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Missing an ill Michael Burns and a rested Peter Murphy to go with the other injuries at first-team level and the three players currently out on loan, it was a relatively youthful United that took to the field. The defence in particular very inexperienced as it contained a 16-year old, two 17-year olds and an 18-year old, Ben Richards-Everton making his second-string debut as part of the back-line.
And that defence was tested after about ten seconds too when Carlisle lost the ball straight from the kick-off and the pacey Scott Spencer was set free in the right-hand side of the Cumbrians box. Spencer's 12-yard drive pinging off the base of the near-post and across goal, the returning Adam Rundle then shooting wide as the rebound fell to him 15 yards out.
At the other end of the first minute Gary Madine teed up a Tinnion pass for an 18-yard left-footed volley on the turn but his effort was weak and straight at Danny Taberner. An off-form Marc Bridge-Wilkinson then sticking a corner in on seven minutes after his initial one in had been cleared behind, Madine though heading it over the top from the penalty spot.
Against the run of play a little United took the lead on ten minutes, a header forward from Richards-Everton being flicked through by the boot of Tinnion to Madine who had gambled on a touch to get behind the Rochdale defence. Madine taking the ball around the advancing Taberner before slotting it home from close range with the outside of his right boot.
That lead didn't last long though as sixty seconds later it was 1-1. Joe Thompson cutting in from the left before laying the ball off to an unmarked Spencer in the middle of the box. Spencer sadly left with all the time in the world to pick his spot in the corner with a right-footed shot. Matt Flynn then trying to get his name on the scoresheet for the visitors after 19 minutes but his long distance drive was always going well wide.
Rundle then hit a 22-yard left-footer straight at Adam Collin in a busy spell in the game before Madine flicked a ten-yard header across goal and wide from a Bridge-Wilkinson corner. The half-hour mark then seeing Tinnion's shot from outside the box deflected over by Flynn, the resultant Bridge-Wilkinson flag-kick producing nothing but a Rochdale break which ended in Gavin Rothery blocking left-back Josh Brizell's shot.
Moments later and Spencer stuck a 20-yard drive over the top, and then in the 35th minute Flynn fouled Richard Offiong 25 yards out in the left-hand channel. Bridge-Wilkinson though wasting the free-kick as he choose to shoot only to pull his right-footed effort badly wide of the near-post. Rochdale then quickly responding as Rundle put a fantastic cross in from the right to the back-stick which Spencer wasted from close range as he headed into the side-netting.
With 41 minutes gone Rundle delivered a corner which Flynn was only able to head into the air for an easy Collin take. Almost the last kick of the half though being a Rochdale goal to make it 2-1, Frenchman Marc-Andre Manga not tracked back at all as he then put Spencer through a pushed-up Blues back-line. Collin did his best to force Spencer wide as the striker went round him but the 'Dale man was still able to bundle a shot into the net past a racing back Richards-Everton.
At half-time Eric Kinder made a change in personnel as Bridge-Wilkinson, with Saturday and Yeovil in mind, was taken off and the diminutive Manny Richardson was introduced. The 17-year old Ghanian, who had linked up with the Cumbrians on trial last week, going upfront alongside Offiong as Madine dropped back into a central midfield role - a position I have never seen him play in before.
It was soon Rochdale putting the pressure back on though and on 47 minutes Collin had to stretch up in the air to hold a 20-yard curling effort from Manga. The visitors did find the net five minutes later however when, like it was for big chunks of the game, they were allowed to play the ball around for an eternity without a challenge. The eventual result being a Kallum Higginbotham low cross in from the right by-line which left Thompson with a tap-in from about a yard out.
Offiong trying to respond after 55 minutes only for his half-volley to disappear well over the top and into an empty Warwick Road End. From that point on the game got really hectic and end-to-end with chances and shots galore up to the final whistle. Spencer and Rundle starting things off as Spencer cut in from the right and fed Rundle for a shot which he completely mishit straight back to Spencer, his quick reaction effort from close range though flying wide.
Offiong then after 58 minutes cutting in from the right and firing a 20-yard left-footer straight at Taberner before up the other end two minutes later Rundle sliced a similar shot well wide of Collin's near-post. On 64 minutes it was Tinnion having a go as his effort was deflected wide, Offiong from the resultant Rothery corner heading down eight yards out at the back-post and into the arms of Taberner on the bounce.
Moments later Tinnion was replaced by Ryan Bowman for the Blues, then Manga tried his luck from distance only to see his right-footed effort go miles off target. As the pencil flew across the notepad Offiong, on 67 minutes, put in a low cross from the right which bobbled up off a combination off Bowman's boot and leg, Taberner though doing well to tip the ball over the top.
After Rothery's corner had been cleared Rochdale went up the pitch quickly and Thompson had a right-footed 15-yard shot across goal well saved by Collin, Spencer then from close range at the back-post somehow sticking the rebound over the top. Richardson in the 70th minute for Carlisle hitting a 40-yard attempted lob wide as the Blues looked to rally in the final 20 minutes.
Sixty seconds later and Offiong sent Bowman away inside the left-hand of the 'Dale box, Bowman though seeing his 15-yard left-footer well saved by the legs of an alert Taberner. Spencer however wasting another good chance for the visitors on 72 minutes when, just eight yards out, he was only able to head over Collin's crossbar.
Bowman set Richardson up for a 25-yard shot which went across goal but away past the far-post two minutes later but we were still going from end-to-end and in the 75th minute, Manga, from Rundle's pass, saw his right-footed effort blocked by Jamie Cleary, Collin then making an excellent save as Spencer got a 15-yard drive in from the rebound.
Rochdale always looked dangerous on the break and after 77 minutes Higginbotham played Spencer in for a shot from the back-stick which was well blocked by Collin, Higginbotham then dallying too long on the loose ball as he was crowded out by central midfielder Jonny Blake, who again had to feature at right-back. Spencer though still looking for another goal three minutes on only to chip a right-footed effort over the angle of far-post and bar from 20 yards out.
With 84 minutes on the clock and the action not relenting at all Madine and Richardson set Bowman up for a 15-yard shot which was sharply blocked by the legs of Brizell. Liam Davison then the provider for Madine five minutes later as Madine teed the ball up for a 12-yard left-footed volley which went across goal but inches wide of Taberner's left-hand post.
The Blues finally did make it 2-3 as we hit injury time, Bowman getting his fourth goal in as many reserve games when, from Cleary's good run up and pass, he hammered a right-footed 15-yarder into the roof of the net at Taberner's near-post. United then almost equalising sixty seconds on when Bowman and Richardson combined to put in Offiong in a similar position to Bowman's goal, Offiong however shooting across goal and having his effort saved by the feet of Taberner.
That was Carlisle's last chance to grab an unlikely point though and the last effort on goal was moments before the final whistle when Brizell hit a right-footed drive over the top from 15 yards out. So Rochdale extend their lead at the top of the table on a day of few positives for the United second-string, two of those bright spots being the goalscoring form of Bowman and the arrival of Richardson at the club who seems to have a lot of potential at this early stage.
United line-up :
Adam Collin, Jonny Blake, Steven Swinglehurst, Jamie Cleary, Ben Richards-Everton, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson (Manny Richardson 46), Gavin Rothery, Liam Davison, Gary Madine, Richard Offiong, Conor Tinnion (Ryan Bowman 65).
Unused substitutes :
Mark Gillespie (GK), James Wood and Sean Law.
Rochdale line-up :
Danny Taberner, Matt Flynn, Josh Brizell, Dale Stephens, Rory McArdle, Marcus Holness, Kallum Higginbotham, Adam Rundle, Marc Andre-Manga, Scott Spencer, Joe Thompson.
Unused substitutes :
Callum Byrne, Chris Brown, Scott Hogan, Dennis Sherriff, Reece Gray.
Reserve Team Results : Click here
Reserve Team Table : Click here