United Youth 0-2 Rochdale Youth

Ben Mckenna - early shots

After losing 2-1 at home to Shrewsbury on Saturday morning things weren't set to get any easier for the lads this afternoon as they faced top of the table Rochdale at Creighton in a rearranged league fixture. The visitors not only having scored at the rate of almost three goals a game this season, but also having what looked like a very big, physical squad as they warmed up prior to kick-off.

Kicking down the slight slope with the wind in their favour though it was United who started brightly and in the eighth minute Ben Mckenna (pictured) cut in at pace on his right foot before thumping in a 15-yard drive which Rochdale goalkeeper Jordan Andrews spilled out in front of him, left-back Luke Watson on hand however to clear the lines for the visitors at the back.

Mckenna was again threatening six minutes later cutting in from his left-wing berth, but this time his shot from from further out disappeared away over the angle of far-post and crossbar. The visitors soon came back into it though and after 15 minutes midfielder Laurie Bell tried his luck with an effort from distance which was well blocked by Brad Potts, then shortly afterwards Watson got up well from defence in a one-two with Reece Gray, but fortunately for Carlisle his toe-poked 12-yard effort was well saved by the legs of Blues trialist stopper Joe Mulby.

Following a quiet spell in the match a grumpy looking Sam Miniham was replaced in the 'Dale engine room by Jamie Allan on 26 minutes, Miniham presumably going off with an injury although there didn't look anything too obvious going on. Godwin Abadaki for the Spotland outfit then three minutes later failing to make the most of a good cross in from the left by Helios Andre, Abadaki heading well wide of the near-post from only six yards out.



Lance McGlen then got forward well for Carlisle on the half-hour mark down the right when very good work by Mark Sloan and then a neat pass by Dave Symington, saw the Blues full-back stride forward before lashing a 15-yard drive across goal and narrowly wide of the visitors back-stick. Symington himself then two minutes later cracking in a 25-yard right-footed drive which Andrews spilled again, this time Mark Beck getting onto the rebound only to see his close range shot ping away off the backside of unsuspecting 'Dale skipper Michael Roche.

The Cumbrians were having their best spell in the game now and on 33 minutes trialist striker Jamie Clarey had a 15-yard drive blocked by Josh Dale, possession then moving over to Symington whose effort from a similar distance zipped across goal but narrowly wide of the target. A busy Symington then had a shot from outside the box deflected over the bar for a corner, from which Mckenna curled the flag-kick in right-footed and onto the top of the woodwork and over on the bounce at the far-post.

Beck should then have done better for the Blues in the 38th minute, but he glanced his header from a McGlen right-wing cross too finely as it disappeared out for a goal-kick. Mckenna then almost scored the goal of the season for Carlisle after 40 minutes when, whilst being fouled, he beat three defenders coming in from the left before shooting straight at Andrews from 15 yards out when a low curler into the far corner seemed the better option on his right foot.

A minute before the interval and the visitors nearly nicked a goal to take the lead themselves though when a corner from the right-footed Allan, who had taken over set-piece duties for 'Dale upon his arrival on the pitch, was headed down but wide of an unguarded Cumbrians far-post from close range by the giant figure of visitors right-back Jordan Fagbola.



The first action of the second-half came early on when Symington had a left-footed shot from 20 yards out blocked by Watson. Rochdale then making a double change in personnel after 54 minutes when Fagbola and Liam Murray were replaced by Russell Benjamin and John Marsden respectively. Fagbola's departure with a serious looking arm injury seeing Marsden go to right-back while Benjamin moved upfront and Gray took over Murray's right-wing berth.

Right on the hour-mark and Andre was racing away down the left-hand channel but his left-footed strike from only 12 yards out was well stopped by the legs of Molby. It was 1-0 to the visitors two minutes later however when Sloan's one big mistake of the game saw him bring down Abadaki just to the right of the Blues 'D'. Roche's thump from the resultant free-kick then pinging off the United defensive wall straight to the right foot of Marsden at the back-post who was easily able to slide the ball under the body of Mulby from close range.

Only seconds later and the visitors were denied what looked like a blatant penalty when McGlen seemed to clearly bring down the pacey Abadaki in the United box, referee John Corkhill, who it has to be said gave the visitors little all afternoon, remarkably waving play on though much to the chagrin of 'Dale boss Chris Beech. Mulby again called into action in the 64th minute however as the visitors got on top, the Blues stopper once more able to save well with his legs from Abadaki's right-footed 18-yard toe-poke.

Carlisle then went as close to scoring as they would all game sixty seconds later though when Matt Osmond's corner in went through the not exactly secure gloves of Andrews, Potts then heading onto the face of the crossbar from six yards out at the back-post, with Clarey then being brave with the ball dropping down as he got about three boots in the face on the back of a diving header which went inches wide of the target as the net looked like it was about to bulge.

After getting half a ton of cotton shoved up his nose by Blues physiotherapist Geoff Haugh that was the end of the action for Clarey as he was replaced by Josh Todd, Sloan therefore moving upfront as Todd took over from Sloan in the centre of midfield. Midway through the second-half and the butterfingers of Andrews were on show again when he just managed to fumble behind a long range right-footed drive from Mckenna, the resultant Osmond corner however producing nothing for United.



The only yellow card of the game then came after 73 minutes and it was justified too as Andre absolutely scythed down an in full-flight Symington down the right flank. Mckenna then did well to get to the left-hand by-line two minutes later as he looked for Beck with a cut-back, an off-balance Sloan had got in front of Beck though and his ten-yard effort on goal was sliced away well wide of goal by the outside of his right boot.

With eleven minutes to go in the game a burst of pace from Andre saw him get to the by-line on the left before sliding the ball across for an on-rushing Abadaki six yards out, Abadaki though side-footing narrowly wide from there with the inside of his left boot. Carlisle were once more looking for an equalising goal in the 82nd minute however but Symington's 15-yard right-footed shot across the box was parried away by a diving Andrews, with Benjamin then able to hack the ball away from danger for the visitors.

Blues boss Eric Kinder then made another substitution sixty seconds later when Dan Jones came on in place of Sloan upfront, but it was up at the other end of the pitch where the action was shortly afterwards though when Andre tried his luck with a powerfully hit right-footed drive from just outside the United penalty area, which Mulby did pretty well to tip over his own crossbar.

It was all over for the Cumbrians just before we ticked into the final minute though when Allan stuck a corner in to the Carlisle far-post with only two Rochdale players in the United penalty area. One of them was sadly left unmarked though, but Abadaki must have still been unsighted as the ball seemed to just him on the chest and, unfortunately for United, land neatly in the far bottom corner of the United net to make the final scoreline 2-0.

So, another tale of failing to make the most of their opportunities when on top at home cost the young Blues today, with a strong period of pressure in the first-half not resulting in the goal it should have done. The current campaign is a long way from over though, particularly for the five second year YTS players still on the books, and the next chance for Carlisle to pick up three points comes at 2.30pm on Monday afternoon in an away game at Bury that was another casualty of the dire winter weather earlier on in the season.



United line-up :

Joe Mulby, Lance McGlen, Matt Osmond, Mark Sloan (Dan Jones 83), Steven Swinglehurst (c), Brad Potts, Ben Mckenna, Phil Towler, Jamie Clarey (Josh Todd 65), Mark Beck, Dave Symington.

Unused substitute :

Adam Gill.


Rochdale line-up :

Jordan Andrews, Jordan Fagbola (Russell Benjamin 54), Luke Watson, Laurie Bell, Josh Dale, Michael Roche (c), Liam Murray (John Marsden 54), Sam Miniham (Jamie Allan 26), Godwin Abadaki, Reece Gray, Helios Andre.

No unused substitutes.

Referee - John Corkhill (Egremont).




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