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Richard Offiong was alongside the returning Andy Cook for the Cumbrians and it was Offiong in the first minute who broke free down the right before cutting in and sending a left-footed 15-yard curler across goal and well wide of the far-post. Sixty seconds later Conor Tinnion sticking a corner in which Tony Kane, featuring at centre-half, headed over the top from close range.
Preston soon responded though and they took the lead as early as the fourth minute, George Miller and Danny Mayor combining well to feed the ball into the feet of Michael McLellan 12 yards out with his back to goal. McLellan turning well past Blues right-back Jonny Blake before striking a powerful left-footed effort low into the corner beyond the reach of Carlisle goalkeeper Gillespie.
United were looking for an equaliser in the ninth minute though when Offiong came in from the left at pace only to hit a weak 12-yard right-footer straight at North End stopper Dominic Comrie. Preston then breaking quickly up the other end with Neil Dougan eventually shooting left-footed but wide of the near-post from just inside the Blues box.
Three minutes later and a deep diagonal cross from the left by Dougan found Jamie Proctor at the Carlisle far-post, Proctor's weak first-time volley on his right boot though was an easy one for Peter Murphy to clear. It was in an attacking sense where Murphy helped out though shortly afterwards when his good run forward saw the ball reach Offiong via a Gavin Rothery touch, Offiong sliding a 12-yard right-footed shot into the far corner of the net past Comrie to make it 1-1.
Play then went quiet for a spell as both sides gave the ball away in midfield, the next chance coming in the 25th minute when Rothery's half-volley from just outside the box, following a cleared Marc Bridge-Wilkinson corner, only succeeded in flooring Kane when it hit the back of his head at speed. Blake then feeding Cook in for a chance two minutes later, Cook's 20-yard right-footer from the middle screaming inches past the far-post though.
Moments later and Offiong, from a Rothery pass, saw a right-footed shot from 20 yards out deflect wide off Danny Devine, Comrie then making a fantastic reaction save on a Murphy six-yard header from the resultant Tinnion corner. Disappointingly the last action of a dull end to the first-half coming in the 31st minute when Gillespie did well to get a hand on the ball as Proctor looked to take it around him in the Carlisle box.
Two minutes into the second-half and from a Tinnion corner Kane, eight yards out, headed wide of the far-post, Preston frontman Danny Mayor, who impressed more when dropping deep later in the game, then going into the book for a poor challenge on Offiong after 51 minutes. Four minutes later and it was the Blues attacking again when Cook set up Rothery for a 22-yard left-footed shot that only flew away to safety off the back of a startled Bridge-Wilkinson.
With 58 minutes gone a loose ball dropped just outside the Carlisle box to the feet of North End's Adam Barton, the Lilywhites midfielder though striking a right-footed shot well wide from there. Sixty seconds later and it was the Blues again when impressive visiting right-back Conor McLaughlin fouled Rothery 30 yards out on the left, Bridge-Wilkinson nearly catching Comrie napping as he thumped the free-kick into the Preston side-netting at the near-post.
Comrie did get his hands on the ball in the 61st minute however when he gathered in Cook's long-range strike at the second attempt. Comrie doing well again moments later when, from a Blake pass, Offiong tried to dink the ball over him from 15 yards out, Comrie making a good catch above his head. That the last action of the night for Offiong, who had been struggling a little since the 20 minute mark with a groin injury, Ryan Bowman coming on in his place after 63 minutes.
Bowman's first touch in the game pushing the ball through to Cook, the United frontman slipping while shooting though right-footed from 25 yards out, the effort only going out for a Lilywhites throw-in. Bowman then five minutes later setting up Bridge-Wilkinson for a similar shot which this time was blocked very strongly by North End centre-half Tom Smyth.
The visitors were denied themselves in the 69th minute however when a cross in from the right by McLaughlin was cleverly met by the right bootlaces of McLellan at the United near-post, Gillespie forced to make an excellent low save from McLellan's close range effort. Preston then making their first change in the match when Scott Davidson came on for Miller in central midfield.
Play finally began to open up a little in the closing stages and moments later Michael Burns fouled Dougan 30 yards out, Dougan himself swinging the free-kick in right-footed only to see Swinglehurst make a good headed clearance. The United left-back was part of some poor defending for a North End goal two minutes later however when McLaughlin came in from the right past three weak Carlisle challenges before firing a left-footed drive from the 'D' low into the bottom corner of Gillespie's net.
After 76 minutes Rothery turned well on a Burns pass into his feet in the Preston box, Rothery though pulling his resultant left-footed 15-yarder across goal and well wide of Comrie's left-hand post. The Blues did however find a leveller sixty seconds later when Bowman scored his fifth reserve goal of the season, the Cumbrians frontman benefitting from a Cook pass to smash a right-footed drive from 20 yards out past Comrie at his near-post.
Shortly afterwards and the visitors made another change as Ryan McGreevy replaced the hard-working McLellan upfront. Bowman then almost made it 3-2 to Carlisle after 79 minutes from a Cook pass, Bowman perhaps choosing the wrong option as he could have tried to lob Comrie from the edge of the box, he still went close though as his fierce right-footed drive from there flew just inches wide of the near-post.
Two minutes later and Kane sent a pass down the right for Blake to race onto, Blake setting the ball back for Tinnion who then cut in from that flank only to slice a left-footer from distance across goal and well wide of the target. Comrie did have to make a save on 86 minutes though when Rothery fed Cook away on the left, Cook then putting in a pass for Bridge-Wilkinson to fire in a 15-yard right-footer that was well parried away by Comrie.
North End thought they had regained the lead moments later when substitute McGreevy headed in a Dougan free-kick given 30 yards out on the left following a foul by Kane on Mayor, McGreevy though flagged offside eight yards out just as he began to celebrate, the Preston man the subject of a tight call from the assistant referee over on the East Stand side.
A winner did come in the game but it came the way of Carlisle in the final minute following a Smyth foul on Tinnion right on the far-angle of the box. Bridge-Wilkinson clipping the set-piece over the wall right-footed and then watching it hit the base of the nar-post, ping off the back of Comrie and fly across into the far corner of the net, an unlucky goal to concede for the Lilywhites.
The last chance of another goal in the game coming sixty seconds into the three minutes of time added on when Bridge-Wilkinson fired wide left-footed from just outside the North End penalty area. The final whistle bringing to an end not the best peformance from United against a young Preston side, some of the Lilywhites at the end clearly disappointed to lose a match in which, to be honest, they probably deserved a point.
United line-up :
Mark Gillespie, Jonny Blake, Steven Swinglehurst, Tony Kane, Peter Murphy, Gavin Rothery, Michael Burns, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson (c), Richard Offiong (Ryan Bowman 63), Andy Cook, Conor Tinnion.
Unused substitutes :
Jon Ball (GK), Sean Law, Ben McKenna and James Wood.
Preston line-up :
Dominic Comrie, Conor McLaughlin, Matt Carlisle, Tom Smyth, Danny Devine, Danny Mayor, Adam Barton, George Miller (Scott Davidson 70), Michael McLellan (Ryan McGreevy 78), Jamie Proctor, Neil Dougan.
Unused substitutes :
Tom Owens, Phil Quirk and Jordan Watson.
Referee - Peter Wright (Southport).
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