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United getting the opening shot of the match in after seven minutes when Jonny Blake's deflected cross in from the right was taken down by Smith 22 yards out, Smith then hitting a left-footed half-volley over the top of the far-post. Blake featuring at right-back again today in a back four of himself, Tom Aldred, Peter Murphy and Evan Horwood from right to left, while that way across the middle of the park were Chris Birchall, Davison, Smith and Simon Hackney.
Sixty seconds later and this time it was Hackney with a very similar shot and result to Smith, then with ten minutes gone Mark Doninger for the visitors cut in from the right before firing a left-footed 20-yarder straight at Ben Williams in the United goal. An unmarked Scott Dobie, partnering Gary Madine upfront, missing a great chance to bury a close-range header from a pinpoint Horwood cross after 15 minutes when he headed weakly down and over the crossbar on the bounce.
Shortly afterwards though and Carlisle did take the lead following Tamas Kadar's foul on Madine 40 yards out on the right. Birchall sticking the ball in right-footed for Dobie to head back across from the far-post, Aldred then showing all the poaching skills of a striker as he dived in on the floor head first six yards out to nod the ball home past Toon keeper Ole Soderberg.
Williams in the 18th minute then doing well to hold onto a powerful 25-yard left-footed drive from the busy Doninger. Five minutes later and Horwood hit a left-footed shot from distance wide of the visitors near-post. Then after 25 minutes back up the other end a long throw-in from Darren Lough was flicked on by the head of Carroll and then the boot of Fabio Zamblera as Williams was able to make an easy catch at his back-stick.
Shortly afterwards and Frank Wiafe Danquah's long range left-footed half-volley went well wide of the target, then after the half-hour mark Carroll's left-footed shot from 22 yards out deflected behind off Murphy, the resultant Doninger corner in coming to nothing. Carlisle themselves creating from a Hackney flag-kick after 36 minutes, Murphy curling a loose ball left-footed across goal and over the far-post from the edge of the Newcastle box.
Five minutes before the break and Hackney's cross in from the left was headed softly by Birchall, in a challenge with Lough, into the arms of Soderberg on the bounce from ten yards out. A Jonny Godsmark ball in from the right flank for the visitors two minutes later seeing Carroll, on the penalty spot, head over the top of Williams's crossbar as the Toon searched for an equaliser.
The last chance of the half coming the way of Carlisle in the 43rd minute as, from a long Williams goal-kick, Dobie and Madine worked a one-two with Dobie then shooting over right-footed from 25 yards out. The Blues going into the interval with a well-earned one goal advantage against a Newcastle side, who whilst big and physical, didn't seem to be putting it all in.
Half of the substitutions in the match came during that interval as first-year YTS centre-half Jamie Cleary, another getting his initial taste of second-string action, came on for the recuperating Murphy. The Toon meanwhile bringing on Shane Ferguson and Sam Ameobi for Danquah and Zamblera respectively, Zamblera having spent half his time in the opening period fiddling about with his gloves.
Newcastle had clearly got a big boot up the posterior and they came out a different side, a poor free-kick in from Carroll 18 yards out, following an Aldred foul in the 49th minute preceeding another shooting opportunity after Hackney, not for the first time gave the ball away two minutes later. Hackney, a surprising choice as captain in the absence of Murphy, then watching as LuaLua fired a powerful long-range shot across goal and just wide of the Blues far-post.
From 1-0 to Carlisle on 52 minutes it was remarkably 3-1 to Newcastle after just 57 minutes. Ameobi, after good approach play by Godsmark and LuaLua, shooting in left-footed from 15 yards out to get the ball rolling. Carroll then powerfully rifling a low 25-yard left-footed drive into the far corner to register the visitors second goal in only three minutes.
The third goal against the shell-shocked Cumbrians again coming from Carroll, an Aldred headed clearance falling straight to the feet of the Newcastle man 18 yards out, Carroll then shooting home left-footed under the body of Williams. Carlisle making their second change of the game in the 63rd minute, one that meant they now had five youth-teamers on the field against an older Toon side, Andy Cook coming on upfront for Dobie.
Two minutes later and Blake and Birchall combined to give the ball away in the Warwick/East Stand corner, Carroll though shooting left-footed and wide of the target as he broke into the Blues box. Carlisle mounting a rare second-half attack in the 70th minute as Davison's pass found Smith hitting in a left-footed 22-yarder which Soderberg seemed to dive a little late on to save.
As if three goals in a five minute spell hadn't been enough the first time around it would happen again from the 72nd minute onwards. LuaLua's right-footed drive from 25 yards out taking a massive deflection off someone in a ruck of bodies to completely wrongfoot Williams and make it 4-1 to get things going. Connor Tinnion coming on for Davison during the break in play, Hackney then moving into the middle as Tinnion went out onto the left.
Lough's cross in from the left sixty seconds later then seeing Carroll outmuscle Cleary 15 yards out as he took the ball down well on his chest before shooting fiercely left-footed beyond the reach of Williams. The Blues at least having some temporary respite shortly afterwards as Horwood's throw-in from the left was touched off by Cook for Madine to side-foot weakly wide of the Toon far-post from just inside the penalty area.
It was soon 6-1 though as LuaLua's pass to Godsmark 15 yards out found Godsmark able to shoot accurately left-footed beyond the reach of Williams and in at the Carlisle near-post. Jeff Henderson replacing Edgar in the middle of Newcastle's defence before the Blues kicked the game off for the sixth time in just 25 minutes.
LuaLua again in the action with ten minutes to go when his 25-yard left-footed drive looped up into the arms of Williams off the head of Cleary. Ferguson then making a good run in from the left three minutes later before feeding the ball on into the path of Doninger for an 18-yard left-footed shot over the top of Williams's crossbar.
Carlisle going as close as they would to scoring in the second-half with 85 minutes on the clock after Kadar's foul on Blake 35 yards out on the right. Birchall sticking the free-kick in which saw Soderberg make an excellent save to stretch up and tip Cook's header from eight yards out over the top, Birchall though wasting the resultant corner as it flew over everyone and behind at the back-post.
As time ticked into the final minute Blake's cross in from the right saw Madine's ten-yard looping header caught by Soderberg in front of his own crossbar. Then pretty much the final kick of the game two minutes into time added on was Godsmark's powerful right-footed drive from just inside the Blues box which brought a good save out of Williams.
So, a funny old game as they say, a clean sheet for eighty minutes and six goals conceded in ten minutes. The second-half slaughter coming from a combination of things, a very young back four, a chronic lack of cover from midfield and a Newcastle side who had obviously been read the riot act at half-time. Still, at least Murphy seemed to come through his 45 minutes of football without any problems.
United line-up :
Ben Williams, Jonny Blake, Evan Horwood, Tom Aldred, Peter Murphy (Jamie Cleary 46), Grant Smith, Chris Birchall, Liam Davison (Connor Tinnion 72), Gary Madine, Scott Dobie (Andy Cook 63), Simon Hackney.
Unused substitutes :
Alex Mitchell (GK) and Matt Duffy.
Newcastle line-up :
Ole Soderberg, James Tavernier, Darren Lough, Mark Doninger, David Edgar (Jeff Henderson 77), Tamas Kadar, Jonny Godsmark, Frank Wiafe Danquah (Shane Ferguson 46), Fabio Zamblera (Sam Ameobi 46), Andy Carroll, Kazenga LuaLua.
Unused substitutes :
Max Johnson (GK) and Greg McDermott.
Referee - Billy Khatib (Sunderland).
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