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It was another ex-United man in Mark Boyd who ran the show in midfield for the home side in the opening period though as the Sandgrounders powered into a 3-0 lead. Carlisle did have the first opening however when Glenn Murray and Simon Hackney combined to set up Luke Joyce in the first minute, 'Port keeper Steve Dickinson making a good save from Joyce's 18-yard effort on goal.
The home side thought they had taken the lead sixty seconds later when Boyd unleashed a goalbound 30-yarder which Anthony Williams fumbled away from goal. New signing from Burscough, Tony Gray, was on-hand to slot home the rebound but fortunately for United the offside flag was raised by the assistant referee on the far side. Carlisle came back five minutes later when a great run by Hackney set up Murray, only for Dickinson to whip the ball off the toes of the Maryport-born striker just he was about to shoot.
Southport did take the lead after 16 minutes, trialist ex-Wrexham striker Alex Smith being upended by Blues left-back Simon Grand in the penalty area, Boyd coolly smashing home the spot-kick into the top corner of the United net. The Cumbrians almost pulled level on 21 minutes after Grand nodded back across goal from a Hackney corner in, Derek Holmes getting a header in which looked in all the way, only for Dickinson to expertly tip the ball over his own bar with his fingertips.
That missed opportunity became a bigger issue six minutes later when Southport doubled their lead, Paul Arnison defending heriocally as the Sandgrounders had a run of three corners in succession. The final Boyd flag-kick was the killer though as centre-half Michael Powell rose unchallenged eight yards out to head firmly home into the back of the Carlisle net. Only two minutes later it was 3-0 to the home side as the Blues argued between themselves, a deep Mark Jackson free-kick flying over the top of a sleeping United back-line for Gray to volley the ball powerfully past Williams from close-range.
It was simply a matter of waking up and trying to close the floodgates until half-time for a lethargic Cumbrians second-string now, although they did have the better of things from now until the interval. On 35 minutes Chris Billy found Murray on the edge of the Southport box, with Murray's rasper on the turn flying only inches past Dickinson's far-post. The Blues really should have pulled a goal back three minutes later when Raphael Nade missed a great opportunity, the Ivorian-born striker picking up on a moment of madness from Southport as Dickinson tried to dribble the ball outside his own box. Sadly for United though, after rounding Dickinson, Nade shot wide from a tight angle, when he seemingly had more time to run in and find an easier shot.
Holmes was the next man up to the plate for the Blues in the 42nd minute but he could only send his header over Dickinson's goal after an excellent cross in from the left by Grand. Another ex-Burscough man in Liam Blakeman making the last chance of the half for the home side just as the 45th minute ticked down, luckily for United though, his 18-yard shot on goal, after a nippy turn, flew well over for a Carlisle goal-kick.
Southport made quite a few changes during half-time as the Haig Avenue coaching staff decided to take a look at a few more trialists and some of the younger players at the club. They were still well at it two minutes in though when Blakeman's 20-yard shot forced Williams into a good low save as the Carlisle glovesman turned the ball round his post for a corner. United had clearly got a kick up the backside in the half-time team-talk however and from that moment on they bossed the game right through to the final whistle.
In the 51st mintue they should have pulled a goal back again really, after some good work by Luke Joyce in central midfield saw the ex-Wigan youngster play in Murray. The United striker drove on to the edge of the Southport box and fired in a fierce drive which Dickinson parried out, with Hackney then inexplicably curling the ball past a couple of Sandgrounders defenders and wide of an empty net to groans of desperation from the travelling Blue Army.
Carlisle finally did make it 3-1 bang on the hour-mark when Murray saw his shot pushed round for a corner by the impressive one-time Guiseley man Dickinson. Hackney swinging the flag-kick in and Murray again finding himself in thick of the action as he powered a close-range header past the Southport keeper and into the net. That was the last touch of the game for Murray though as he was replaced by trialist, son of ex-Liverpool great Terry, McDermott two minutes later.
It was a real purple patch in the match now for the Blues and they pulled the deficit back to just one goal with virtually their next attack forward. Hackney getting away well down the left and putting in one of his perfect crosses for Holmes, running in, to send a bullet header past the helpless Dickinson. Just two minutes later they blew a golden chance to bring matters level as Southport seemed to be falling to pieces, Kirkup getting on the end of a Joyce ball in and winning a penalty as he was almost rugby tackled to the ground.
Grand, undaunted by his chipped miss in Ibiza against Scunthorpe, stepped up to take the spot-kick but the, normally reliable penalty taker, made it two blanks in a row as he sliced the ball high and wide of the Southport goal by a good two yards. The Blues didn't let that wasted opportunity dampen their spirits though and Holmes went close shortly afterwards as Dickinson did well to get down quickly and clutch the big Scot's low drive on in goal.
After 68 minutes 'Port substitute Joe Fowler had a one-on-one chance with Williams but United's keeper was able to block his shot out away from danger. Carlisle's second trialist, in Rob Edwards, came on for Kirkup seconds later, then McDermott almost created an equaliser, his free-kick in finding the head of Livesey, but his flicked effort turned out to be too heavy as it flew wide of the Sandgrounders net. The Cumbrians made their third and final change of the evening in the 74th minute when Pete Ferris came on in place of Joyce.
Legs on both sides began to tire a little now on a very warm night, although Fowler went close for Southport with ten minutes left as he was inches wide with a 22-yard curler. Arnison responded for United four minutes later but his drive in, from a useful looking position 20 yards out, was always rising and flew well over Dickinson's bar. United had the last effort of the game as they looked for a late equaliser in vain, Grand's header from a Hackney corner looking in all the way only for it flash, literally, inches wide of the Southport far-post. The final whistle soon went on a more than useful runout for the second-string Blues players, although the Carlisle coaching staff will certainly not have been pleased with the extremely poor performance in the opening period from people who are supposed to trying to force their way into the first team reckoning.
Southport line-up :
Steve Dickinson, Chris Lane, Steve Rowlands, Michael Powell, Kevin Houlihan, Mark Boyd, Carl Baker, Liam Blakeman, Tony Gray, Mark Jackson, Alex Smith.
Various substitutes used :
Francis Berry, Robbie Booth, Joe Fowler, Kevin Lee, Scott Stamps, Jordan Holmes and Paul Martin.
United line-up :
Anthony Williams, Paul Arnison, Danny Livesey, Dan Kirkup (Rob Edwards 68), Simon Grand, Raphael Nade, Chris Billy, Luke Joyce (Pete Ferris 74), Simon Hackney, Derek Holmes, Glenn Murray (Neale McDermott 62).
Unused substitutes :
Keiren Westwood and Kevin Gall.