United Youth 0-0 Walsall Youth

Frenchfields, home of Carlisle United Youth

The nicest day of the year at Frenchfields saw both teams contest a very-hard fought game, that often threatened to boil over, on a particularly bobbly surface. In the sixth minute United had a big penalty shout for handball turned down after Jake Simpson, son of Paul, had played a nice ball through the middle from his central midfield role into the feet of Stewardson. The young forward for the day got a right-foot shot in from 12 yards out which was blocked by the foot of the Walsall keeper. The ball then bouncing out to Simpson whose shot from the edge of the box seemed to bounce straight off the hand of the Walsall centre-half.

Sixty seconds later a long goal-kick up flew right over the top of the retreating Carlisle defence, the Saddlers centre-forward trying to lob Blues keeper Adam Bradley as the ball bounced down on his right foot. From 25 yards out it had to be inch-perfect but he could only send it straight into the arms of Bradley. Shortly afterwards a corner in by the visitors number seven was only cleared by Blake straight back to him. The Walsall midfielder hitting a low ball fully across the box from the right by-line which his rangy left-winger could only side-foot into the Cumbrians side-netting from 15 yards out.

In the 18^th minute the Saddlers were caught offside and Bradley launched a well-placed free-kick straight to Blake out on the left flank. Blake ran on and pulled the ball back intelligently for the onrushing Stewardson 15 yards out from goal. Stewardson's shot on his right foot was a little weak though and easy for the Saddlers keeper to block at his near-post, his centre-half hacking the loose ball away to safety. Three minutes later the Blues seemed to be denied another obvious call for a penalty when a long Bradley goal-kick found it's way over the top of the visitors back-line. Kirkup chested the ball on into the box and looked to be hauled to the ground by the Walsall number four, only for the official to wave away the vehement Carlisle protests.

With 25 minutes gone a corner came in from the Saddlers right-midfielder, his central-midfield skipper rising well on the penalty spot only to head poorly wide of Bradley's far-post. Two minutes later a deep ball up by the Walsall left-back was hacked away to the by-line by Blake, the opposition number nine, then sending it straight back into the captain. Finishing doesn't seem to be his forte though as this time his right-foot volley from 10 yards out was weak and went right into the grateful arms of Bradley.

Just after the half-hour mark James Earl's corner from the right was headed just over the angle of near-post and bar for United by Kirkup from eight yards out, as defences sat well on top in the game. Three minutes later Stewardson put some good pressure on the Walsall right-back in the corner of the pitch to force the youngster to give the ball away to Combe. The Blues left-back stuck the cross in but Kirkup could only head it straight at the Saddlers keeper from the middle of the penalty area.

After 42 minutes the visitors number eight fouled Cumbrians right-midfielder Richie Hoban on the half-way line. Combe pumped the free-kick up which was only cleared out by the Walsall centre-half straight to Blake 22 yards out on the left-angle of the box. Blake tried to smash a left-foot half-volley into the far corner of the Walsall net, and he wasn't far away as it zipped only a yard or so over the angle of post and bar. The last action of the half saw Bradley make a good save to keep the scoreline at 0-0 going into half-time. The Saddlers left-winger made good ground on his flank before playing a nice pass into the feet of his onrushing centre-forward down the left-hand channel. The youngster fired in a quick shot with his left foot from only 12 yards out but Bradley was well positioned to save the effort with his legs.

The Blues were right into the thick of the action as soon as the second-half started. Hoban was fouled by the Saddlers number eight ten yards inside the Carlisle half, Bradley hitting the free-kick up which was poorly headed away straight to Kirkup by the visitors centre-half. Kirkup tried to wrap the outside of his right foot around the ball to lob it over the keeper from 15 yards out, it was never going to be an easy ask though and it was a straightforward catch for the Walsall glovesman.

The game came the nearest it would to getting a goal in the 53^rd minute when the Saddlers almost took the lead twice courtesy of two attempts by United to put the ball in the back of their own net. A shot by the Walsall central midfielder from 25 yards out on his right foot deflected off the legs of Blues centre-half Terry Stewart, the ball flying goalwards as it looked to be heading over the top of the wrong-footed Bradley. Somehow though the young keeper managed to arch his back far enough to make an absolutely outstanding tip over his own crossbar, as everyone looking on was fully expecting the net to bulge. From the resultant corner, sent in by the left-winger, Cumbrians centre-half Dan Wordsworth could only head, under pressure, towards his own goal, the ball crashing down off the underside of his crossbar, with Combe able to hack the rebound away from the line to relative safety.

Two minutes later, as the visitors made much better use of their possession, their right-back sent a cross in which the number six headed right down the throat of Bradley from 12 yards out. In the 58^th minute the Saddlers poured upfront again as Carlisle's makeshift striking line struggled to hold the ball up in forward areas. Some good work again by the left-winger saw the ball fed back to his centre-forward, the Walsall striker hitting a 12-yard shot which took a slight deflection off Stewart and forced Bradley to make another good parried save.

On 66 minutes United tried to break out of their shackles with Blake launching a searching ball down the left-hand channel for Kirkup to flick back into the centre. Hoban ran in on the ball in the middle of the Walsall ‘D' but he couldn't control his right-footed volley as it sailed over the visitors crossbar. Two minutes on Hoban was the subject of a late kick to the back of the legs by the Saddlers number eight, who was booked for the petty foul. It wasn't the first time a player on either side could have been booked as the game got particularly tetchy, mostly thanks to an ineffective referee who showed no inclination in wanting to stamp out the naughty stuff coming from both teams.

With only two players on the Cumbrians bench David Wilkes was hardly awash with tactical options and his only substitution of the game came in the 69^th minute, when one schoolboy was replaced by another, with Matthew Wood coming on for Stewardson. After 72 minutes a Wordsworth ball forward was headed on to Kirkup by Hoban. Kirkup pushed the ball nicely down the right-hand channel for Simpson to chase but it was the Saddlers number four who seemed to get the final touch from the middle of the area as he forced his own keeper to make a low diving save. The young glovesman pushing the ball around his own near-post for a United corner.

Three minutes later Simpson was played in on the right-side of the box by Earl, Simpson Jr. trying to lob the ball over the Saddlers keeper from there only to see the ball loop into the gloves of the Walsall custodian. In the 77^th minute, as both sides pushed forward in search of a late winner, the visitors number six set up his substitute number fourteen down the right edge of the Blues area. The replacement striker cut inside Wordsworth and tried to get a left-footed curler in on goal, it was always rising though and Bradley was able to watch it over his own bar.

With two minutes to go a ball in from the left by Wood was only cleared straight back out to Earl by the Saddlers number five. Earl, playing in the centre of midfield today, tried a speculative half-volley on his right foot from fully 30 yards out, the ball drifting well wide of the Walsall far-post. That was pretty much the last moment in the game, as the final whistle soon came on a hard-fought 0-0 draw in which both defences, and especially both goalkeepers, were the stars of the show.