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With Chris McDougall still sidelined through illness and Andy Cook playing for neither side due to the archaic Football League rulebook, Conor Tinnion was pushed upfront alongside Ryan Bowman as Carlisle started the game in their traditional 4-1-3-2 formation at youth level. Tinnion struggling a little throughout the game to get on the end of some good flick-ons and hold-up play from Bowman against two experienced centre-halves.
A reasonable crowd of 200 spectators had come down to watch but they will be wishing they hadn't as a poor game unfolded thanks to both playing and weather conditions. Get the ball on the ground and it bounced on the rock hard pitch like a basketball court and bobbled like playing on a corrugated iron roof, stick it up in the air and a freezing cold gale force wind took charge, chances understandably therefore being at a premium.
Workington played with that wind at their backs in the first-half and they had the opening chance of the game in the fourth minute, Darren Edmondson at the United near-post heading a Gareth Brunton corner over the top from ten yards out. Edmondson again unmarked on the end of a Brunton flag-kick on 13 minutes, after Brunton's initial corner had been cleared by Burns, this time his 12-yard header going well wide of Alex Mitchell's near-post.
Three minutes later and Callum Ruttledge set up Gareth Arnison for a run through that took him round Mitchell, Arnison then only finishing weakly from eight yards out on his left foot though, a well-positioned Tom Aldred then able to take a touch short of the goal-line before running the ball away from danger.
With 24 minutes gone Burns switched play nicely for Simon Lakeland over on the right, Lakeland sticking a great cross in from there but the bouncing ball wouldn't drop to a Carlisle foot and Edmondson was able to head clear. A quiet spell in the game then followed before in the 35th minute Lee McCullough hit in a 35-yard half-volley on the wind with his right boot that either Mitchell tipped over or hit the top of the bar, referee John Corkhill choosing the latter as he awarded a goal-kick.
The last action of the half coming after 38 minutes when Steven Swinglehurst, vying with Aldred and Jonny Blake for United man of the match on the night, stuck a good cross in from his left-back spot. Bowman taking a quick touch on it before, from 15 yards out, trying an ambitious right-footed overhead kick that looped up in the air before being caught on the bounce by Reds, or Blues goalkeeper next season, Adam Collin.
It took until the 53rd minute for the first opportunity to arise after the interval, Tinnion's corner in from the left seeing a running-in Blake head over the top of Collin's goal from eight yards out. Tinnion then two minutes later firing a 30-yard left-footed cross-shot over Collin's crossbar after his earlier corner had been cleared.
The Reds made a double change bang on the hour-mark as Jonny Wright and Dan Robinson came on for Steven Hampton and Brunton respectively. Carlisle boss Eric Kinder then making his first substitution in the 63rd minute as Sean Law was replaced by James Reid, that seeing Carlisle go 4-4-2 as Tinnion went out onto the left and Liam Davison moved over to the right, Blake and Burns now occupying the Blues engine room.
Lakeland injured himself in the 73rd minute as referee Corkhill awarded a free-kick against him for a foul on Robinson in the near corner. United then working hard to clear Arnison's right-footed delivery in as the ball bounced around dangerously on the edge of their own penalty area. The young Blues then in action up the other end of the pitch two minutes later, only for Tinnion's 25-yard left-footed shot to disappear away well wide of Collin's right-hand post.
Workington made their final change in the 79th minute as Lee Andrews came on at left-back for Greg Mitchell. Andrews involved quickly as two minutes later, following nice approach play by Tinnion, Davison was able to take the ball around Edmondson and shoot right-footed from eight yards out, Andrews though well placed to make an excellent block tackle that saw the ball loop over the crossbar.
Tinnion's left-footed corner in was cleared however with play then going on a bit before Davison touched Tinnion's ball on for Reid 12 yards out, Reid's looping header from there though being easily caught by Collin. The pace was starting to pick up now as obviously neither side wanted extra-time, Andrews trying his luck in the 82nd minute with a right-footed 25-yarder that bobbled along straight into the gloves of Mitchell.
Two minutes later and Burns stuck a cross in from the left which was just too high for Davison at the back-stick, as stretching he headed wide of the target from ten yards out. Reds then attacking after 87 minutes when Wright cut in from the erm, right, only to hit an awful 15-yard right-footed shot that pulled away horribly wide of Mitchell's far-post.
No-one in the crowd seemed too sure whether it was extra-time or straight to penalties looming now, although everyone wanted penalties on such a cold night. The final opportunity to avoid what eventually turned out to be ten minutes of extra-time each way, coming a minute into injury time when, from a lovely Reid lay-off, Tinnion was only able to shoot left-footed and wildly wide from 22 yards out after running on down the left-hand channel from the centre-circle.
Workington had the wind in their favour during the first period of extra-time, although it was becoming difficult to tell who was who with the floodlights not exactly beaming bright. United made the opening gambit straight away though following a McCullough foul on Davidson 30 yards out on the right. Tinnion's left-footed ball in being well flicked on by Reid, but sadly for Carlisle, Blake poaching at the back-stick was then flagged offside.
United were having a good spell now and after 95 minutes Burns played a pass in from the left which Bowman laid off well for Davison. The Carlisle youngster's right-footed half-volley from 15 yards out being sliced well wide of the far-post though. That being Davison's final act of the game as he was replaced on the right-hand side of midfield during the break in play by James Wood.
That was it for action in the shortened first-half and it was Reds then making the running in the 102nd minute when Burns was a bit soft in the challenge with Ruttledge. That allowing recent home signing Ruttledge to run on only to fire a right-footed 22-yard effort away wide of Mitchell's far-post.
Carlisle were soon back at it though and they missed a reasonable chance to take the lead sixty seconds later. Blake feeding the ball out to Tinnion on the left with Tinnion then returning the compliment with a cross into the Workington box. Blake had continued his run forward but sadly for the hard-working midfielder he got right under his right-footed half-volley from 12 yards out and it sailed over Collin's crossbar.
A winner in the game finally did come though and it came from a 106th minute boot by Ruttledge over the top of Aldred and Jamie Cleary in the middle of the United defence. Arnison running onto the end of it before calmly slotting a 12-yard right-footed shot beyond the reach of Mitchell and low into the far corner of the Carlisle net.
No real opportunity came for United to grab a late leveller and take the tie to penalties although Blake did graft hard to win the ball in the Reds half before smacking a left-footed drive from 25 yards out straight into the arms of a near-post stationed Collin. Referee Corkhill eventually bringing play to a close on a night where if there was any sense in this world, the tie would have gone straight to penalties after 90 minutes.
Carlisle now making the long trip to Shrewsbury for a youth league fixture in less than 48 hours time, while then being in action again two days later for a home reserve fixture against Bury. Workington meanwhile go on to the final where they face Penrith at Brunton Park, the game already scheduled for next Wednesday night in a 7pm kick-off.
Workington line-up :
Adam Collin (c), Steven Hampton (Jonny Wright 60), Greg Mitchell (Lee Andrews 79), Kyle May, Darren Edmondson, Lee McCullough, Martin Rossi, Adam Main, Gareth Arnison, Callum Ruttledge, Gareth Brunton (Dan Robinson 60).
Unused substitutes :
Levi Johnson and Phil McLuckie.
United line-up :
Alex Mitchell, Simon Lakeland, Steven Swinglehurst, Tom Aldred (c), Jamie Cleary, Jonny Blake, Sean Law (James Reid 63), Liam Davison (James Wood 95), Ryan Bowman, Michael Burns, Conor Tinnion.
Unused substitutes :
Mark Gillespie (GK) and Mark Sloan.
Referee - John Corkhill (Egremont).
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