United Reserves 4-1 Blackpool Reserves

Skipper Simon Grand

Things couldn't have started much worse for the Blues though when they found themselves 1-0 down within sixty seconds. Left-back Phil Doran put a cross in from his flank which looked to be a bread-and-butter take for United keeper Anthony Williams. The Welshman and Carlisle centre-half Dan Kirkup got in each other's way though, and that allowed striker Alex Smith to sneak in and nod the ball into an unguarded net from just six yards out.

Seven minutes later, as the Blackpool youngsters set the pace, the ball broke out to Smith 22 yards from the United goal, the striker curling a powerful shot in with his right-foot which Williams was able to gather at the second attempt. The Cumbrians finally got out of their starting blocks in the 11^th minute, a break from 16-year old forward Stephen Hindmarch releasing winger Pete Ferris down the right-hand channel. Ferris cut inside well but his left-footed shot from fully 25 yards out was a hopeful one and sliced away well wide of the Seasiders far-post.

In the 13^th minute the visitors went away down the Carlisle right, a great ball from left-midfielder Ben Perry-Acton looking for front-man Matthew Ogden. The ‘Pool man couldn't control the pass in the Blues box though and Williams was able to grab it. Three minutes later United physiotherapist Neil Dalton, playing at left-back, found the ball at his feet after the visitors had failed to clear a cross from pacey winger Simon Hackney. Dalton's effort was on his weaker right foot though from fully 30 yards out and was pulled well wide of Kyle Clancy's goal.

Sixty seconds later, in a game full of chances, United's Brendan McGill, playing in central midfield, put a flag-kick in from the Paddock/Waterworks corner and Kirkup was unlucky to see his header from close range fly over the ‘Pool crossbar. After 21 minutes the Cumbrians did find their way back into the game when they converted a penalty award. Ferris sent striker Mark Rivers away down the right, and some neat footwork by him on the visitors by-line saw the ball crossed in to the back-post. Hackney was waiting there to nod home for the Cumbrians but he never got the chance as he was pushed in the back by Perry-Acton to leave the referee with little choice but to give a spot-kick. Perry-Acton was booked to add to his troubles, with Blues skipper Simon Grand coolly converting the penalty low into the bottom-right corner of the ‘Pool net.

Only two minutes later and the game had been turned completely on it's head when the Cumbrians went 2-1 up. Good work between Grand, McGill and Rivers saw the latter deliver a nicely judged ball down the left-hand channel for Hackney to use his pace to run onto. The Seasiders keeper came out to narrow the angle but Hackney kept his composure to deftly chip the ball over the advancing Clancy with his left foot from 15 yards out, to complete the United overhaul of the visitors.

After 27 minutes, ‘Pool, now looking for an equaliser, saw Doran playing a cross in from the left which was initially cleared, by Blue Luke Joyce, who impressed in his preferred central midfield position. Trialist Nick Linford was first onto the loose ball for the visitors, but his left foot shot from 25 yards out sailed well over Williams' crossbar. Bang on the half-hour mark and it was United pushing forward again though, Hackney cutting in well from the left to hold up the ball and eventually playing a clever reverse pass back into the feet of Hindmarch just inside the left-edge of the ‘Pool box. Hindmarch smashed in a fierce drive on his right foot which went straight at Kyle Clancy but the young glovesman still made a bit of a meal of pushing it over for a Carlisle corner.

Three minutes later Linford looked up and tried an extremely speculative shot from fully 35 yards out on his left foot which Williams was able to take in easy on the bounce. Sixty seconds later and another good chance came the way of the Cumbrians after some poor defending by the away side. A long goal-kick by Williams was missed by Linford, the ball ending up just in front of Hindmarch who had given play up with ‘Pool seemingly being first there. Running in on goal, he took the ball around the left of the visitors keeper but the angle was growing ever tighter and his left-footed shot from six yards out was sliced well wide of the near-post.

United made their constant pressure pay in the 36^th minute when they made the score 3-1. Ferris laid the ball on to Rivers down the right, with the ex-Crewe man sending in a lovely ball to the back-post from 30 yards out. Once more Hackney was the first player on the scene, but this time he was left all alone to head down and into the Seasiders net from just six yards out. Two minutes later Ferris played a good pass into the feet of Hindmarch on the ‘Pool penalty spot. Hindmarch dallied too long though and, by the time he played the ball back to Ferris, the young Cumbrian was under pressure from the visitors defence and was only able to fire his left foot shot wide of Kyle Clancy's near-post.

A minute on United went close again, as the Blues seemed to be constantly camped in the Seasiders half. Ferris was brought down by Doran 30 yards out on the right-wing, with Hackney stepping up to send the free-kick in on his trusty left foot. Grand's six-yard header at the far-post was blocked by Linford and Kirkup could only knee the ball over the bar from close range as he tried to bundle the rebound home for Carlisle.

Blackpool got a rare attack in after 40 minutes, powerful left-midfield man Matt Shaw crossing a fantastic ball in from the left-wing to the United far-post. Smith really should have buried the chance on his right foot from only five yards out but he didn't convert and Williams was able to make a great sprawling save low down. That was the last real chance for the visitors to take anything from the game as just two minutes later they found themselves 4-1 behind.

A long Williams goal-kick saw Seasiders central defender Ashton Bayliss make a dreadful attempt to clear as he only headed the ball straight to the feet of Rivers. The ex-Crewe man waited for Kyle Clancy to commit himself and then slipped his shot beyond him with his left instep from 15 yards out to give the Blues a three goal advantage, and leave ‘Pool wondering what had hit them.

That was the signal for the Seasiders to make their first change of the game. Ogden had fallen awkwardly in an aerial challenge with Dalton a few minutes earlier and was replaced by Dominic Morella. The last chance of the opening period came the way of the visitors in the closing moments, Linford playing an intelligent ball in front of Perry-Acton down the left-hand channel. Perry-Acton hit in a drive with his left foot across the face of Williams' goal but it was pulled too much and flew wide of the Blues far-post.

The second-half contained a lot less chances than the first had, although it didn't look like it would be that way just sixty seconds in. Hackney laying the ball back to McGill only to see the Irishman send his 25-yard right-footer over the Blackpool bar. Six minutes later Dalton's clearance forward found the irrepressible Hackney who zoomed on past Bayliss for pace down the left. Getting into the box the ex-Woodley Sports winger tried his luck with left foot shot from 15 yards out which Kyle Clancy did well to parry, the ‘Pool keeper collecting the ball at the second attempt.

In the 54^th minute Hackney made another good run down the left and crossed the ball in well for Rivers. The United forward headed powerfully home from just six yards out only to look across and be disappointed to see the linesman holding his flag in the air to signal for offside. Three minutes on and Joyce hit a delightful diagonal 45-yard ball over the top of the Seasiders left-back Doran for Ferris to race onto. Ferris got down to the by-line and tried to cut-back and get a close-range shot in on goal, only to have it blocked by ‘Pool's covering centre-half Sean Clancy.

The visitors made another rare foray forward shortly afterwards when some good work by Linford played in Shaw in the middle of the Carlisle ‘D'. Shaw got a quick shot in on his right foot but it was weak and straight at Williams. Ferris was again in the thick of the action for the Cumbrians in the 62^nd minute when he played in Rivers in the Seasiders box. Rivers laid the ball back to Hindmarch but the youngster's shot was pulled horribly with his right foot, only for it to go straight back to the one-time Norwich forward in a dangerous position clear on the Blackpool goal. Rivers got a powerful shot in from 15 yards out with his left foot in the left-hand channel but Kyle Clancy made an excellent parried save in the visitors goal.

After 64 minutes McGill and Hackney worked a good short corner together for the Blues which saw the latter player cross in nicely from the right with his left foot. Kirkup got up well eight yards out to get a firm header in on goal, only for the ball to fly inches over the ‘Pool crossbar. The Cumbrians made three substitutions in five minutes from the 65^th minute on, Carlisle reserve team boss giving some of the players a well-earned rest and putting on three youth-teamers. James Earl came on for Ferris on the right-side of midfield, Shaun Vipond replaced Hackney on the left and Andy Hardman came on for Hindmarch upfront.

The game went through a quiet spell for a while with the changes in personnel and it was the visitors who had the next opportunity in the 72^nd minute. Earl gave the ball away to Shaw, who ran on to the edge of the United box only to be upended by Kirkup inches outside the penalty area. Young striker Matthew Kay curled the free-kick up and over the wall with his right foot but there was little room to get the ball back down again and it shot over Williams' bar onto the roof of the net.

Two minutes later McGill, Hardman and Joyce combined nicely with the diminutive Dubliner crossing in from the left-hand by-line. Rivers had been left unmarked just ten yards out and the Cumbrians front-man was unlucky to see his header excellently tipped over the bar by Kyle Clancy in the ‘Pool goal. Sixty seconds on and the visitors went close as they started to have a good spell of pressure in the game. Smith played a good low ball out to substitute Morella on the right, the youngster cutting in well inside Dalton, but his finish didn't match the approach play as he toe-poked a right-footed effort across goal and wide of the United far-post from only 12 yards out.

The Seasiders were finishing the game well and in the 79^th minute Shaw played a neat pass into the feet of Kay down the left. Kay's cross in from the flank got to the back-post where Dalton attempted to clear, only to send the ball straight out to Morella on the edge of the Carlisle box. Morella's powerful left-foot shot was heading straight for the top right-hand corner of the United net only for Williams to make a flying save as he parried the ball around the near-post for a ‘Pool corner.

United came back into it though and in the 82^nd minute Earl and McGill played perhaps the longest one-two in football history. Earl sent the Irishman away down the left with McGill holding the ball up cleverly as he waited for team-mates to get into the Seasiders box. Earl was there quickly onto the far-post cross but he could only head over under pressure from Doran eight yards out.

The visitors made a double substitution in the 83^rd minute as they looked to blood a couple of youngsters into the reserve team fold. Jonathan McMenemy came on for Perry-Acton and Danny Penswick replaced Bayliss. The last chance of the game came the way of Blackpool in the final minute, Kay sending pacey youngster Morella away down the right flank. Morella got a good cross in to the middle of the United area but Linford's header from 15 yards out went wide of the Cumbrians goal.

That was the last action on the night with Carlisle's second-string coming away with a 4-1 victory that had looked highly unlikely given the first 20 minutes of action. As we know with the first-team though results are all that count, and these three points won the reserve lads the title and sent them into the play-off system to find the overall Pontin's Holiday League champions.

Congratulations to Billy Barr and all the players who have represented Carlisle United in their successful second-string campaign.