United, in their first youth team pre-season friendly and without the injured Brad Potts (foot), fielded a different starting eleven in each half, with three trialists on show in the first-half, James Bamborough - a centre-half from the North East, Aaron Logan - a centre-forward from Northern Ireland, and Australian-born frontman Brett Adamson. Carlisle starting the opening period in a 4-4-2 formation with Jordan Parker in goal, Dale Minor, Bamborough, Will James and Adam Gill across the back from left to right, Dave Symington, Brandon Gwinnutt, Josh Todd and Jack Lynch in the same direction as the midfield four, then Logan on the left and Adamson on the right upfront.
2 mins - strong run forward Todd, 12-yard left-footed shot, good save from former Blues youth team goalkeeper Connor Grant.
6 mins - Adam McMath 18-yard left-footed drive low and straight at Jordan Parker.
11 mins - Former Carlisle youth team trialist Dan Rayson pass to Charles Bowman, 20-yard shot, easy save by Parker.
13 mins - Logan to Gill raiding down right, low cross in, just misses boot of running in Lynch 6 yards out.
16 mins - McMath powerfully hit right-footed drive 20 yards, good parry away from goal by Parker.
18 mins - Rayson well placed 18 yards out, tries audacious chip over Parker, easily caught by Carlisle keeper, Rayson had much more time to run in and attempt to finish one-on-one.
Midway point - Gretna holding onto possession much better, Carlisle trialists Adamson and Logan struggling to get into the game upfront, albeit with not the best of service.
24 mins - Rayson cuts in from left, 20-yard right-footed shot across goal and wide of far-post.
26 mins - Pacey Gretna right-winger David Renyard through in right-hand channel, 12-yard right-footed shot from tight angle across goal and inches wide of back-post.
27 mins - Carlisle substitution, Adamson off, Jamie Cleary on.
27 mins - Lynch 20-yard right-foot strike over top.
29 mins - Lynch left-footed corner in, breaks to Symington, right-footed shot from just outside penalty area slices away wide of Grant's right-hand post.
30 mins - James long ball over top, Logan running through in clear 18 yards out, tries half-volley on right boot, wide far-post. Had time to wait for ball to roll flat and take Grant on in close range one-on-one situation.
32 mins - Renyard corner in, John Jardine meets header well but over top from 12 yards out.
39 mins - great run forward by Gill, beats three, cleared by last defender, Lynch corner, James header goalwards 12 yards, Cleary 6 yards header, loops up for Grant to take at back-post.
41 mins - Symington right-footed strike from 30 yards straight at Grant.
45 mins - last moment of first-half, Todd foul on McMath 28 yards central, Jardine right-footed shot already going wide but deflects off James for corner. Gretna skipper Ian Cummersky corner in, Parker's lack of height sees him struggling under pressure, ball drops to McMath for right-footed finish from 6 yards out, 1-0.
After such a disappointing end to the second-half Carlisle fielded a pre-planned starting eleven in the second-half, with Jordan Parker continuing in goal, Dale Minor, Bamborough, Will James and Lance McGlen, fresh from his 45 minutes at Kendal, across the back from left to right, Tom Berwick, Kyle Dempsey and Josh Calvert in the same direction as a midfield three, then Dan Jones, Mark Beck and non-contract striker Alex Berhan upfront from left to right.
49 mins - Stuart MacDonald powerful 30-yard right-footed drive over top for Gretna.
52 mins - Renyard right-footed 18-yard shot across goal from right hits inside of base of post, before Bowman gets chance to move his feet ball hits bottom of his legs and flies in from 8 yards out, 2-0.
65 mins - Dean Rea off, David Nugent on.
65 mins - Kyle Dempsey off with knee injury, Cleary on.
67 mins - Berwick corner in left-footed, Beck header back from far-post, pinball in middle, James toe-poke going low into near bottom corner from 6 yards, fantastic one-handed reaction save to his left by Grant.
Midway point - Carlisle struggling to make any headway at all going forward, nothing much being created in open play by Gretna either though.
69 mins - Curtis Wood off, Alan Ingles on. Charles Bowman off, Scott Hurst on.
71 mins - Jones right-footed curler from 20 yards, Grant spills behind low down at his far-post. Berwick corner in, Beck 10-yard header over top.
78 mins - Erm, substitution bingo, various Gretna players come on wearing an assortment of different shirts, roulette-like in a way as the home side have a 16 black, a 16 red and a green 0, and then also a goalkeeper with no number on his back.
In no apparent order and in guesswork as much as anything else, Connor Grant (GK), Sam Atkinson, John Jardine, Ian Cummersky, David Renyard, Stuart MacDonald and Adam McMath off. Jim Atkinson (GK), Nikki White, Jack Baker, Matty Coombe, Dean Crozier, Jack Davidson and David Seggie on.
81 mins - Last action of note in game, Symington right-footed strike 25 yards over top.
So, a disappointing first pre-season friendly for the young Blues as their old habits from the 2010-11 campaign continue to haunt them, that being a lack of goals scored while conceding soft goals at the other end of the pitch. Of the trialists James Bamborough is the best of three, with Carlisle now going away to Cambridgeshire for a week away with the Royal Engineers at Waterbeach Barracks. Their next local pre-season friendly being an 11.30am kick-off at the Sheepmount against Carlisle City on Saturday 16th July.
Gretna FC 2008 :
Connor Grant, Sam Atkinson, Curtis Wood, John Jardine, Dean Rea, Ian Cummersky (c), David Renyard, Stuart MacDonald, Adam McMath, Charles Bowman, Dan Rayson.
Substitutes :
Jim Atkinson (GK), Nikki White, David Nugent, Jack Baker, Alan Ingles, Scott Hurst, Matty Coombe, Dean Crozier, Jack Davidson and David Seggie.
United first-half line-up :
Jordan Parker, Adam Gill, Dale Minor, James Bamborough, Will James, Josh Todd, Brandon Gwinnutt, Dave Symington, Aaron Logan, Brett Adamson (Jamie Cleary 27), Jack Lynch.
United second-half line-up :
Jordan Parker, Lance McGlen, Dale Minor, James Bamborough, Will James, Kyle Dempsey (Jamie Cleary 65), Tom Berwick, Josh Calvert, Alex Berhan, Mark Beck, Dan Jones.
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