Tranmere Deny United At The Last

Paul Simpson - played 76 minutes

It was a well contested 90 minutes with the action pretty even between both sides but it was the visitors who will go away the happier after their injury time equaliser earned them a point and cost United two.

The Blues came out of the traps quickly and went close in only the second minute. Paul Simpson and Jamie McClen worked a short corner well which Simpson sent in to the back-post. Youth team striker Andy Hardman touched the ball back to Simon Grand but United’s centre-half sent his header just wide.

On 10 minutes Paul Brown sent a cross into the Carlisle box which was part cleared by McClen to Steven Davies 25 yards out from the Cumbrians goal. Davies tried a first-time effort but the young Tranmere midfielder dragged his effort well wide.

A minute later and the first substitution of the game took place as the East Stand linesman limped across the pitch to be replaced by the fourth official. The new linesman got off to a particularly unauspicious start as within five seconds he gave a throw-in the wrong way until the referee corrected him and he swapped hands with the flag. That correct decision by the official was as good as got though as he refereed the match very poorly throughout.

United almost had an opening on 12 minutes as Adam Murray crossed in for Glenn Murray, the Maryport born striker’s header was too strong though as he tried to head the ball into the path of Brendan McGill and the chance was gone.

It had been a pacy opening to the game from both teams and only sixty seconds later the away side took the lead with a hotly contested goal from a Carlisle perspective. Tranmere’s Gary Lovell got to the by-line and hooked the ball back into the middle with the United defence claiming that the ball had gone out of play. The referee waved play on though and the ball broke across to Chris Dagnall on the right edge of the Blues box. The young striker picked his spot well and hit a powerful left-foot drive across Anthony Williams in the United goal to put Rovers 1-0 up.

Two minutes on and Glenn Murray had a good half-chance for the Cumbrians. Matty Bell hurled a throw in from the left which was well flicked on by Hardman into the path of the onrushing United targetman but Murray could only blaze his half-volley from 15 yards into the side-netting of Tranmere keeper Steve Wilson’s goal.

After 17 minutes the ball broke across to Rovers’ Lee Fowler on the edge of the Carlisle box but he snatched at his effort and dragged it well wide of goal.



Eight minutes later Adam Murray wasted United’s best opportunity of the game so far. Simpson played the ball through to the ex-Derby man as he broke into the box but his left-foot shot was weak and straight at Wilson who gathered at the second attempt.

In the 26^th minute it was Tranmere’s turn to get a shot in as the game went end-to-end and away from a midfield battle momentarily. Davies played a good ball in from the right-edge of box which Dagnall could only slice horribly wide from just 12 yards out with his left-foot.

Bang on the half-hour mark and United found the equaliser they had been looking for with a rather soft penalty award from referee Mr Foster. Bell hit a ball into the Tranmere box which Glenn Murray and Rovers left-back Carl Tremarco battled for. They seemed to be pulling each other shirts to the same degree but it was Glenn Murray who went to the floor first to earn the spot-kick as neither side appealed for an infringement either way.

Simon Grand stepped up to take the penalty for the Blues and he put it away well as he smashed it low into Wilson’s bottom left corner. Wilson had dived the right way but he stood little chance of saving it with the pace it went in at.

On 36 minutes McClen made a great block for United as he put his body on the line to get in the way of a Fowler powerdriver from 20 yards out, the ball flying away and out for a Rovers throw.

Two minutes later and Carlisle put together their nicest move of the game with some crisp one-touch football. McGill, McClen and Adam Murray were all involved as the ball was eventually fed through to Glenn Murray but the big striker could only pull his effort from the right channel across Wilson’s six-yard box and out for a goal-kick.

Four minutes before half-time Hardman got up well to get on the end of a David Beherall cross but his looping header went straight at Wilson as United started to up the pressure as they looked for a second before the break.

Play was again held up by the officials in the 42^nd minute as the replacement linesman was unable to last the three minutes to the interval without a perfectly functioning flag.

Bang on half-time McGill was booked for dissent after Grand had brought down Dagnall just outside the centre-circle. It was about the 20^th free-kick of the half as most seemed to go against United with Carlisle player-manager Simpson often throwing his hands up in despair as the official blew his whistle for inoccuous fouls continually throughout the opening period.



One-time Carlisle loan target, Calvin Zola, was replaced at the break by young Tranmere striker Adam Dickinson. Zola looked particularly disinterested throughout the first-half and it was no great surprise to see him replaced at the interval.

It was Rovers who conjured up the first chance of the second period though as Fowler went close. Brown played the ball across to Fowler on the edge of the United area but he could only drag his left-footed shot well wide of Williams’ far-post.

On 51 minutes Beherall played a nice ball into the Tranmere box where Glenn Murray was lurking with his back to goal. Murray took the ball well on his chest and hit his shot on the turn but unfortunately for the United striker his shot from 12 yards went straight down the throat of Wilson at his near-post.

With an hour on the clock Brown tried his luck from range for the visitors as he picked the ball up in the centre-circle and ran at the retreating Blues back-line. He took the ball on to the edge of the Carlisle box but his right-foot effort was straight at Williams.

Funnily enough neither keeper seemed to have a hard save make all afternoon as nearly all the efforts on the goal from both sides seemed to be directed straight at them.

Midway through the second half and some excellent Rovers defending denied United the chance to go 2-1 ahead. Williams hit a long clearance from the Carlisle goal which was missed by Tranmere centre-half Michael Johnston. Glenn Murray ran onto the loose ball but as he entered the visitors’ penalty area he was stopped by a superb last-ditch tackle from Lovell who cleared the ball away from danger.

On 70 minutes Simpson tried his luck from 20 yards out with a left-footed curler from a Glenn Murray lay-off but the United manager’s effort flew well over and into the empty Warwick Road End.

A minute later and Paul Gardiner came on for Hardman as the Cumbrians looked to bring some fresh legs into the game. It meant Glenn Murray playing as a lone striker with Simpson, and later James Earl, and Brendan McGill supporting him on the flanks.

With fifteen minutes left Dagnall played the ball into Rovers midfielder Michael Jones but once more his rising 22 yard drive was straight at Williams in the United goal.

Just sixty seconds on Adam Murray made space on the right and put a cross in for Blues substitute Gardiner, the third-year YTS midfielder hit his shot too early though and only succeeded in toe-poking it out over the by-line.

Immediately young midfielder Earl came on for Simpson as Carlisle looked to really have a go at the visitors in the closing fifteen minutes. McGill swapped over to the left and Earl took his berth on the right-side of midfield. Earl usually plays in central-midfield for the youth team but his short cameo in this game saw him have a very impressive spell out on the right wing.

On 77 minutes Fowler got in a good strike from 20 yards out after Brown had made a good run down the right for the visitors but Williams held on at the second attempt as Dagnall rushed in for any potential rebound.

United came on very strongly from then on as they took the game to Tranmere in their quest to cement their position at the top of the Pontin’s Holiday League Division One West table.

With six minutes left in the contest Carlisle’s McClen did well on the left edge of the Rovers box as he beat two defenders and cut the ball back for McGill. The diminutive winger’s effort was blocked though, as was a follow up from Adam Murray as it was all hands to the pumps for Tranmere.

United didn’t have to wait to long to find what looked like a late winner however as just sixty seconds later Gardiner put the Blues 2-1 up. Earl made a fantastic run down the right-back cutting in past Rovers' Tremarco as he made his way from 40 yards out to the by-line at Tranmere’s six-yard box.

The youngster kept his head well and laid a short ball back to Gardiner who was waiting unmarked six yards out to sweep a side-footed effort home into the far corner of the net. It was a nicely worked goal by Carlisle which brought a loud cheer from the 50 or so fans situated in the main stand.

On 86 minutes the Blues were again pressing forward as it became one-way traffic. Earl hit a ball in from the right which McGill headed back into the path of Adam Murray. United’s attacking midfielder tried a first-time attempt on the volley from 15 yards out which flew just inches wide of the Tranmere goal with Wilson rooted to the spot in what might have been a goal-of-the-season contender.

A minute later United centre-half Dan Kirkup met a McClen corner on the volley from the penatly spot but his well timed effort went just over the frame of the Rovers goal as nothing else than a third United goal looked likely.

Rovers finally came back into the game in the very closing stages as they threw everyone forward in a desperate search for an equaliser. With a minute left Williams made a great save for Carlisle as Fowler put in a deep cross which Dickinson headed back across the United goal. The ball looked to be heading for the bottom corner but Williams did well to get down low and tip the ball round the post for a Tranmere flag-kick.

The injured linesman held up the board to indicate that there would be three minutes of time to be added on, somehow the referee saw fit to make that four minutes though and it was to cost United dear.

Davies played a ball across the United box from the right-hand side to Carlisle’s right-back berth where Rovers substitute Luke Holden had stolen a yard on Blues youth-teamer Martin Graham. Holden did well to steady himself and hit a rasping left-foot half-volley into Williams’ goal at his near-post to give the Wirral outfit an undeserved equaliser a minute after the game should have finished.

There was only time for the Blues to kick-off and Adam Murray to play the ball to McGill before referee Foster blew the final whistle to bring proceedings to a close. It was cruel luck on United’s second-string when a win this afternoon would have seen them strengthen their chances of claiming the reserve team title this season.

Mention goes to Simon Grand, Dan Kirkup and James Earl, in particular, who all had good games for the Cumbrians. Queen of the South boss Ian McCall, who attended the game, presumably to watch either Glenn Murray or Jamie McClen, will have seen nothing to get him too excited as both players had their typically steady games in the "stiffs".