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Lindfield the trialist on show today, the former Liverpool striker having scored four goals in 27 starts and nine substitute appearances in lower league loan spells away from Anfield in the last two seasons. The 20-year old frontman partnering Madine upfront before the pair were substituted for Bowman and Cook midway through the second-half.
Kicking towards the Waterworks End in the first-half Madine was fouled by Adam Mitter early on bang in the middle just outside the Blackpool 'D'. Skipper for the day Evan Horwood seeing his left-footed free-kick pushed wide by Chris Kettings. Sixty seconds later and United did take the lead, Lindfield in the left of the box hitting a crisp 15-yard volley on his left foot back across into the far bottom corner from a searching Jonny Blake ball over the top.
The Seasiders quickly equalised four minutes later though when a cross-shot from 12 yards out on the right by Louis Almond pinged off the back of an unsuspecting Steven Swinglehurst's right boot before going through the legs of Adam Collin, a goal that Collin might have done better with.
United retook the lead almost straight away when Horwood and Michael Burns combined well down the left. Horwood putting over an excellent cross which Madine took down nicely on his chest at the back-post before rolling the ball on a plate for Rothery to side-foot home from six yards out. Lindfield then pulling a right-footed 25-yarder wide of the near-post moments later.
Rothery then fouled Troy Hewitt in the 14th minute which led to former Walsall bad boy Ishmel Demontagnac hitting in a long-range free-kick which looped up off the wall and into the hands of Collin under his crossbar. Two minutes later Conor Tinnion's cross in found Madine heading over Kettings at the back-stick only for the ball to be cleared off the line, Lindfield then completely missing his kick before Kettings made a very good save from Rothery's goalbound six-yard effort.
With 20 minutes on the clock Rothery swung a corner in from which the Blues made it 3-1, Aldred thumping a low diving header beyind the reach of Kettings from ten yards out. Carlisle almost making it 4-1 three minutes later when Rothery stuck a cross in from the right, after a blocked Lindfield shot, and Tinnion, just inside the box, volleyed it left-footed into the ground, up onto the bar at the far-post and over.
Lindfield, from a Tinnion pass, forced a block out of Ben Breakell and Kettings on 27 minutes, Madine then heading his ten-yard effort into the arms of a busy Kettings following Rothery's ball in. Rothery then shortly afterwards striking a left-footed 20-yarder across goal and wide of the far-post after some set-up play by Madine.
Bang on the half-hour mark and it was 4-1 to the Cumbrians, Rothery's pass through the middle finding Madine all alone to roll the ball past a static Kettings from 18 yards out low into the bottom corner. Two minutes later United were unable to make anything out of a free-kick for a foul on Tinnion by Demontagnac, then after 35 minutes that particular Blackpool player cut in from the right and hit a powerful 22-yard left-footer straight at Collin.
Shortly afterwards and Tony Kane and Madine combined for Lindfield to curl a lovely right-footed effort goalwards from the 'D'. the ball though bouncing up and down into the arms of Kettings via the angle of far-post and bar. Almond for the Seasiders then hitting a close-range shot in from the right which was well blocked by the legs of Collin.
Collin made a better stop in the 43rd minute when Demontagnac ran in quickly before pulling the ball back for Almond on the penalty spot, Collin doing very well to tip Almond's right-footed first time effort over the top. Tinnion then going very close for Carlisle when he made a great run down the left, exchanged passes with Lindfield, and then curled a shot with his weaker right foot onto the base of the far-post from 15 yards out.
United really had been playing some excellent stuff throughout the first-half as they knocked the ball around well past a young Blackpool side who struggled to make any impact in the midfield areas. The last chance of the opening period also coming the way of the Cumbrians when Tinnion fired a weak left-footer in from distance which was easy for Kettings to collect.
Horwood had taken what looked like a nasty studs up dead leg late in the 38th minute and the limp on that obviously hadn't improved as he was replaced by Sean Law at the break. Swinglehurst moving to left-back as Law slotted into the centre of defence with the captain's armband being passed from Horwood to Aldred.
Jamie Sheldon hit a quick shot shortly after the whistle for the visitors which whistled away well wide of the near-post. Blake then trying his luck on his weaker left foot, although his 22-yard half-volley was always slicing past the far side of the goal. The half had begun at a frenetic pace and in the 48th minute a good Tinnion run down the left resulted in a weak Lindfield shot going wide of the near-post from the edge of the box.
Five minutes after the interval and Law was penalised for a soft looking foul on Hewitt just outside the Carlisle 'D', Demontagnac unable to profit for the Seasiders though as he curled his effort over the top and into the Waterworks end. Two minutes later the busy Demontagnac, who impressed far more when moved from the middle to the right wing, cut in from that flank only to see his shot on goal well blocked by a Workington-bound Aldred.
Blake and Madine linked up well in the 55th minute as they fed the ball on to Rothery, his right-footed shot from 15 yards out flying across goal and wide though. Seasiders right-back Adam Foster then three minutes later sticking a cross in from that wing which Hewitt headed past the far-post from the penalty spot area, Madine then going up the other end and hitting a right-footed 18-yarder wide of the target.
Just before the hour-mark and Blackpool made their first substitution of the match when Joe McDonald came on down the right for Barkhuizen. Shortly afterwards Blackpool got a very weak penalty award from Durham referee Tony Harrington when Aldred was somehow adjudged to have fouled Sheldon in the tackle, Demontagnac then easily sending Collin the wrong way from the spot.
The relentless attacking play in the game wouldn't end and in the 63rd minute Burns played a ball over the top for Madine to chase down, Madine though from the edge of the box seeing his attempted lob well pawed away by Kettings. Moments later Madine seeing his eight-yard header from a Rothery corner hurriedly hacked away from the line by Jake Rooney.
That was the last action of the game for Madine as he and Lindfield were immediately replaced by Cook and Bowman after a free-kick had been awarded for a foul in the goalmouth scramble following Madine's header. Blackpool pulled the score back to 4-3 in the 66th minute when Demontagnac put in from the right as good a left-footed cross as you will see, the ball flying into the net past Collin seemingly off the shoulder of Hewitt eight yards out.
Demontagnac replaced by Kurt Bradley before Carlisle kicked the game back off. Bradley not even having time to blink before United made it 5-3 in an extremely entertaining encounter. Cook in the middle seeing his shot well blocked before Rothery picked up on the scraps to fire the rebound under the body of Kettings and into the net from close range.
McDonald showed some good pace for the Seasiders in the 71st minute when he flew in from the right at speed only to see his left-footed 15-yarder ping away off the legs of Collin. The Cumbrians goalkeeper having to make another good stop two minutes later when Hewitt struck in a left-footed shot on the turn from just inside the United box.
Carlisle stretched the lead back out to three goals in the 77th minute when they made it 6-3, Cook 20 yards out in the left-hand channel, from a Tinnion pass, chipping an exquisite effort over the top of Kettings and into the net, the goal having shades of Davor Suker and Peter Schmeichel in Euro 96 in the way Kettings almost waved the ball over his own head.
Two minutes later and it was Blackpool pressing again when Almond's 15-yard shot brought a great save out of Collin, the Carlisle stopper then able to catch Almond's flicked effort at the near-post from the resultant McDonald corner. The 84th minute seeing the Seasiders make their final change as Mitter was helped off the field with what looked like a thigh or groin strain to be replaced by Liam Tomsett.
The goalscoring still hadn't stopped and United notched the last one in the 85th minute. Burns playing Cook in down the right who sent in a perfect curling cross at pace for Bowman, 12 yards out, to thump a powerful header back past a powerless Kettings, that perhaps the goal of the game from a team perspective.
After 88 minutes Cook missed a chance that he would normally put away nine times out of ten when he got away down the right-hand channel and faced up to Kettings one-on-one just inside the box. He was left with his head in his hands though as his right-footed effort flew away wide of the outside of the near-post.
As we ticked into injury time Hewitt ghosted on into the middle past Aldred but his finish didn't match his run as his right-footed 20-yarder disappeared away well over the top. Collin then making a good one-handed stop sixty seconds later as he clawed a Sheldon curler across him from the left-angle of the penalty area away from his far top corner.
The last chance of the game finally did come with the paper and pencil almost on fire, Collin punching a corner straight out to McDonald who then very generously hit his shot straight back into the arms of Collin from 15 yards out. And that was it, enough chances and goals to last us three or four second-string games, now for the first team to follow suit.
United line-up :
Adam Collin, Tony Kane, Evan Horwood (Sean Law 46), Steven Swinglehurst, Tom Aldred, Jonny Blake, Michael Burns, Gavin Rothery, Gary Madine (Andy Cook 46), Craig Lindfield (Ryan Bowman 64), Conor Tinnion.
Unused substitutes :
Mark Gillespie (GK) and Matt Osmond.
Blackpool line-up :
Chris Kettings, Adam Foster, Jake Rooney, Ben Breakell, Adam Mitter (Liam Tomsett 84), Al Bangura, Tom Barkhuizen (Joe McDonald 59), Ishmel Demontagnac (Kurt Bradley 66), Louis Almond, Troy Hewitt, Jamie Sheldon.
Unused substitute :
Joe Potts (GK).
Referee - Tony Harrington (Durham).
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