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Workington started the game strongly too although Dave Hewson's seventh minute half-volley from the edge of the United box flew well over the top. United looked to gain a foothold in the match sixty seconds later when a pass through the middle by Gary Madine saw Shaun Vipond look to get on the end of things.
Just as Vipond tried to get on the end of the pass before goalkeeper Craig Summersgill though he was barged to the ground by ex-Blue Darren Edmondson, referee Paul Best somehow waving play on for his first of numerous wrong decisions on the night. With 13 minutes gone the visitors were forced into a personnel change when Hewson limped off the field to be replaced by pacey winger Matt Henney.
Nine minutes later a good run by Vipond saw him feed Madine inside the left-edge of the Reds box, Madine's left-footed shot flying out off the legs of Kyle May for a corner. Neale McDermott stuck the flag-kick in and Madine was unlucky to see his header from eight yards out hacked off the line by Anthony Wright. Play breaking straight up the other end as Wayne Gordon dallied long enough on a ball over the top to allow Carlisle's Dan Kirkup to nick the ball off his toes on the edge of the United penalty area.
Sixty seconds later though and Workington did take the lead, a low cross in from the right by Henney seeing Tony Nicholson well-placed to easily side-foot the ball home past United keeper Adam Bradley from just six yards out. The Blues tried to come back into the match on the half-hour mark but Madine's right-footed shot from distance was extremely wayward as it flew away into the empty Waterworks end.
Shortly afterwards Steve Birks missed an excellent chance to double Workington's lead when, running into the box, he somehow headed a Henney cross over Bradley's crossbar from close range. Carlisle came back though and in the 33rd minute Summersgill did well to block a 12-yard effort from McDermott after the ex-Fulham midfielder had got on the end of an intelligent pass from Luke Joyce.
Two minutes later Madine was fouled 45 yards out, Arnison's free-kick up into the Reds box seeing Kirkup send a flicked header over the top. The Blues were having a good spell in the game now and after 37 minutes McDermott and Paul Arnison work a short corner which saw an under-pressure Kirkup header from 12 yards out cleared away by Wright.
With 40 minutes on the clock Madine and McDermott combined well to set up Vipond in the Workington box, Vipond was unable to get his shot away though as he was quickly crowded out by Reds defenders. Seconds later Carlisle's Matthew Wood receiving the first yellow card of the night as he went into referee Best's notebook for a mistimed tackle on Craig Johnston.
It was all action on 42 minutes as the Blues looked for an equaliser following a foul on Vipond by Henney 30 yards out, McDermott's free-kick in seeing a spot of pinball before Arnison's close-range shot was expertly blocked out for a corner by the legs of Summersgill. Carlisle going even closer from a McDermott cross in, after the resultant corner had been cleared straight back out to him, when Madine's eight-yard header at the back-post bounced on the top of the Workington crossbar on it's way over the top of the goal.
The visitors then had to make their second forced change of the night after 44 minutes when Edmondson was withdrawn through injury and was replaced by veteran centre-half Derek Townsley. Poor old Townsley didn't have long to enjoy himself though as the Blues levelled matters within a minute of him entering the fray. Arnison's pass from the right being cleverly touched off by Madine into the path of Joyce 22 yards out, the United midfielder thundering in a low left-footed drive that fairly flew into the right-hand bottom corner of Summersgill's net.
Workington tried to regain their lead as the clocked ticked into one minute of first-half injury time, but Townsley's low header from a corner in by Graham Anthony was easily saved by Bradley. The whistle going shortly afterwards on an opening period which had seen Carlisle come back into the game strongly after Workington had come flying out of the traps early on.
The first action after the interval came in the 52nd minute when a left-footed 20-yarder from Johnston was easily booted away by United centre-half Dan Wordsworth. Three minutes later it was the Blues pressing forward when Madine and Summersgill got to a Vipond through pass at the same time, the ball breaking to McDermott only for the Carlisle man to see his 40-yard lob headed away by Townsley. Vipond had followed up on his earlier pass as the ball ran free once more but his shot was quickly charged down by May.
Things got a little heated moments later when Anthony's stamp on the back of Arnison's leg went completely unnoticed by the Paddock-side linesman. Play continued and saw the referee wave play on after Arnison had flattened Gordon as revenge, the whistle did go though when Vipond scythed down Nicholson in full flight. Both Arnison and Vipond seeing yellow for their misdemeanours while a worse challenge by Anthony went completely unpunished. Johnston's eventual free-kick from 28 yards out flicking off the legs of Joyce on it's way into the arms of Bradley.
Just before the hour-mark a long throw from Johnston was flicked on by the heads of Nicholson and Henney before Bradley made an excellent save low down at his far-post. The Anthony corner in seeing the ball rattle around until Alan Gray smashed a right-footed half-volley inches wide of the United back-stick from 15 yards out. One of the more bizarre moves in the Carlisle starting line-up had seen right-back Matthew Brown starting at left-back despite left-sided defender Matthew Blake being sat on the bench. That changed in the break in play though when Blake came in on place of Wood and went straight into the left-back role, Brown then moving up into Wood's midfield role.
After 65 minutes Madine sent a 12-yard header flying straight into the arms of Summersgill after McDermott had sent a cross from the right into the Reds box. Sixty seconds later Carlisle hit the crossbar for a second time when a short corner between McDermott and Vipond saw Brown's 12-yard header thump off the woodwork and over the top for a Reds goal-kick. Shortly afterwards Anthony was way off-target for the visitors when his 22-yard right-footed half-volley flew miles high and wide of Bradley's goal.
With 20 minutes left to go in the game a neat ball through the middle by Anthony saw Blake make an excellent last-ditch block in the United box to deflect Gordon's 15-yard drive over the top. The resultant Anthony corner was easily headed out by Kirkup and that allowed the Blues to break forward through Stephen Hindmarch and Arnison in turn down the left-hand channel. Arnison playing a pass across the middle for Vipond only for the young midfielder to fire a right-footed drive over the angle of Summersgill's near-post and bar. Two minutes later the Reds made their final change of the night when Dean Douglas came on for Nicholson upfront.
Gordon made a good run forward for the visitors on 75 minutes but as he cut in from the right his left-footed shot from 22 yards out was weak and an easy effort for Bradley to save. The clock was ticking towards extra-time now although Workington were trying to find the winner on 84 minutes. A low centre in from the right by Anthony seeing Kirkup and Birks get to the cross at the same time at the near-post, United eventually being awarded a goal-kick as the ball spun behind.
Shortly afterwards a cross into the Carlisle box by Henney seemed to hit Blake on the arm, it looked like ball to hand though and the referee waved play on, although Townsley was booked for dissent as he took his protests one step too far. In the 87th minute Gordon whipped in a pacey shot with his left foot from 22 yards out which whistled over Bradley's goal at his near-post. Then two minutes later yet another corner in by Anthony broke to Douglas at the back-stick, there was no composure from the Workington man though as his left-footed half-volley was sliced high, wide and not very handsome.
Henney was proving tricky now and in the final minute he was brought down by Blake just to the right of the United 'D', Townsley looking to have found a late winner only for his right-footed free-kick to crash off the underside of Bradley's crossbar and bounce away to safety. The last chance for either side to find that goal to stop the game going to an extra 30 minutes came 120 seconds into injury time. Brown making a great run forward to get on the end of a McDermott corner only to head the ball inches past Summersgill's near-post from ten yards out.
Extra-time was little different to the opening 90 minutes as the first action saw Anthony swinging in a corner in the 94th minute, the ball breaking to Townsley at the back-post whose close-range shot was quickly blocked by the body of Bradley as he raced from his line. Two minutes later Joyce tried a repeat of his earlier goal for the Blues but this time his right-footed shot went well wide of the target. As the clock ticked over the 100 minute mark a cross in from the right by Henney saw Johnston's header from ten yards out look in all the way only for Bradley to make a brilliant one-handed save low down at his far-post.
With 104 minutes gone Anthony's 25-yard left-footed curler flew well over the top of Bradley's bar as it flew into the empty Warwick Road End. Then sixty seconds later a cross in from the right by Gordon was met at an impossible angle and could only be headed narrowly wide of the United back-post by Douglas. So, half-time in extra-time came and went with Carlisle making their second substitution of the evening when Ashley Combe came on for McDermott, that now seeing the Blues playing with a right-back on the left and right-hand sides of midfield.
In the 109th minute of a long night some good work by Hindmarch saw him feed Combe down the right-hand channel, Combe cutting quickly inside Wright before curling a beautifully hit left-footed curler low towards the far corner of the Workington goal. Nearly all of the 868 strong crowd were waiting for the net to bulge only for Summersgill to somehow claw the ball behind with what must have been the very end of his goalkeeping gloves. Four minutes later Vipond and Joyce worked the ball into the path of Brown running into the Reds box down the left-hand channel, Brown's first touch was heavy though and it allowed Summersgill the chance to smother his toe-poked effort from 15 yards out.
With five minutes of extra-time left, and just as we were thinking about potential penalty takers for a shootout, Johnston was able to take one all on his own when the Reds were awarded a highly disputed spot-kick. Henney picking the ball up on the right and charging into the United box past Blake and into the path of Wordsworth and Kirkup. It was impossible to tell from the view in the stand if there was any contact with Henney from the two United defenders but it was certainly an Olympic standard dive from the Workington winger as he flew to the turf with both arms outstretched.
The fact that the team of officials thought it was a penalty would immediately suggest that it wasn't given their dreadful performance in the rest of the game but Mr Best did indeed point to the spot. Some handbags ensued as the Carlisle players accused Henney of diving and Kirkup went into the book after being shown a yellow card once the melee had died down. Bradley did his best to psych out Johnston by spending an eternity cleaning his studs on either post but the Reds man wasn't to be denied as his right-footed shot sent the United keeper the wrong way from the spot as the ball nestled low down into the near-bottom corner of the Carlisle net.
The fun didn't stop there as Johnston wheeled away to try to celebrate, that idea soon being ended as Arnison tripped him up almost straight away, that seeing Arnison receive his second yellow card of the night. Now down to ten men the Blues never really looked like finding another equaliser in the last few minutes although Anthony did find himself looking at a yellow card for a crude lunge on Combe in the 119th minute. The final whistle going shortly afterwards on an entertaining final that, unsurprisingly given the standard of officiating throughout, was decided by a contentious penalty award.
Adam Bradley, Paul Arnison, Matthew Brown, Luke Joyce, Dan Wordsworth, Dan Kirkup, Matthew Wood (Matthew Blake 59), Neale McDermott (Ashley Combe 106), Gary Madine, Shaun Vipond, Stephen Hindmarch.
Unused substitute :
Grant Carson (GK).
Reds line-up :
Craig Summersgill, Alan Gray, Anthony Wright, Kyle May, Darren Edmondson (Derek Townsley 44), Craig Johnston, Graham Anthony, Steve Birks, Tony Nicholson (Dean Douglas 72), Wayne Gordon, Dave Hewson (Matt Henney 13).
Unused substitutes :
Adam Collin (GK) and Dan Gullen.
Referee - Paul Best (Alston).
Attendance - 868.
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