After a 1-1 draw at Fleetwood last week it was back down the Lancashire coast this morning for a trip to Morecambe, midfielder Jack Lynch, back from a foot injury being a welcome sight as the sides took to the pitch, with Greg Peel dropping down to the bench. It was the home side though who had the most of the ball in the early stages and Kieran Britton broke up from his left-back spot on seven minutes but his 20-yard daisy cutter on his weaker right foot proved an easy one for Blues goalkeeper Jordan Parker to take.
Sixty seconds later and Lynch was showing some signs of rustiness when he gave the ball away in midfield, but Liam Wainwright wasn't able to capitalise as he struck a shot from just outside of the Carlisle box across goal and wide of the far-post. With 11 minutes on the clock though and it was United attacking following a foul by Luke Selby on Alex Salmon on the far side level with the Shrimps penalty area.
From there Lynch swung the free-kick in and ten yards out Kyle Dempsey flicked a header on which crashed out off the underside of the Morecambe crossbar, Pat Brough then chipping the ball back across only for Matthew Knipe to clear the Shrimps lines. The home side then went close five minutes later when Liam Wainwright stuck a cross in from the left which was flicked on by the bulky figure of James Riley, the ball then pretty much pinging off the knees of an unsuspecting Edward Gate eight yards out as it dribbled back across goal and wide of the target.
It was Carlisle who found the first goal of the game in the 20th minute though when Connor Thomson (pictured) pinched possession off Gate before running on and fairly lashing a 22-yard drive into the far corner of the Morecambe net. The Shrimps responding in the 23rd minute when former Carlisle Centre of Excellence player Kieran Sloan pounced on a loose ball 22 yards out only to shoot well wide of Parker's left-hand upright.
United were then a little lucky not to concede shortly afterwards when Selby stuck a cross in from the right, but an unmarked Riley was only able to head straight at Parker from ten yards out. The home side were having a good spell in the game now and in the 26th minute Britton and Wainwright worked a nice one-two into the left of the Carlisle box but Britton lost his head a little as he slashed at a 15-yarder and it flew at pace over the angle of near-post and bar.
Morecambe boss Richard Danson was then forced into a change in personnel after 29 minutes when Robbie Walker got the ball straight in his face from close range, the result of that seeing him quickly replaced by Alex Naylor. Bang on the half-hour mark and Lynch, Dempsey and Salmon put a neat passing move together going forward but with Lynch clean through in the left-hand channel ten yards out he saw his shot on goal well saved by the legs of Sean Johnson.
Moments later and it was United again when Brandon Gwinnutt stuck a deep ball in from the right, but Salmon was stretching to reach it and his eight-yard header drifted away wide of the target. With 34 minutes on the clock Lynch made a great run forward before playing in Dempsey for a shot from the edge of the box which was well saved by Johnson. United then after 42 minutes seeing Gwinnutt having a goal chalked off for offside when sliding home a Lynch free-kick at the back-stick, following a Selby foul on Brough. The last action of the first-half seeing Knipe be yellow carded for persistent infringement by referee Peter Stone.
Into the second period and it couldn't have started any worse for Carlisle when Morecambe levelled after 47 minutes following a Salmon foul on Sam Houghton 40 yards out. The Shrimps then, through Houghton himself, working a rehearsed free-kick which saw Britton run in late at the back-stick and head back across and into the far corner of the net via a big swipe from Gate on the goal-line, take your pick on the scorer.
United were then down to ten men just two minutes later when Lynch was red carded for dissent, an accusation he vehemently denied. The sending off seemed to galvanise the Blues though and their work-rate was outstanding in the rest of the game, with first a Dempsey corner in seeing Dillon Morse and Brad Staunch both have shots blocked in the pinball machine. Salmon then in the 56th minute, following a foul by Shrimps skipper Will Bell on Brough, curling the resultant 22-yard free-kick over the top.
Dempsey (pictured) was then on the ball sixty seconds later when he made an excellent run forward past three before smacking an 18-yard drive inches past the far-post. Carlisle then went close again in the 59th minute when an awful Knipe back pass was intercepted by Salmon but his shot from 25 yards out was well saved by Johnson, who then managed to hold the ball in at the second attempt before Brough could get on the end of the rebound.
Just after the hour-mark and Dempsey got away well down the right and his ball in saw Salmon take a couple of touches before pulling a 20-yard effort wide of Johnson's right-hand post. Moments later and it was Morecambe pressing forward but Gate could only shoot straight at Parker from the edge of the United box. The Shrimps then in the 63rd minute seeing Wainwright, Riley and Naylor put a move together which ended with Riley lobbing wide of the target from 25 yards out.
Former Blue Sloan was then again looking to score past his old side at the midway point in the half, but his shot from distance disappeared away past Parker's right-hand post. Cumbrians boss Eric Kinder then made his one and only substitution of the game in in the 68th minute when he brought on the fresh legs of Jamie Clarey for Thomson. Clarey quickly into the action moments later when sent clear by man of the match Dempsey down the left-hand channel, Clarey though lifting his 20-yard shot wide of the near-post.
Despite being down to ten men it was Carlisle doing nearly all the pressing and Morse, from a corner in by skipper Tom Berwick, headed over the top from the middle of the box in the 71st minute, before United finally did regain their lead two minutes later. Blues left-back Dale Minor sticking in an absolute peach of a cross from his flank for Dempsey to rise well eight yards out and send a firm header into the back of the Morecambe net.
United then went close again fifteen minutes from time when Clarey played in Dempsey for a powerful 18-yard drive which was well parried away by Johnson. Play then moving on and seeing Salmon's shot from outside the box deflect over the top off Sloan, with the Shrimps making a substitution during the break in play as Daniel Dunleavey came on for Wainwright. Berwick then sticking the corner in which ended up falling to Dempsey for a touch and volley from 15 yards out that flew straight into the gloves of Johnson.
With 79 minutes gone Bell smashed a Morecambe clearance from the half-way line which flew towards the United goal on the wind and had Parker scrambling as the ball landed on the roof of his net, with Parker also hurting his hand on the stanchion as he disappeared backwards at pace into the corner of the net. Morecambe then making their final change of the game while Parker was treated, with Tom Woods coming on for Britton.
Carlisle then made the game safe with eight minutes to go when Clarey (pictured) initially had a low 15-yard drive parried out by Johnson, Brough then seeing Johnson palm away the rebound before he could toe-poke it in, but as Knipe looked to hoof clear Clarey's block tackle on him six yards out looped up very nicely from a United perspective as it crept over the top of Johnson and just under the crossbar to make it 3-1 to the Blues.
In the 86th minute the home side's last chance to maybe get something out of the game came and went when Gate, eight yards out, saw his header from a Houghton cross in pushed out by Parker, with Gate then slicing the rebound well wide of the near-post. United actually having the last opportunity for a goal three minutes into stoppage time and just before the final whistle, with Clarey's eight-yard volley on goal from a Dempsey cross being well blocked by Bell.
United line-up:
Jordan Parker, Brandon Gwinnutt, Dale Minor, Dillon Morse, Brad Staunch, Kyle Dempsey, Connor Thomson (Jamie Clarey 68), Tom Berwick (c), Jack Lynch, Alex Salmon, Pat Brough.
Unused substitutes:
Lewis Brass (GK), Danny Dixon, Evan McEvoy and Greg Peel.
Morecambe line-up:
Sean Johnson, Luke Selby, Kieran Britton (Tom Woods 79), Will Bell (c), Matthew Knipe, Kieran Sloan, Edward Gate, Sam Houghton, James Riley, Robbie Walker (Alex Naylor 29), Liam Wainwright (Daniel Dunleavey 75).
Unused substitutes:
Jack Cookson (GK) and Aaran McGowan.
Referee - Peter Stone (Liverpool).
Assistants - Alex Cowperthwaite and David Cowperthwaite.
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