Darlington. A few tight muscles came back on the minibus so with Kevan Hurst, Matty Robson and Frankie Simek all sidelined, along with long-termers Danny Livesey and Richard Offiong, it meant that Carlisle started the game in a diamond formation as follows :
Francoise Zoko
James Berrett - Tom Taiwo
Paul Thirlwell
Sean McDaid - Ian Harte - Kevin Long - Tony Kane
Adam Collin
Two minutes in and it was United with the first attack when Kane was fouled by Josh Gray 35 yards out on the right wing, Harte's free-kick in from there though being easily taken on the bounce by Quakers goalkeeper Sam Russell. It was Harte again with a set-piece two minutes later following a foul just outside his own 'D' by Michael Brough on Madine, Harte then stepping up to curl a shot over the defensive wall but also over the top of the crossbar.
With eight minutes on the clock the home side looked to be denied a good shout for a penalty when a Brough shot from 22 yards out struck McDaid on an outstretched hand, Middlesbrough referee Ross Joyce awarding only a corner though as the ball flew out behind. Michael Smith then heading Dominik Werling's delivery wide of the far-post from the middle of the Blues box.
Shortly afterwards, and from a Zoko pass, Berrett had a 15-yard shot blocked by Ian Miller, then moments later Zoko looked to do things himself only to see his effort from 22 yards out well charged down by Werling. The Quakers continuing to be hard worked in defence in the 15th minute when a Collin goal-kick was flicked on by Madine for Curran, his 18-yard shot though cannoning back away off the legs of Brough.
Carlisle's pressure did tell sixty seconds later however when they took the lead from a penalty. The spot-kick awarded after Zoko had been brought down by former Blue Paul Arnison as Zoko broke into the Quakers area. Harte then unsurprisingly taking the penalty as he dispatched it low into the net off the inside of Russell's left-hand post.
After 17 minutes Burnley centre-half trialist Long and Harte got in a bit of a pickle as they tried to defend a Smith flick-on for Liam Hatch. The Darlington man seeing his 15-yard toe-poke parried by Collin, who then tried to pick the ball up only to fumble it back near Hatch, the striker was still laying on the floor though and he couldn't control his swing at a shot and it flew well over the top of the United goal.
Five minutes later and Thirlwell could have seen red in a normal league fixture for a bad late lunge on Hatch, then in the 28th minute Hatch was back in the action when, from fully 28 yards out, he half-volleyed a loose dropping ball straight into the arms of Collin. Carlisle then responding just after the half-hour mark when Taiwo, just inside the home box, shot from a tight angle into Russell's side-netting at his near post.
The Blues were again pressing shortly afterwards when Kane, who impressed pushing forward down the right from his full-back berth, put in one of many excellent crosses on the night which Madine, leaning and stretching backwards to a hefty degree, was only able to head wide of the far-post from eight yards out.
With 35 minutes on the clock Smith fouled McDaid 28 yards out to the left of the 'D', Harte then sticking the free-kick in only to see it easily cleared by Jamie Chandler. Kane then hammering possession back into the box from distance with the ball flicking off Berrett on its way out behind. Carlisle then putting a good move together between Madine, Curran and Zoko four minutes later with Zoko only hitting a right-footed 20-yard drive miles wide of the far-post though.
Berrett then pounced on a loose ball in the 40th minute to fire a half-volley straight at Russell from 25 yards out, and two minutes later Berrett was involved once more as his corner was headed straight up in the air by Long in the middle of the Darlington box, Russell then making a good take on the ball in traffic as it looped back down.
Two minutes before the break and McDaid fouled Hatch 25 yards out in a central position, Werling, who was rather too keen to shoot from anywhere all night, smacking the free-kick straight into the Blues defensive wall. The last chance of the opening period coming the way of United however when in the 44th minute Taiwo pulled a 22-yard right-footed effort wide of Russell's near-post.
As always with pre-season friendlies, plenty of changes came during the interval as Arnison, Chandler, Hatch, Smith and Gray were respectively replaced by Jamie Clarke, Andy Stephenson, Tommy Wright, Curtis Main and Chris Moore for the home side. Carlisle meanwhile taking off Harte, Madine and Berrett and bringing on Peter Murphy, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson and Jason Price, the Blues, still in a diamond, therefore lining up as follows :
Chris Curran - Jason Price
Francoise Zoko
Marc Bridge-Wilkinson - Tom Taiwo
Paul Thirlwell
Sean McDaid - Peter Murphy - Kevin Long - Tony Kane
Adam Collin
Price was quickly involved too as he laid possession off to McDaid for a left-footed 18-yard angled strike in the 47th minute that was relatively easiyly gathered in by Russell. McDaid's opposite number, in the diminutive German Werling, then going daft from easily 30 yards out with shots straight at Collin after 50 and then 59 minutes as a poor looking and youthful Quakers side struggled to create anything going forward.
The game was going through a really quiet and bitty spell now as the changes in personnel took time to settle down. Zoko taking a slight knock just before the hour-mark and then striking a right-footed drive into the arms of Russell before being replaced by Ryan Bowman after 61 minutes. Zoko's last appearance in a Blue shirt? Who knows?
A substitution then came for the Quakers at the midway point in the half when Joe Cornforth came on for Brough. With 20 minutes to go in the match Main's 15-yard cross-shot from the right flew straight across the middle of the United six-yard box but out for a goal-kick. Graham Kavanagh then coming on for Thirlwell during the break in play as the Cumbrians captain's armband was thrown to Murphy.
Things sprang back into life on 72 minutes though with a peach of a goal from Bowman to make it 2-0 to Carlisle. Bowman first controlling a Kavanagh pass to him down the left-hand channel, before turning inside quickly and unleashing an unstoppable 22-yard right-footed curler across the body of Russell and into the far top corner of the Darlington net.
Sixty seconds later and McDaid fed in Curran for a right-footed shot on the turn from just inside the Quakers box which was taken just underneath his own crossbar by Russell. Curran then being pulled back 30 yards out by Miller five minutes later, Kavanagh though sending the resultant free-kick straight ino the gloves of a grateful Russell.
Curran again seeing plenty of the ball when in the 79th minute he could only blaze a right-footed shot over the top from 22 yards out. Kane was back attacking down the right two minutes later and his ball across the box made its way out to McDaid pushing up the other side, McDaid then striking a left-footed 18-yard half-volley in which was well taken a busy Russell.
Kane then sticking another cross in from the right after 82 minutes which Curran, in a good position eight yards out, headed straight into the arms of Russell. The two sides then making a substitution apiece sixty seconds later when Dan Burn came on for Miller for the Quakers and Andy Cook replaced Curran upfront for United.
With five minutes left to go in a game that was fading away rapidly with Carlisle completely on top, Price tried to put a ball into the box which deflected into the path of Bridge-Wilkinson, whose close range shot was well blocked by Burn. Bridge-Wilkinson then turning provider as United made it 3-0 a minute into injury time. His chipped ball in from the left-hand by-line seeing Cook nip into the near-post area and head down and into the net off the right hand of Russell from six yards out.
Stoppage time seeming to go on for a remarkable length before Ross Joyce at last blew the final whistle on what became a walk in the park for Carlisle at times against a Darlington side who on tonight's evidence will struggle to get anywhere near the top five spots in the Blue Square Premier. As for United, it's Falkirk away up next on Wednesday night, then Middlesbrough away on Thursday and Hibs at home on Sunday before the season proper starts two weeks tomorrow.
Darlington line-up:
Sam Russell, Paul Arnison (Jamie Clarke 46), Dominik Werling, Jamie Chandler (Andy Stephenson 46), Michael Brough (Joe Cornforth 67), Ian Miller (Dan Burn 83), Liam Hatch (Tommy Wright 46), Danny Hone, Michael Smith (Curtis Main 46), Josh Gray (Chris Moore 46), John McReady.
Unused substitute :
Nick Thompson (GK).
United line-up :
Adam Collin, Tony Kane, Sean McDaid, Kevin Long, Ian Harte (Peter Murphy 46), Paul Thirlwell (Graham Kavanagh 70), James Berrett (Marc Bridge-Wilkinson 46), Tom Taiwo, Francoise Zoko (Ryan Bowman 61), Gary Madine (Jason Price 46), Chris Curran (Andy Cook 83).
Unused substitutes :
Tony Caig (GK) and Mark Gillespie (GK).
Referee - Ross Joyce (Middlesbrough).
Pre-Season Results 2010-11 : Click here