Morecambe Reserves 2-2 United Reserves

The Blues lined up at kick-off against last season's title winners fielding pretty much their strongest starting eleven possible, the only slightly unfamiliar name in there being Ronnie Wallwork, the former 90's loanee from Manchester United continuing his trial spell in Cumbria. The inclusion of Wallwork meaning that Carlisle started the game as follows :


Michael Bridges - Gary Madine

Jeff Smith - Grant Smith - Ronnie Wallwork - Scott Dobie

Matt Duffy - Richard Keogh - Josh Gowling - Luke Joyce

Chris Howarth


The home side started brightly, with loan signing Dan Smith from Plymouth setting up Matty Poole for a 12-yard toe-poke wide as early as the 12th minute. United skipper Michael Bridges then responding sixty seconds later with a right-footed drive from 22 yards out that flew straight into the arms of Morecambe goalkeeper Scott Davies. Smith, for the Shrimps, then firing over from distance with his left foot after eight minutes.

A quiet spell in the game then followed before Wallwork's pass to Bridges in the 23rd minute saw the Carlisle frontman curl a right-footed 22-yarder inches wide of the Morecambe near-post from the right-hand edge of the box. The same period of the match seeing Scott Dobie and Gary Madine temporarily switch playing positions as United looked to mix things up.

Poole then saw his weak shot from 15 yards out easily saved by Chris Howarth at his near-post before after 26 minutes Wallwork and Dobie produced some nice play to feed the ball into Madine. The young striker only able hit a soft right-footer from 20 yards out straight at Davies though.



Morecambe then took the lead moments later after Luke Joyce brought down Michael Twiss 22 yards out on the left-edge of the Carlisle penalty area. Henry McStay stepping up to curl the free-kick right-footed over the top of the United defensive wall and into the top corner of Howarth's net.

Bang on the half-hour mark Wallwork sent a 20-yard cross-shot in from the right which flashed wide of the Morecambe far-post, then two minutes later Craig Stanley fired a shot from 25 yards out over the top of Howarth's crossbar. In the 34th minute a diagonal ball over the top of Joyce from Poole allowed Smith to easily get free 18 yards out, his finish didn't match the pass though as his left-footed shot was sliced across goal and horribly wide.

In a busy period of the match Wallwork and Dobie again combined, this time it was Grant Smith wasting the opportunity though as he sliced a 20-yard left-footer wide of the Morecambe near-post. The 36th minute seeing Wallwork's ball over the top laid back by Madine to Bridges, his shot from 15 yards out being well blocked at the heart of the Shrimps defence by youngster Matty Bell.

The ball bounced straight back to Bridges but this time Davies was on-hand to make an excellent save low down at his far-post as he parried another drive from Bridges wide, the resultant Jeff Smith corner for United coming to nothing. That was the last of the action for Bridges though, when, after earlier having had treatment for a hamstring problem, he was replaced upfront as a precautionary measure by Andy Cook after 42 minutes.

The final minute of the first-half saw Poole booked by Preston referee Lee Metcalfe for a bad tackle from behind on Richard Keogh 25 yards out from the Morecambe goal in a central position. Grant Smith taking the United set-piece with his left foot only to send it weakly into the arms of Davies.

Richard Keogh

Straight away in the second-half, with no personnel changes for either side during the interval, Madine was fouled by McStay down in the near corner of the pitch. Jeff Smith's ball in across goal seeing Keogh arrive at the back-post just too late to control a six-yard shot which he sent well wide.

Morecambe then missing a great chance to go 2-0 up in the 48th minute after a combination of Matt Duffy and Josh Gowling brought down Aaron Taylor in the Carlisle penalty area. McStay stepping up to take the spot-kick only to hit it wide of the United far-post with the inside of his right boot.

Two minutes later and Joyce, who got a rotten deal from the referee all night, was bizarrely booked after he and Smith simply ran into each other on the left-wing. In the 58th minute Wallwork sent a ball through for Madine on the left-edge of the Shrimps box, Madine curling his right-footed shot across goal only to see it zip inches wide of the Morecambe right-hand post.

Sixty seconds later and one central midfielder replaced another for Carlisle as Jonny Blake came on for a flustered Joyce at right-back. The picking on of Joyce by the referee was simply the precursor for a five minute spell where he completely lost the plot and decided to book as many people as possible for minor infringements.

Gowling first in the 63rd minute for a foul on Taylor, then Dobie two minutes later for a challenge on Sean Richards. The pièce de résistance was yet to come though until Morecambe's Smith was yellow carded just sixty seconds on for what was no more than a shoulder barge on Dobie.



With common sense now restored Madine fed the ball to Cook on 68 minutes, Cook then showing some excellent footwork to set up Dobie inside the right-hand side of the Morecambe penalty area. Dobie though being foiled as his 12-yard right-footed effort was well saved by Davies who had advanced very quickly from his line.

Grant Smith

Three minutes later and McStay brought down Madine 28 yards out in a central area, Jeff Smith then seeing his left-footed shot straight from the set-piece well tipped over his own crossbar by Davies. The resultant Grant Smith flag-kick was cleared away by Ben Jackson but Wallwork fed the loose ball straight back to Grant Smith, the United man's left-footed cross in being firmly headed home by Keogh from six yards out for a Carlisle equaliser.

Parity in the game didn't last long though as the Shrimps took the lead again on 77 minutes after Blake had fouled Smith, according to the referee and no-one else, in the left-hand bottom corner of the pitch. McStay's right-footed cross in being headed into the back of the Carlisle net from only two yards out by Taylor past a flapping Howarth.

Only moments later though and it was almost 2-2 when Jeff Smith's corner in hit Gowling in the Morecambe six-yard box and was hacked off the line by Poole at the near-post. Just as it was looking like it was never going to be 2-2 with time ticking away Carlisle did score the last goal of the game on 89 minutes.

Another corner in from Jeff Smith being headed goalwards by Dobie six yards out only for Richards to handle the ball on the line, the Morecambe defender receiving a red card for his efforts. Grant Smith, who had taken the captain's armband after Bridges had left the field, stepping up to hammer the penalty left-footed into the back of the net as he sent Davies the wrong way and restored parity for the final time.


Morecambe line-up :

Scott Davies, Ben Jackson, Sean Richards, Matty Bell, Henry McStay, Craig Stanley, Matty Poole, Fraser McLachlan, Aaron Taylor, Michael Twiss, Dan Smith.

Unused substitutes :

Jamie Scott (GK), Andy Barnes, Jamie Preston, Danny Bell and Asa Stone.


United line-up :

Chris Howarth, Luke Joyce (Jonny Blake 59), Matt Duffy, Richard Keogh, Josh Gowling, Grant Smith, Scott Dobie, Ronnie Wallwork, Gary Madine, Michael Bridges (Andy Cook 42), Jeff Smith.

Unused substitutes :

Alex Mitchell (GK), Tom Aldred and Connor Tinnion.

Referee - Lee Metcalfe (Preston).


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