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The current injury situation for United doesn't help matters though, with the young Blues down to just 10 available YTS players at the moment from an original squad of 17. Picking the bones out of that, Kieran Cahill, Paddy O'Brien, Brad Potts and Josh Todd are all injured, James Bonner and Joe Clements moved on to pastures new a few weeks ago and Ben McKenna was on the bench for the first team.
So, to make up the numbers there have been quite a few new faces about in recent weeks, central midfielder Josh Calvert and left-back Adam Telfer moving up from the under-16s while diminutive striker or right-winger Luke Carr was with the club last season on non-contract terms, as he is again now.
Then come three other North-Easterners, in striker Michael Sweet who played one game on an unsuccessful trial basis, and goalkeeper Craig Whinham who is now at the club on non-contract terms as a back up to Jon Ball. While finally making his debut as a trialist today was left-winger Gavin Hoggarth from Chester-le-Street juniors.
The Cumbrians did have the opening chance of the game in the first minute though when David Symington put a cross in from the right which Mark Beck headed back to the near-post but wide of the target from eight yards out, Blackpool then going close two minutes later when skipper Liam Tomsett seemed to push Steven Swinglehurst in the back before sending in a header that was hacked away from danger following an inswinging Curtis Thompson corner.
Back up at the other end shortly afterwards and Dan Jones should perhaps have done better when he scooped a low Symington cross over the top with his right boot from close range. Phil Towler then trying his luck from a Matt Osmond corner as the ball was cleared out to him, his 20-yard shot was always rising though and Seasiders stopper Elliott Tarney was able to watch it fly over his crossbar.
The Tangerines looked dangerous from their own set-pieces all game and in the 13th minute, following a goalmouth scramble from a Thompson corner, Joe McDonald eventually hooked a shot over the top from eight yards out with his back to goal. Two minutes later another Thompson corner this time finding Adam Mitter's close range downward header bounce back up into the hands of Ball.
Ball then, after 20 minutes, was able to easily catch a 22-yard left-volley from Ryan Gratton after the Blackpool midfielder had teed the shot up for himself. Ball though not doing the same three minutes later when he dropped a cross in from left-back Josh Roberts, fortunately though he was able to get down and smother a follow-up strike on the rebound from McDonald.
The injury jinx then struck again for the Blues as second-year YTS striker Mark Sloan, who is filling in at right-back, limped off with a reoccurence of an ankle injury, Carr therefore coming on for him with Symington now dropping back down the right flank into a defensive role as Carr took the right side of midfield slot.
A busy Ball then involved again moments later when the pacey Tom Barkuizen cut in from the left before seeing his 15-yard shot saved, his toe-poke from the rebound then hitting the base of the near-post before Lance McGlen was able to clear the United lines. Barkuizen then through again in the 26th minute only to pull his left-footed strike wide of the near-post from only 12 yards out.
As bad a shot as you will ever see then came from Tomsett after a quickly tapped free-kick, Tomsett's 25-yard effort starting from that distance and ending at that distance as it went out for a throw-in that far up the other side of the pitch. With 31 minutes gone a free-kick from Roberts saw some pinball in the Carlisle box, before Mitter headed goalwards from a Thompson knock back, Swinglehurst then nodding away from the line before Adam Dodds shot across goal with the rebound, but somehow wide, from close range.
The Seasiders did take the lead two minutes later though when Thompson's pass down the middle saw Ball shout for possession but then stand still, that allowing Barkuizen to skip through before toe-poking his shot from the edge of the box into the United net. The scoreline then becoming 2-0 after 38 minutes when Telfer clearly tripped Dodds for a Blackpool penalty, Barkuizen then sending a dancing, and therefore off-balance, Ball the wrong way from the spot-kick.
Into the first minute of the second-half and a deep cross from Roberts found its way over to fellow Tangerines full-back Matt Challinor, his hammered 22-yard drive only zooming well over the top though. Barkuizen then, after McGlen had surrendered possession, clear in on goal again after 48 minutes, this time however he pulled his left-footed strike from 12 yards out badly and it went past Ball's left-hand post.
Osmond, who probably did the best of the young Blues on the day, then struck in an off-target 20-yard effort before Dodds sadly made it 3-0 to the Seasiders on 50 minutes. The Blackpool striker able to easily run through three half-hearted Carlisle challenges before sliding a neat finish into the net beyond the reach of Ball from the middle of the United penalty area.
Two minutes later and Jones sent in a right-footed 25-yard curler from a left-hand channel free-kick that relied more on placement than pace and thus proved easy for Tarney to take. The Tangerines then responding shortly afterwards with a right-footed strike from long range by Challinor that was always flying way too high on its way into the deep grass at the bottom end of the pitch.
That dangerman Barkuizen was cutting in from the left again a few minutes later only to see Ball make a good save from his 12-yard goalbound toe-poke. With 58 minutes gone, after a foul on Jones, Osmond sent the free-kick in left-footed but straight at Tarney from fully 25 yards out. Carlisle then making their second substitution of the game bang on the hour-mark when Calvert came on for Towler in the Blues engine room.
With the result all but decided the game started to get a bit scrappy now, with a raft of replacements also breaking up the play. The Seasiders making two changes as Jamie Mennagh and Dillon O'Connor came on for Thompson and Biko Younda respectively, and the Blues made their third and final substitution when Adam Gill replaced Jones upfront.
After 74 minutes Carlisle did manage to pull a goal back though when Osmond sent in a corner from the left, which Hoggarth headed into the back of the net from six yards out, seemingly via the head of a Blackpool defender. Hoggarth showing in the game that he has a bit of skill but like many players of his age it looks a case of being able to get it out of him in the right manner at the right time.
Three minutes later and United nearly got a corner in rather bizarre circumstances when a throw-in back to Tarney from Roberts went straight under the boot of the Seasiders goalkeeper. Tarney though racing back to the line just in time to hack it away from goal and prevent the Cumbrians from earning a flag-kick over on the far side.
With ten minutes to go in the game, from a loose ball in the Carlisle penalty area, attacking right-back Challinor tried an overhead kick from ten yards out, but it was never on target on its way wide. The last chance of the game coming from Barkuizen in the 82nd minute when his left-footed half-volley from just outside the United box flashed narrowly past Ball's left-hand post.
So, another bad day at the office for the young Blues with the horrendous selection problems no doubt contributing to Carlisle still lacking a win from their first six games of the season. The next chance for United to pick up their first three points comes in a fortnight when they take on Burnley in what this time is certainly a home fixture, Blackpool meanwhile are now four points clear at the top of the table and look a very good bet for the title.
United line-up :
Jon Ball, Mark Sloan (Luke Carr 24), Adam Telfer, Steven Swinglehurst (c), Lance McGlen, Matt Osmond, David Symington, Phil Towler (Josh Calvert 60), Mark Beck, Dan Jones (Adam Gill 70), Gavin Hoggarth.
Unused substitute :
Craig Whinham (GK).
Blackpool line-up :
Elliott Tarney, Matt Challinor, Josh Roberts, Liam Tomsett (c), Biko Younda (Dillon O'Connor 68), Adam Mitter, Ryan Gratton (Pa Modou Jobe 74), Curtis Thompson (Jamie Mennagh 67), Joe McDonald, Adam Dodds, Tom Barkuizen.
Unused substitutes :
Connor Hunt and Garen Tchobanian.
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