Gary Madine - Danny Carlton
Neale McDermott
Jonny Blake - Luke Joyce - Matthew Wood
Darren Campion - Dan Wordsworth - Paul Arnison - Shaun Vipond
Chris Howarth
Chester showed their intent in the match as they started brightly from the off on a cold and blustery day at Brunton Park. United themselves lacking natural width throughout the game, with, at one point after six minutes, the whole of the Blues midfield and forward-line packed into a 20-yard area in the middle of the pitch.
The first chance of the afternoon went to City when, in the eighth minute, a Kevin Roberts corner in saw Rob Marsh-Evans head into the arms of Blues keeper Chris Howarth on the bounce from eight yards out. Seven minutes later recent Chester signing Tony Dinning touched the ball on cleverly into the path of Neil McManus, but the young striker dragged his left-footed shot wide of the target from 18 yards out.
Shortly aftewards the visitors took the lead when a good pass chipped over the top of Paul Arnison saw McManus take the ball down well on the right-hand edge of the United penalty area. McManus then turning well before hitting a cracker of a left-foot shot from 20 yards across Howarth and into the far bottom corner of the Carlisle net.
With 19 minutes gone Nathan Lowndes fired in a shot from outside the Blues box with his right foot but it only flew straight at Howarth for an easy take. Sixty seconds later the visitors went close once more when a Lowndes shot from tight on the left-hand by-line smashed against the angle of Howarth's near-post and bar, Arnison then making a good block as McManus looked to bang home the rebound.
In a busy spell in the game for City Roberts fired a long distance left-footer miles wide of Howarth's goal shortly afterwards. Then on 24 minutes Carlisle skipper Shaun Vipond, again playing at right-back, gave the ball away to Paul Rutherford on the right-wing. Rutherford racing away only to fire in a weak left-footed shot from just inside the United box that Howarth was able to easily save.
Three minutes later and the Blues had their first shot in the game, which almost led to an equalising goal. Neale McDermott sending Gary Madine racing away down the right-hand channel, Madine then cutting the ball across the six-yard box for Danny Carlton to slot home with the inside of his right boot, sadly for Carlisle though Carlton had strayed offside when the cross came in.
After 35 minutes McDermott threaded a pass through on the floor for Luke Joyce to race onto but Chester goalkeeper Phil Palethorpe had read the danger as he scooted off his line to dive on the ball before Joyce could get there. Neither side were creating much from open play at this stage in the game to be honest and it took a dire piece of officiating from young referee Ross Joyce to see the visitors go 2-0 up on 39 minutes.
Over-ruling his assistant on the Paddock side he awarded Carlisle a throw-in when it should clearly have been a goal-kick, that eventually leading to a foul by United's Matthew Wood on Adam Walker 35 yards out on the right-hand side. Ex-Blue Kevin Sandwith swung the free-kick into the middle with the referee then awarding City a penalty for a seemingly non-existant pull on the shirt by Arnison on Neil Carroll. McManus stepping up to coolly send Howarth the wrong way with the resultant spot-kick.
Two minutes before the break Roberts hobbled off the pitch with what looked like a bad ankle injury, Glenn Rule coming on into midfield for the City right-back with Dinning slotting back into the defensive line. The last chance before the half-time whistle came once more coming the way of Chester when a corner in by Sandwith saw Marsh-Evans hook a 12-yard effort wide after some pinball in the Carlisle box.
Blues second-string boss Eric Kinder made a seemingly scheduled change during the interval to give both goalkeepers 45 minutes each, with Adam Bradley coming on in place of Howarth. Neither side was holding onto the ball particularly well in the midfield areas as the wind picking up a little didn't exactly help matters.
|
Four minutes later though and City restored their two goal advantage when Walker made a great run into the right-hand side of the Carlisle box only to be denied by an excellent tackle by Wood. Sadly for Wood though his intervention only knocked the ball straight to McManus 12 yards out who was then able to easily side-foot the ball home past Bradley for a well earned hat-trick.
Just after the hour-mark the Cumbrians used their final two substitutes when Tom Aldred replaced Arnison at centre-half while Connor Tinnion came on for Carlton. Tinnion moving into his normal left-wing spot seeing a slight change around as Wood was pushed upfront to partner Madine. City were still the side pushing forward though and on 64 minutes Vipond saw the game's only yellow card when he was booked for a foul on the pacey Rutherford.
Two minutes later and McManus missed a great chance to score his fourth goal of the match when he mis-kicked six yards out after Walker had sent a low ball in from the right. Sixty seconds on and Chester had yet another opportunity to net when a Sandwith corner wasn't properly cleared again by the Blues, the ever-present McManus eventually firing a weak shot on the turn straight at Bradley from 12 yards out.
With 20 minutes left in the game Rutherford's shot on his weaker right-foot was pulled well wide of the target from outside the United box. Carlisle then making a tactical change as Greg Abbott shouted down from the directors box to Eric Kinder to move central midfielder Jonny Blake into the right-back spot and push Vipond on into a more attacking midfield role.
Shortly afterwards a Chester clearance from out of the clouds put a dent into the hoarding on top of the home dugout. City then making their own double substitution when Paul Linwood was replaced at centre-half with Steven Thorpe while Jack Rowlands came in on place of hat-trick hero McManus upfront.
In the 74th minute Joyce tried his luck on his right foot from 22 yards out but his shot was straight at Palethorpe. Three minutes later and Chester went 4-1 up when a Lowndes ball through the middle saw Thorpe's 15-yard right-footed shot bobble towards the line off Bradley's body, Carroll supplying the finishing touch as he thumped the ball home with glee from about six inches out.
There was action at either end sixty seconds later when a Joyce ball over the top found Vipond running into the City box, Vipond was off-balance though as he tried to fire in a 12-yard right-footed half-volley, his effort only flying straight over the top and into an empty Warwick Road End. Chester straight from the goal-kick seeing Walker slice a 22-yard right-footed effort wide of Bradley's near-post.
After 82 minutes Tinnion was fouled 35 yards out in the left-hand channel by Rowlands, McDermott's resultant free-kick in seeing Joyce head over the bar from eight yards out. City were soon getting their own shot in though, Lowndes firing a left-footer wide from just outside the United box after Blues left-back Darren Campion had gifted possession straight to him.
Carlisle made the scoreline a slightly more respectable 4-2 with five minutes to go when Madine knocked a lovely slide-rule pass down the right-hand channel for Wood to race onto. Wood, like he has done all season in front of goal, showing great composure to coolly lift the ball with his right boot over the diving Palethorpe and into the back of the City net from 15 yards out.
Two minutes later and Walker was perhaps a little bit greedy for the visitors as, in a position tight on the right-hand side by-line, he chose to try a left-footed curler across Bradley's goal instead of laying the ball back into the path of one of the waiting City attackers. The shot never looking like going in as it sailed wide of the United far-post.
The final action of the match came one minute into the three minutes of time added on. Rutherford's knock over the top for the visitors seeing Bradley and Rule race for possession down the left-hand channel. Rule got their first with Bradley bringing him down right on the very angle of the penalty area, the United keeper being booked for his troubles.
Sandwith tried a left-footed curler around the outside of the Carlisle defensive wall from the resultant free-kick but his shot only flew into the side-netting at Bradley's near-post. So, a disappointing outing for the Cumbrians second-string, with only five chances on goal in the game showing the problem in personnel available with no width or creation in midfield being the main drawbacks.
United line-up :
Chris Howarth (Adam Bradley 46), Shaun Vipond (c), Darren Campion, Dan Wordsworth, Paul Arnison (Tom Aldred 61), Matthew Wood, Neale McDermott, Jonny Blake, Danny Carlton (Connor Tinnion 61), Gary Madine.
Unused substitutes :
Matt Duffy and Matthew Brown.
Chester line-up :
Phil Palethorpe, Kevin Roberts (Glenn Rule 43), Kevin Sandwith, Paul Linwood (Steven Thorpe 73), Rob Marsh-Evans, Neil Carroll, Adam Walker, Tony Dinning, Nathan Lowndes, Paul McManus (Jack Rowlands 73), Paul Rutherford.
Unused substitutes :
Matt Woods (GK) and Andy Mitchell.
Referee - Ross Joyce (Middlesbrough).
Attendance - 55.
Goals
Paul McManus - 16m - 0-1
Paul McManus - 39m (pen) - 0-2
Luke Joyce - 53m - 1-2
Paul McManus - 57m - 1-3
Neil Carroll - 77m - 1-4
Matthew Wood - 85m - 2-4
Fixtures in the division this week :
Wrexham 3-5 Preston (Mon)
Blackpool 1-1 Rochdale (Wed, 7pm)
Burnley 0-2 Tranmere (Wed, 7pm)
Carlisle 2-4 Chester (Wed, 2pm)
Manchester City 2-4 Bury (Wed, 7pm)
Morecambe 2-1 Accrington Stanley (Wed, 7pm)
Reserve Team Results : Click here
Reserve Team Table : Click here