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That therefore left United with just four professionals in their starting eleven, whereas Morecambe were able to field a full side of professionals in their line-up. On a cold but dry and wind free night at Kendal it was the home side Shrimps who got the first shot of the game in on six minutes when Stuart Hendrie's touch and 18-yard shot from a Jimmy Spencer cross was blocked by Potts, the Blues youngster then doing well to get in the way of a follow up effort from Andy Fleming.
Symington then showed some good skill for Carlisle four minutes later when he took in a crossfield ball from Cook over on the right-angle of the box, Symington teeing the ball up with his right foot for a left-footed volley which Laurie Walker took in low down. After 16 minutes Curran air-shotted from close range on an Osmond corner with Swinglehurst looking to profit from the loose ball only to lean back under pressure eight yards out and thump his left-footed effort over the top.
Three minutes later and Curran cut in from the left and easily outpaced the hefty figure of Jim Bentley, Curran, just outside the box then smacking a right-footed shot in on goal only to see Walker make a good low one-handed save at his near-post. Hendrie and Spencer then linked up for the Shrimps moments later, but Hendrie's powerful 20-yard drive went wide of Caig's far-post. Caig in the 21st minute able to make a comfortable save however when a Neil Wainwright cross in from the left pinged off the legs of Potts and luckily straight into the gloves of the United goalkeeping coach.
Two minutes on and Cook got a shot in from distance for Carlisle but it was always rising as it flew over, then after 28 minutes up at the other end Fleming's 22-yard drive flicked off Swinglehurst on its way off target. Bang on the half-hour mark and Morecambe missed a reasonable chance to take the lead when the experienced Tony Capaldi stuck a cross in from the left which Huddersfield-loanee Spencer could only head over the top from ten yards out.
The Cumbrians were having a reasonable spell of possession now kicking down the slope and with 33 minutes on the clock Curran got away down the right-hand channel from a Hurst pass, his right-footed drive from 15 yards out being one that Walker could probably have done better with as he parried it straight out in front of goal. Bentley then doing very well to get in front of Cook to clear the Shrimps six-yard box and stop the Blues striker from tapping the ball into an empty net.
Shortly afterwards and Fleming was penalised for handball on a Towler flick just to the left of the Morecambe 'D', Hurst though only able to curl the free-kick right-footed well over the top of Walker's crossbar. The last chance of the first-half then coming a minute before the interval when Hendrie and Spencer combined once more, Spencer though wasting the opportunity as his right-footed drive from 25 yards out disappeared away way too high above the Carlisle goal.
No changes were made for either side during the break and it was United who quickly got things going when Towler set up Curran for a shot from just outside the box which proved to be a relatively easy stop for Walker. The Shrimps took the lead in the 49th minute though when on the break Fleming slipped the ball into the path of Spencer 15 yards out down the left-hand channel, Spencer from there making no mistake as he put the laces on his right boot straight through the ball as it arrowed like a dart straight into the roof of Caig's net.
The Blues were then looking for a quick equaliser in the 51st minute when Osmond's corner in was met by Cook and Bentley at the near-post, it was seemingly Bentley that got the last touch however as Osmond took another corner from which Towler saw his eight-yard header well cleared off the line by former Kendal-loanee Gavin Clark. Five minutes on and Curran was looking to get himself on the scoresheet again as he cut in from the right but Walker was able to easily hold Curran's 20-yard drive on his weaker left foot.
Osmond then sixty seconds later hitting in a similar shot that was even softer for Walker to gather as the Cumbrians looked to build up some momentum. Just before the hour-mark and the first substitution was made when Joe Culshaw came on for limping Shrimps skipper Niall Cowperthwaite, Culshaw however making it all the way onto the pitch before deciding to take off his undershirt, leading to a somewhat protracted change in personnel as the rest of us stood shivering in the cold.
With 61 minutes gone Wainwright stuck a corner into the Cumbrians back-post which saw Caig trying to catch thin air a little bit in the middle, Spencer then setting the ball back to Fleming 15 yards out, with Fleming taking a quick touch inside onto his left foot before firing a well placed shot low across goal and into the far bottom corner of the Blues net to make it 2-0 to the home side. Carlisle then looking to get back into things two minutes later when a Cook and Curran one-two saw Cook hit a right-footed 22-yard volley well wide of Walker's far-post.
The Shrimps then made their second change of the night after 68 minutes when Josh Draycott came on in place of Fleming in the Morecambe engine room. Caig then shortly afterwards getting himself into a muddle again from a corner put in by former Blue Adam Rundle, who was pretty anonymous throughout, the ball then breaking to Bentley who saw his low right-footed drive from the middle of the box be destined for the net only for Potts to clear it off the line at the near-post.
The home side seemed keen to make their substitutions in short intervals and in the 71st minute the bulky figure of Bentley was replaced by Ryan Winder as the Shrimps then had some rearranging to do in their back four. Straight from that change in personnel and Wainwright hit a right-footed half-volley in on the Carlisle near-post from just outside the box, which Caig was easily able to take low down. Curran then responding for United in the 73rd minute with a 25-yard drive that was always rising away above Walker's crossbar.
It was Curran once more in the 76th minute looking to find a goal for the Cumbrians when he took a Hurst pass up on the left-angle of the penalty area in on his chest before turning and hitting a right-footed shot across goal that disappeared away over the far corner of the home crossbar. United boss Eric Kinder then making his one and only substitution of the night three minutes later with a change upfront as youth team striker Mark Beck came on for Cook.
With 82 minutes on the clock Curran again was trying his luck from outside the box, but the radar was off target once more for the ex-Tranmere man as his 22-yard drive from over on the left flew away wide of the far-post. United did get themselves on the scoresheet sixty seconds later though after Osmond's excellent cross in from the left had seen Curran head down at the back-stick from close range and Walker made a good sprawling save with his left boot to put the ball behind.
Osmond then coming across to the open terracing side of the ground to take the corner from which Towler had an eight-yard header across goal well cleared off the line at the far-post by Winder. The Shrimp only succeeded in looping the ball up in the air though and that meant that Beck was well placed to nod home into a pretty much empty net from close range to give Carlisle a lifeline in the match and for their future involvement in the League Cup.
With three minutes left it was Morecambe who almost made it 3-1 though when Spencer shielded the ball away well from Potts before hitting a left-footed shot on the turn from the middle of the box that Caig did well to parry away from danger. Carlisle did nearly snatch a late leveller a minute into injury time but it wasn't to be when Hurst made a good run in from the right before firing a long range drive in on his weaker left foot that whistled only inches wide of Walker's left-hand upright.
Morecambe line-up :
Laurie Walker, Niall Cowperthwaite (c) (Joe Culshaw 59), Anthony Capaldi, Will Haining, Jim Bentley (Ryan Winder 71), Gavin Clark, Adam Rundle, Andrew Fleming (Josh Draycott 68), Jimmy Spencer, Stuart Hendrie, Neil Wainwright.
Unused substitutes :
Mathew Calvert (GK) and Callum Moore.
United line-up :
Tony Caig, Lance McGlen, Kieran Cahill, Steven Swinglehurst, Brad Potts, Kevan Hurst, David Symington, Phil Towler, Andy Cook (Mark Beck 79), Craig Curran, Matt Osmond.
Unused substitutes :
Jon Ball (GK), Adam Gill, Dan Jones and Paddy O'Brien.
Referee - Jake Collin (Liverpool).
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