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Perhaps the first chance of the game came after eleven minutes when an attemped clearance by Oldham keeper Ryan Smith, who was once on the Carlisle books at under-16 level, pinged back off the head of one of his defenders and out for a United corner. Matthew Wood stuck the flag-kick in to the back-post but Gary Madine was unable to head down and in as his effort went wide of the target.
Three minutes later a well-hit shot came in from 15 yards out for the Latics from Danny Philliskirk which Grant Carson did well to make a strong one-handed save from. The visitors were again pressing just sixty seconds later when a corner came in to the United penalty area which led to some aerial pinball before a shot was sliced wide of Carson's post from ten yards out.
Blues boss Eric Kinder made his first change of the afternoon on 23 minutes, this one seemingly enforced, as central midfielder Richie Hoban, playing in an unaccustomed striking role in the absence of first-team squad member Stephen Hindmarch, went off with a knock and was replaced by recent signing from Blackburn, Josh Newsham.
The match tended to be fought out in the midfield areas quite a lot, even in the absence of Carlisle's central lynchpin and youth team skipper Shaun Vipond, with the next chance coming the way of the Latics on 34 minutes. Dan Wordsworth gave away a free-kick 20 yards out just to the left of the 'D', but his Oldham counterpart could only curl a right-footed effort straight over the top of Carson's goal.
Two minutes on and a cross from the left into the United back-post area was headed just over the crossbar from eight yards out by a marauding Latics midfielder. It was again the free-scoring visitors, who had netted 61 times in the league before today, on the attack after 39 minutes when a 22-yard right-footed half-volley came in and flew well wide of Carson's far-post.
The last action of a relatively quiet half came sixty seconds before the interval when a ball down the right by Madine saw Newsham stick an excellent cross in on the run. The ball flew inches over the head of the onrushing Wood ten yards out, and left-winger Connor Tinnion was just unable to get a shot in at the back-post as he was block-tackled out by an Oldham defender.
The Latics came flying out of the traps in the second-half, having made an attacking substitution at the break. Their first opportunity coming almost straight away when the sub chased a long pass down the middle and tried to take the ball around the advancing Carson. The United keeper did very well though to nick possession off the toes of the Latics man as he grabbed hold of the ball with both hands.
The visitors were coming on strong now as they began to show their full top-of-the-table pedigree, and sixty seconds later a dangerous ball came in from the right which their centre-forward KC Owen got on the end of 15 yards out. The Oldham man tried a left-footed half-volley across goal from there but it was always off-target as it sailed wide of Carson's far-post.
With 49 minutes gone Matthew Brown did well to part-block an Oldham shot over the bar from 20 yards out, Brown then limping around the Carlisle penalty area as the corner came to nothing. Two minutes later the Latics impressive left-back fired a shot over the top from 20 yards out, that break in play seeing Brown hobble off from his central midfield role to be replaced by centre-half Tom Aldred, who, like last week, found himself playing out of position.
United were unlucky not to score on 52 minutes when Matthew Blake made a surging run down the left flank. Blake's pacey low cross in just being knocked away from the onrushing Madine and Newsham by a covering Oldham defender. Shortly afterwards the Blues were again pressing when Madine was fouled 22 yards out on the right-angle of the box. Matthew Blake's left-footed effort straight from the set-piece was deflected over the top, and from the resultant Tinnion corner in Madine arrowed a powerful 12-yard header into the grateful gloves of Smith.
Bang on the hour mark and another foul in a similar position, this time on Newsham, saw Matthew Blake's left-footed shot saved by a well positioned Smith in the Oldham goal. Two minutes later it was Oldham trying their luck from a set-piece 22 yards out, conceded by Wood, but Matthew Blake was able to block the resultant shot that came flying in from the set-piece.
You sensed that a goal had been coming for the visitors but when it did come in the 64th minute it was more than disappointing from a Carlisle perspective. The Blues tried to take a quick free-kick in their own half but Michael Dowson wasn't ready to receive possession and the ball broke straight to the Oldham's Owen. Cutting in quickly from the left Owen picked his spot from 20 yards out as he fired left-footed past Carson to give the Latics the lead, his shot pinging across off the inside of the near-post and into the far bottom corner of the net.
Two minutes later, in a similar vein to the Chester game last week, the Cumbrians almost scored themselves only to concede a goal straight from their chance. A good Tinnion run down the left saw the youngster stick a pacey cross in which just evaded Madine as the ball flew across Smith's six-yard line. Breaking forward quickly from there Oldham moved the ball rapidly up the pitch and eventually the same Latics striker in Owen cut in again from the left-hand channel and once more he beat Carson from 18 yards out with a powerful left-footed finish.
So, all of a sudden the young Blues found themselves two goals down, Eric Kinder then seeing the need to introduce to some fresh legs into the game on 70 minutes as Jonny Blake came on for Dowson in central midfield. Three minutes later Oldham were again attacking when a low cross from the left found it's way to a Latics man at the Carlisle back-post. Carson came off his line quickly to close down the angle and the right-footed shot from the visitors number eight was only sent flying into the near side-netting.
The Cumbrians kept at it though and in the 78th minute Newsham made space for himself well on the right before crossing low into the Oldham box, sadly for United however a Latics defender was on-hand to shin the ball away in front of Madine. Two minutes later and the action was back up the other end of the pitch when a nice move by the visitors saw Carson eventually forced into a parried save from a fierce 15-yard effort, Matthew Blake then hacking the loose ball out of the Carlisle penalty area.
United were still trying hard going forward in an attempt to get something out of the game but they were finding it difficult to pick a way through a well-marshalled visitors back-line. A shooting opportunity did come around in the 82nd minute though when the two Blues brothers, in Jonny and Matthew Blake, combined 25 yards out from the Oldham goal. Matthew eventually lashing a left-footed half-volley over the top of Smith's crossbar.
The last chance of any note in the game came two minutes later and went the way of the Latics. A chipped ball came in from the left which was taken in on the chest by the Oldham number ten 15 yards out in the left-hand channel. The young striker then trying an extremely speculative scissors kick from there which did nothing but bobble weakly wide of Carson's far-post.
With just four minutes to go the Latics made another change in personnel, although the game really died off in the closing stages with both teams seemingly accepting the 2-0 scoreline. The final whistle soon came after two minutes of injury time, the referee, who looked a first-timer at Frenchfields for me, deserving credit for officiating the match strongly and intelligently throughout.
United line-up :
Grant Carson, Ashley Combe, Matthew Blake, Michael Dowson (Jonny Blake 70), Terry Stewart, Dan Wordsworth, Matthew Wood, Matthew Brown (Tom Aldred 51), Gary Madine, Richie Hoban (Josh Newsham 23), Connor Tinnion.
Unused substitute :
Alex Mitchell.
Results in the division this morning :
Carlisle 0-2 Oldham
Macclesfield 1-4 Walsall
Rochdale 0-3 Preston
Wigan 5-1 Accrington Stanley
Fixtures in the division next week :
Accrington Stanley v Stockport
Blackpool v Tranmere
Burnley v Macclesfield
Chester v Bury
Preston North End v Port Vale
Rochdale v Shrewsbury
Walsall v Oldham
Wigan v Wrexham
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