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A slow start to the game saw the first chance for Carlisle, playing with a blustery wind behind them, come in the sixth minute. And it produced a goal too as Rothery played in strike partner Manny Richardson down the right-hand channel. Richardson, shooting far too early, seeing his initial effort saved by Joe Collister before he was able to take a quick touch on the rebound and knock it into the net left-footed from 12 yards out.
The opening period was all United and in the 14th minute Rothery found Kane raiding forward down the left, Kane though hitting a weak 15-yard side-footed effort straight into the arms of Collister. Burns then trying his luck from just outside the 'D' two minutes later with a left-footed drive which whistled inches past Collister's right-hand post.
Sixty seconds on and the Blues made it 2-0 when Richardson and Rothery swapped their roles on the first goal, Rothery this time from the left pushing a curler with his right boot across the body of Collister and into the far corner of the net. From that point on Carlisle really should have scored seven or eight goals in the game but that would be the last goal they got on the day.
Burns, playing in central midfield alongside Jonny Blake with Conor Tinnion on the left and Ben McKenna on the right, shooting wide from distance in the 23rd minute before shortly afterwards Tranmere had their first effort "on" goal. Conor Roberts setting up Jack Mackreth for a left-footed 25-yarder which only really troubled the corner flag.
With 25 minutes gone Burns had a left-footed effort from outside the box which was parried out for a corner by Collister. Rovers clearing the first McKenna flag-kick in before Tinnion's next corner saw the ball headed only up in the air by Tranmere's Liam Benson. Richardson then, eight yards out, producing an excellent overhead kick which brought a fantastic one-handed reaction save out of Collister.
Three minutes later and set-up play from Richardson and Blake saw the ball reach Tinnion 12 yards out in the left of the penalty area. Tinnion though dallying too long on the chance and only in the end dragging a poor left-footed shot across goal and well wide of the far-post. That being another goalscoring opportunity that a well on top United really should have converted.
On the half-hour mark Alex Pursehouse brought down McKenna over in the East Stand/Waterworks corner, Tinnion then swinging the free-kick in left-footed which only saw Kane send an eight-yard free header wide of the target. The last chance before the interval coming for the visitors in the 42nd minute when the wonderfully named Max Power thumped a drive narrowly past Mark Gillespie's left-hand post from distance.
During the interval the Cumbrians made a change as Sean Law replaced Tinnion, that seeing McKenna go out on the left and Carlisle move to more of a 4-5-1/4-3-3 formation with Rothery on the right. Rothery after 54 minutes setting up Richardson in the right-hand channel for a 12-yard half-volley on his right boot which flew way over and into the Warwick Road End, a good opportunity missed.
On his return from injury Lakeland lasted 61 minutes before Jamie Cleary came on in his place, Murphy now going to left-back with Cleary at centre-half. Five minutes later and it was Rothery and Richardson combining again, Richardson cutting into the box well from the right before having the ball expertly nicked off his toes by Jay Ashcroft.
Just past the midway point in the half and Murphy was brought down by Tom Baker (no, not that one) 25 yards out on the left-angle of the Tranmere box. Rothery's right-footed cross in seeing the ball flick off the leg of Kane eight yards out and go wide of the target. That foul on him was all but the last action for Murphy as in the 71st minute he was replaced in a straight swap at left-back by the right-sided James Wood.
Three minutes later and McKenna's corner in saw United denied what looked like a blatant penalty. Kane, 15 yards out, taking the ball down before hitting a half-volley goalwards, his shot though striking the hands of Roberts who had his arm so far in the air it looked like he was desperate for permission to go to the toilet.
With 77 minutes gone Law sent a cross in from the left which Collister flapped at, Steven Swinglehurst though unable to take advantage as his looping 15-yard header was easily caught this time by the Rovers goalkeeper. The visitors began to see some more of the ball in the closing stages and a warning shot was fired across the bow of the Blues ship sixty seconds later when Roberts thumped a 25-yarder inches wide.
From even further out though Tranmere pulled a goal back on 81 minutes when Power hit a fierce right-footed drive into the postage stamp top corner off the fingertips of Gillespie with, erm, well, max power. The busy Roberts then cracking a left-footed half-volley over the top from 28 yards out two minutes later, before sixty seconds on, following a Blake foul on him just outside the 'D', he dusted himself down to smack the free-kick right-footed but narrowly wide.
After 85 minutes Dale Jennings played in strike partner Ross Rule down the right-hand channel, but Rule's 20-yard half-volley sliced up in the air and was caught easily by Gillespie. Two minutes before time and United were nearly caught out after a Burns foul on Roberts 35 yards, the free-kick hit in by Roberts pinging off Swinglehurst and straight into the path of Rule in the box, Swinglehurst though making a fantastic last-ditch tackle to put the ball out for a corner.
That flag-kick knocked across by Baker saw Roberts flick an eight-yard header across goal and wide of the far-post before Tranmere's last chance to find a late leveller came and went as we ticked into injury time, Jennings hitting a right-footed half-volley from distance straight at a relieved Gillespie. So, another reserve game and another win for a now top of the table Carlisle but boy, it was made far harder than it should have been.
United line-up :
Mark Gillespie, Tony Kane, Simon Lakeland (Jamie Cleary 61), Michael Burns, Steven Swinglehurst, Peter Murphy (James Wood 71), Ben McKenna, Jonny Blake, Manny Richardson, Gavin Rothery, Conor Tinnion (Sean Law 46).
Unused substitutes :
Jon Ball (GK) and Liam Davison.
Tranmere line-up :
Joe Collister, Liam Benson, Alex Pursehouse, Tom Baker, Jay Ashcroft, Conor Roberts, Jack Mackreth, Max Power, Ross Rule, Dale Jennings, David McNamara.
Unused substitutes :
Andy Coughlin (GK), Jay Gibbs and Shaun Garnett.
Referee - Peter Bankes (Bootle).
Attendance - poor, about 30 or 40.
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