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Two minutes later Cumbrians right-back Jonny Blake got a good block in when Ashley Higgins tried to get a shot in from 18 yards out down the middle. Sixty seconds later, as the visitors started to get a strong foothold in the game, a pass by Higgins found Nathan Fairhurst only for the young midfielder to push his 20-yarder wide of the target. After sixteen minutes Cumbrians centre-half Dan Wordsworth fouled Liam Moloney in the bottom left-hand corner of the Carlisle half. Moloney and nippy striker Chris McGrail worked a quick free-kick, with Grant Carson being forced into making a good save for United as he pushed McGrail's shot from the left-hand angle of the Carlisle box around his near-post.
Dan Rayson, last week's hat-trick hero, had an opportunity shortly afterwards when the Lilywhites gave the ball away, this week though his 18-yarder was dragged wide of the Preston goal. After 20 minutes some neat inter-play between Rayson, Shaun Vipond and Matthew Brown saw Rayson push the ball into the box down the right-hand channel for Andy Hardman, Murphy came out quickly to block though and the ball ended up pinging out for a Lilywhites goal-kick off the legs of Hardman.
Three minutes later a deep cross by Vipond to the Preston back-stick saw Matthew Wood challenge for the ball in the air with Murphy. The ball flying off the shoulder of Wood and over the top as Murphy missed his punch, the tall goalkeeper looking rather dodgy on crosses throughout. After 25 minutes Wood gave the ball away to Moloney who then fed in McGrail, the visitors skipper only pulling his right-footed shot wide from 18 yards out though. Two minutes later McGrail and Moloney combined again when the former headed the latter's cross straight at Carson from the middle of the penalty area, the chance being slightly behind McGrail as he had to stretch to reach it.
Just after the half-hour a cross by Preston left-back Ray Sherwood was headed out by Blues centre-back Terry Stewart straight to his feet once more. Sherwood lost his composure this time though as he sliced a long-range left-footed half-volley miles wide of the target. Sixty seconds later and the Lilywhites took the lead in the game with a classic route one goal, a long goal-kick bouncing over the top of the Cumbrians defence for Higgins to run onto, the North End striker coolly lobbing his 15-yard effort over the advancing Carson and into the back of the Carlisle net.
With ten minutes to go to the break a Stewardson header from a Wood cross into the Preston box was laid back to Matthew Blake, the Blues left-back then slicing his half-volley wide of Murphy's near-post. Two minutes later and the visitors were making chances again when a Matty Mainwaring corner broke to Higgins 15 yards out only for the North End striker to pull his shot wide of the target. The last opportunity of the half came the way of Preston three minutes before the interval, Carson doing well to hold on the bounce, at the first attempt, a deflected shot from distance after a powerful run forward by McGrail.
It was a very quiet opening to the second period with the only point of note coming five minutes in when Matthew Blake was booked for swearing by another Frenchfields referee who was quite happy to see players kicked to pieces all over the pitch as long as no-one swore. Five minutes later Mainwaring fouled Hardman 22 yards out in the middle, Vipond curling the resultant free-kick with his right foot straight at Murphy.
The Blues never came any closer to scoring all afternoon than they did sixty seconds later on two occasions when they missed a big chance to level the game and perhaps change the eventual outcome of the match. Hardman's shot across goal from the right-angle of the Preston box firstly hitting the base of the far-post, Brown then somehow slicing the rebound wide of an open goal with his left foot from only six yards out. Three minutes on and Stewart brought down Fairhurst 20 yards from goal just to the right of the Carlisle 'D', Mainwaring could only hammer the free-kick straight into the United defensive wall with his left foot though.
Just after the hour-mark a good one-two between Hardman and Stewardson saw Hardman have his long-range shot well blocked by North End defensive midfielder Tom McMahon. In the 62nd minute, as the game started to become an end-to-end encounter, McGrail's ten-yard header from a Mainwaring left-wing cross went straight into the grateful hands of Carson. Two minutes later it was again the visitors pressing forward when McMahon hammered a rasping 30-yard drive inches wide of Carson's far-post.
After 67 minutes the game was all but over for the Cumbrians when Preston went 2-0 up after some good work down the left-flank by their substitute as he laid the ball back to Fairhurst. The North End midfielder sending a pinpoint deep cross over the top of Matthew Blake to McGrail at the far-post, McGrail finishing the move off well as he controlled his side-footed volley from eight yards out across Carson and into the far-bottom corner of the United net. Three minutes later the Blues tried to pull a goal back when Stewardson pushed a pass in front of Hardman, the Carlisle striker could only fire a powerful 20-yard left-footer straight at Murphy though.
The Blues made their first change of the match in the 74th minute when Stewardson was replaced by burly striker Dale Wilson. Straight from that substitution Preston missed a glorious chance to go three goals to the good when Higgins somehow volleyed a McGrail right-wing centre over the United crossbar from just six yards out. Four minutes later and David Wilkes brought on another replacement with Ashley Combe entering the fray in place of Rayson.
It wasn't a happy entrance to the match for Combe though when two minutes later the Blues found themselves three goals down. Moloney charging through the middle of the United back-line into the penalty area and going down a little bit too easily over the outstretched leg of Wordsworth, the referee pointing straight to the spot for a penalty. Moloney dusted himself off to take the spot-kick only to see Carson dive away to his right and make a great save as he pushed the low penalty around his post for a corner. It was only a brief respite for the Cumbrians goalkeeper though as the resultant flag-kick came flying in across the Carlisle six-yard line and Higgins was able to head the ball home beyond him on the bounce.
With five minutes to go Chris Finch fouled Brown 20 yards out on the left-angle of the North End box, Vipond stepped up to take the free-kick right-footed but he could only curl it across goal and wide of Murphy's far-post. Sixty seconds later David Wilkes laid all his cards on the table when he made his last available change in the match as he brought on Richie Hoban for Brown. Shortly afterwards, as the visitors looked to catch the Cumbrians on the break, Higgins was wasteful for North End as he sliced a 25-yard effort miles wide of Carson's near-post with his left foot.
After 88 minutes a long Carson goal-kick was flicked on by Wilson into the run of Hardman, the Preston substitute left-back then taking away the legs of the United striker just as he was about to charge on into the North End box. Somehow, although unsurprisingly, given the dire show of refeering throughout, which didn't affect the actual result, he also escaped a booking which was frankly astonishing, Matthew Blake eventually tried a left-footed curler from the right-hand angle at the set-piece only for it to curl inches wide of Murphy's far-post. The last chance the Cumbrians had to grab a consolation goal came in injury time when a 35-yard free-kick in from the right by Matthew Blake was headed over from six yards out at the back-post by Combe, the final whistle coming seconds later on a bad day at the office for the young Blues.
United line-up:
Grant Carson, Jonny Blake, Matthew Blake, Terry Stewart, Dan Wordsworth, Shaun Vipond, Matthew Brown (Richie Hoban 86), Matthew Wood, Dan Rayson (Ashley Combe 78), Andy Hardman, Mike Stewardson (Dale Wilson 74).
Preston line-up :
Andrew Murphy, Mike Aspin, Ray Sherwood, Tom McMahon, Mark Bloxam, Chris Finch, Liam Moloney, Nathan Fairhurst, Ashley Higgins, Chris McGrail, Matty Mainwaring.
Results in the division this morning (all in Group A) :
Blackpool 1-2 Wigan
Burnley 4-1 Rochdale
Carlisle 0-3 Preston
Oldham 1-1 Bury
N.B. There were no Group B fixtures scheduled for today.
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