Kevin Gall - Danny Carlton
Shaun Vipond - Grant Smith - Luke Joyce - Neale McDermott
Evan Horwood - Darren Campion - Dan Kirkup - Paul Arnison
Chris Howarth
The Blues couldn't have been faster out of the traps either this evening as they went 1-0 up within the first 90 seconds of the match. Danny Carlton, after Accrington had given the ball away, sending a slide-rule pass through for Kevin Gall down the middle of the pitch behind the Stanley back-four, Gall then picking his spot from 15 yards out with a right-footed instep finish that nestled low into the far bottom corner of Kenny Arthur's net.
Gall was again free in the fourth minute, after Luke Joyce's long diagonal ball over the top of Stanley right-back James Bell. This time though his 12-yard right-footed effort from almost on the left-hand by-line was weak and straight at Arthur at his near-post. Two minutes later Neale McDermott made a good run down the right with his cross in being deflected straight to Gall eight yards out, Gall volleying the ball on the turn right-footed only to send it way over the top.
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The pressure was building for a second United goal now and it came in the 16th minute. Blues skipper Paul Arnison surely taking most of the praise for a lovely ball down the right-hand channel for Gall running off the shoulder of the Accrington defenders. Gall then taking a touch before slamming a low right-footed shot across the face of goal and into the far corner of the net from 12 yards out.
With 20 minutes gone McDermott and Arnison worked a nice short corner which saw Arnison's cross headed down but low and into the arms of Arthur from just outside the six-yard box by Luke Joyce. Stanley, who had been the architects of their own downfall by constantly giving the ball away in midfield, finally got their first effort in on Carlisle's goal five minutes later but David Brown's right-footed 30-yard drive zoomed well over the top of Chris Howarth's crossbar.
Some poor defending by Dan Kirkup bang on the half-hour mark forced Arnison into conceding a corner with a good tackle. Robert Grant sending the flag-kick in which saw Sean Webb head down from eight yards out and into the arms of Howarth on the bounce. Straight from there Howarth hurling the ball out to Gall in the distance, only for Gall to try an audacious 50 yard lob from the right-wing which went well over the angle of far-post and bar as it was watched by Arthur.
Five minutes later Stanley worked their own short corner between Shaun Whalley and captain Leighton McGivern, Whalley scooting down the right-hand by-line and forcing Howarth into a block at his near-post with a right-footed effort from ten yards out. It was still Carlisle having the bulk of possession in the main though and they went close again in the 37th minute.
Referee David Webb from County Durham waving play on after Danny Carlton had been brought down on the half-way line by Webb. Gall taking the chance to spread play wide to McDermott on the right, McDermott's excellent cross in to the back-post then being wasted by Gall running in at the back-post though as his left-footed drive went wide of the near-post from ten yards out.
With 39 minutes gone Smith steaming into the Stanley penalty area, on the end of a sideways pass from Gall, was seemingly brought down by Webb but surprisingly no spot-kick was awarded. Arthur seemed determined to pick up a yellow card three minutes later when, following a foul on him by Joyce, he three times tried to ignore the wishes of the referee to take the free-kick from the right place, Mr Webb finally losing patience and booking the ex-Partick Thistle goalkeeper.
The last action of the first-half came just as the clock ticked into injury-time after some good work by Vipond in what was an unaccustomed left-wing role for him. Gall dallied too long on the pass from Vipond though when he really should have played a quick one-two and in the end he could only scuff a right-footed drive from 20 yards out straight at Arthur.
Accrington signalled their intent of trying to get something out of the game during the break when they came back onto the field with two substitutes, Jordan Gerrard surprisingly coming on for the impressive Billy Dennehy, who is on loan to the Reds from Sunderland, while Brown was replaced by former Blackburn youth midfielder Abdeltareck Sakali. McGivern getting Sakali straight into the action in the 48th minute with a neat lay-off only for the substitute to hit his low left-footed shot from 18 yards out straight at Howarth.
An extremely quiet spell in the game followed now as the Blues began to join in with Accrington as far as giving the ball away in midfield was concerned. The next thing to note coming in the 62nd minute when Arthur, making his comeback from a broken leg, was replaced in goal by Martin Fearon on 62 minutes. United boss Eric Kinder then making his first change of the game four minutes later when Gary Madine came on for McDermott, Madine going straight upfront while Carlton dropped into the right-hand side of midfield.
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The Cumbrians went 3-0 up to seal all three points just sixty seconds later when, after some more excellent hold-up play by Madine, Smith sent Vipond running clear on the break down the left-hand channel. Vipond cutting in on goal, and choosing not to square to a wide-open Gall for his hat-trick, advancing on Fearon before lifting a right-footed shot over the diving Stanley keeper and into the back of the net from ten yards out.
After 72 minutes McGivern, who had spent most of the game complaining to the officials, was finally booked for dissent having already been warned by the referee numerous times. Carlisle made their second substitution of the game three minutes later when Connor Tinnion replaced a Smith working his way back to full fitness, Vipond going into his normal central midfield spot as Tinnion took up his usual role down the left-wing.
Madine and Tinnion showed some of their link-up play from the youth team in the 80th minute and from Tinnion's cross in Fearon and 17-year old Stanley defender Peter Murphy made a real meal of trying to clear the danger. The ball eventually ending up at the feet of Carlton on the left-hand by-line ten yards out. Carlton's right-footed curler sliding off the face of the crossbar before Graham Branch eventually managed to hoof the ball away to safety.
Some more bad defending from United in the 82nd minute, as Darren Campion was caught out from a quick throw-in, saw McGivern cut in from the right only to slice a left-footed 15-yarder across goal and well wide of Howarth's far-post. Sakali the next up for the visitors to try to find a consolation goal but his right-footed shot from 15 yards out in the right-hand channel flew into the Carlisle side-netting at the near-post.
Two minutes from time and Stanley were still hoping to pull a late goal back when McGivern sent a slide-rule pass down the left-hand channel for Whalley to race onto. Howarth had quickly seen the danger though and zoomed from his line to smother Whalley's right-footed effort from ten yards out, the ball then pinging back off the legs of Whalley on it's way out for a United goal-kick.
Desperate for a goal now, after spending the last 20 minutes having a ongoing row with Arnison, McGivern tried a left-footed chip from 20 yards out sixty seconds later which only proved to be an easy take for Howarth. The final opportunity for another goal in the game coming in the last minute when Madine's 15-yard right-footed shot from the right-hand channel was well held by Fearon.
The final whistle then coming after three minutes of injury time, as, after a shoddy start to their second-string campaign, Carlisle have now won three and drawn three of their last six reserve games. Their next chance to keep that unbeaten run going coming on Wednesday the 6th of February in a 2pm kick-off at Deepdale against Preston North End.
United line-up :
Chris Howarth, Paul Arnison (c), Evan Horwood, Dan Kirkup, Darren Campion, Luke Joyce, Neale McDermott (Gary Madine 66), Grant Smith (Connor Tinnion 75), Danny Carlton, Kevin Gall, Shaun Vipond.
Unused substitutes :
Adam Bradley (GK), Dan Wordsworth and Andy Cook.
Accrington line-up :
Kenny Arthur (Martin Fearon 62), James Bell, Graham Branch, Phil Doherty, Sean Webb, Peter Murphy, Billy Dennehy (Jordan Gerrard 46), David Brown (Abdeltareck Sakali 46), Leighton McGivern (c), Shaun Whalley, Robert Grant.
Unused substitute :
Roscoe D'Sane.
Referee - David Webb (County Durham).
Attendance - 70.
Fixtures in the division this week :
Wrexham P-P Chester (Mon, 7pm)
Carlisle United 3-0 Accrington Stanley (Tue, 7pm)
Manchester City 2-3 Tranmere (Tue, 2pm)
Blackpool P-P Bury (Wed, 7pm)
Burnley 1-6 Rochdale (Wed, 7pm)
Morecambe P-P Preston North End (Wed, 7pm)
Reserve Team Results : Click here
Reserve Team Table : Click here