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Kicking towards the Warwick Road End Burnley had the opening chance of the game in the fourth minute when, following a United attack that had broken down, Wes Fletcher raced forward to hit in an 18-yard right-footed effort that was pretty easy for Blues keeper Alex Mitchell to save low down diving to his right.
Five minutes later up at the other end Bridges sent a lovely pass through for Dobie to chase down but sadly for Carlisle Dobie was all too easily crowded out by a retreating Burnley back-line. After 15 minutes Dobie was fouled by free-kick conceding machine Nik Kudiersky 20 yards out over on the left, Joyce wasted the free-kick though as he sent it in right-footed far too deep as it skimmed out off the head of Dobie at the Clarets back-stick.
With 19 minutes gone Kudiersky was penalised for a challenge on Bridges in the air in a similar position on the pitch. Joyce this time not hitting the ball far enough as Gavin Rothery was unable to profit as he picked up on possession on the left-hand by-line, his right-footed cross in being easily cleared by Dan Brown at the visitors near-post.
Five minutes later and Bridges sent a pass through a poor Burnley offside trap for Dobie to race onto. Once more though the United striker was unable to get anything out of it as he seemed caught in two minds about what to do when one-on-one 15 yards out, his eventual right-footed shot being easily saved by Jonathan Lund, on trial at Turf Moor from Leeds. Rothery and Michael Burns then trying to combine from the loose ball only for Burns to hit a 25-yard left-footer over the top.
Bang on the half-hour mark and it was Fletcher setting up Jay Rodriguez for a right-footed effort from just outside the Carlisle 'D' that deflected out for a corner off Joyce, the resultant James Craggs flag-kick being eventually hoofed from danger by Swinglehurst after a bout of pinball in the United box.
Two minutes later and Smith was fouled in the air by Rodriguez, the Blues defender then going off with a badly cut lip. Smith never reappearing from the tunnel as central midfielder Liam Davison emerged from the dugout to take his place. That change involving Swinglehurst moving from left-back to centre-half, Jonny Blake shift from right-back to left-back and Joyce swap central midfield for a right-back role.
Adam Kay's 15-yard right-footed deflected shot won Burnley a corner sixty seconds later, Chris Lynch's looping ten-yard header from Dil Chaggar's flag-kick being an easy one for Mitchell to catch though. The last action of the half coming in the 40th minute when Burns crossed in from the left for Dobie at the back-post to head down to Bridges 15 yards out. The ball was sitting up to be hammered right-footed but Bridges tried to be too clever and his soft attempted lob went straight at Lund.
That was the last part of the game for Bridges and Dobie as with tomorrow night and Peterborough in mind they were replaced by Ryan Bowman and Chris McDougall, Joyce then taking over the captain's armband from Bridges. After 49 minutes Bowman, from a Conor Tinnion pass, struck a 15-yard right-footer that seemed to clearly hit the arm of Kudiersky as it travelled goalward, referee Geoff Eltringham was having none of it though as he waved play on.
In a quiet spell in the game, as both sides struggled to hold onto possession with the ball being closed down quickly, the next chance came on 58 minutes when Davison turned on a sixpence 22 yards out in the right-hand channel and fired in a right-footed drive which was saved by Lund.
Swinglehurst had a good game for United but he did a mistake for the Burnley goal sixty seconds later as he could only head on a hoof upfield from Fletcher straight into the path of Rodriguez just past the Carlisle half of the centre-circle. The young Claret then running on before firing a right-footed 15-yard drive into the corner of the Blues net off the body of a diving Mitchell.
With 63 minutes on the clock Rothery and Blake worked a short flag-kick in the East Stand/Warwick Road corner but Blake's right-footed ball in flew over the top of everyone and behind at the visitors far-post. Blake three minutes later then setting up Rothery for a right-footed drive from the edge of the Burnley penalty area which was rapidly closed down by Chris Anderson.
Blake and Bowman combined for a nice opening after 70 minutes when Blake rolled the ball in for Bowman to hold it up with his back to goal ten yards out. Bowman then knocking possession into the path of the onrushing Blake for a right-footed strike across goal which was well saved by Lund diving away to his left.
Shortly afterwards and Joyce fed Rothery for a left-footed shot on the turn from 18 yards out which only flew straight at Lund. Joyce then in the 75th minute seeing his right-footed effort from just outside the Clarets 'D' blocked by Jake McEneaney before Bowman picked up on the rebound only to smack it right-footed into the gloves of Lund from just inside the Burnley penalty area.
Davison was trying his luck from range sixty seconds later but his right-footed drive was blocked away by Kudiersky. Davison then in the 77th minute sending a good pass through for Bowman, the United youngster dallied a little too long though and he was crowded out just as he was about to shoot on the edge of the Clarets box.
Burnley made their one and only change of the match in the 81st minute when Michael King replaced James Craggs on the left. It was Fletcher for the visitors though who cut in from that flank on 85 minutes, his right-footed strike across Mitchell's goal from 18 yards out zipping just over the angle of Carlisle far-post and bar.
Burns was certainly trying to find a late leveller from distance on 88 minutes when his left-footed effort of at least 40 yards found Lund scrambling across goal to save at his right-hand post. That equaliser did come moments later when Joyce stuck a cracking left-footed cross in from the right, some hard work was still to be done though but Bowman managed as he flicked a perfect backward header over the top of Lund and just under the bar from 12 yards out.
The last chance for there to be a winner coming two minutes into injury time when the visitors, on the break, moved the ball between Fletcher and Rodriguez to King 15 yards out in the left-hand channel. King snatched at his shot though and he could only slice it left-footed well wide of Mitchell's near-post. A point apiece being a fair reflection on a game in which two young sides had both played a good part.
United line-up :
Alex Mitchell, Jonny Blake, Steven Swinglehurst, Grant Smith (Liam Davison 35), Jamie Cleary, Luke Joyce, Michael Burns, Gavin Rothery, Michael Bridges (Ryan Bowman 46), Scott Dobie (Chris McDougall 46), Conor Tinnion.
Unused substitutes :
Mark Gillespie (GK) and John Seaton.
Burnley line-up :
Jonathan Lund, Dan Brown, Jake McEneaney, Chris Anderson, Nik Kudiersky, Chris Lynch, Dil Chaggar, Adam Kay, Wes Fletcher, Jay Rodriguez, James Craggs (Michael King 81).
Unused substitutes :
Ben Woodhead (GK), Oliver Devenney, Dom Knowles and Liam Newman.
Referee - Geoff Eltringham (Sunderland).
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