United Youth 0-5 Stockport Youth

Frenchfields on a more pleasant day

Stockport, who lay just above Carlisle in the table, kicked off the game playing down the slope and with a strong biting cold wind at their backs, although they used the conditions more sensibly in either half. In the sixth minute Blues left-back Matthew Blake gave the ball away across the face of the United box, County's Greg Tansey picking up on the loose pass and firing a 20 yard effort with his right foot straight into the arms of Carlisle keeper Adam Bradley.

Sixty seconds later the Cumbrians had one of their few shots on goal in the game when Blues right-midfielder Richie Hoban sent a half-volley from 25 yards across the County goal and beyond the far-post after the visitors had failed to clear the ball to safety.

It was short respite for United though when in the 13^th minute Stockport took the lead after a header through the middle by the Tansey and some poor defending from the Blues. The ball run through to the edge of the Carlisle box and as Bradley and Blues centre-half Dan Kirkup left the ball for each other, County's Danny Ellis was able to nip in and lift his shot over the advancing United keeper and into an empty net.

In the 16^th minute, as it was all Stockport, a good ball came in from their right-back Liam Foster which Chris Coward, who impressed throughout upfront, took down well. Swivelling quickly on the turn he got in a half-volley on his right foot from the Carlisle penalty spot area which whistled just inches past Bradley's near-post.

After 27 minutes the visitors really should have been reduced to ten men when Josh Bowman came steaming in with an awful two-footed diving challenge on Hoban out on the right-wing. Coming in with both feet studs up he missed Hoban's legs by inches and would have done real damage had he connected with the United youngster.

Amazingly the official never even booked the Stockport player, you really do wonder how lads of this age are supposed to learn when they can make "tackles" like that and all they get is a warning. Next week the County player may play for the reserves or the first-team and be left wondering how it is a red card in one game and just a talking to in another.

The law itself reads : "Any player who lunges at an opponent in challenging for the ball from the front, from the side or from behind using one or both legs, with excessive force and endangering the safety of an opponent is guilty of serious foul play."

Sixty seconds later and the Blues almost grabbed an equaliser as they had a good spell in the game. United midfielder Shaun Vipond was brought down by Stockport's Tansey 45 yards out from the County goal. Blake sent the free-kick up into the box which Kirkup won, as he headed the ball back from the far-post into the feet of Dan Wordsworth. Cumbrians centre-half Wordsworth just failed to bag his first goal for the Carlisle youth team though when he could only send his side-footed effort from eight yards out into the visitors side netting.

On 32 minutes County's Foster, who was always looking to get forward, sent a good ball in which Bowman won at the far-post. Kirkup got a clearing header out but it only went straight to the feet of Ellis18 yards from the United goal, he showed little composure though as he blazed his effort on the half-volley miles over Bradley's crossbar. Some more good link-up play by the Stockport forwards saw them go close again in the 36^th minute. A long County goal-kick was flicked on by Paul Turnbull into Coward down the right-hand channel, the young striker trying an instinctive 20-yard effort from there which clipped the angle of the Carlisle goal-frame as it flew behind for a United goal-kick.

A minute later, as the Blues showed no signs of being able to hold up the ball in forward areas as it was continually hoofed up to the small frontline of Andy Hardman and Pete Ferris, County went close once more. Tansey picked up a loose ball after Hoban had been harried out of possession and tried a rasping 25-yarder on his right foot which screamed inches over the Carlisle crossbar on the strong wind.

In the 40^th minute County's Turnbull laid the ball back to their left-midfielder Bowler and he saw his cracking right-footed effort from 25 yards out parried away excellently from the Carlisle goal with both hands by an overworked Bradley. Just as the young Blues were expecting to go into the break 1-0 down they conceded a second, literally bang on half-time. A good ball into the middle by the Hatters' Coward was headed away from the Cumbrians goalmouth by United right-back Ashley Combe. His clearance only fell straight to Foster though and he executed his volley well as he drove it home from 18 yards out into the bottom corner of the Carlisle net, the half-time whistle going straight away from the restart.

The second period got off to an extremely quiet opening with both sides struggling to break down the other, Stockport finding it tough to make room on the ball now they had the wind in their faces. The first chance in the 52^nd minute though and, sadly for the Blues, it was a successful one. County left-back Tommy Rowe played a pass across to Tansey 20 yards from the United goal, the Hatters youngster then hitting a lovely right-footed curling effort over the top of Bradley and just underneath the Carlisle crossbar, an excellent finish.

The only other action of the game, as the cold wind started to pick up strongly again, came in the form of substitutions. County taking off Tansey in a straight midfield swap for James Vincent in the 54^th minute and taking off Foster in another direct change for Wood six minutes later. Sandwiched between those two replacements after 58 minutes came a United change, the trialist, who had seen little chance to impress in midfield, being replaced by regular schoolboy forms youth-teamer Matthew Brown.

After 62 minutes the Cumbrians saw some action at the right end of the pitch. Combe hit a long free-kick up from the halfway line which Kirkup headed towards goal from ten yards out, Hatters keeper Craig Duncan was well placed though as he plucked the effort out of the air underneath his own crossbar. A minute later United's Stephen Hindmarch came on upfront for left-midfielder Mike Stewardson, Hardman dropping back from the front-line back into Stewardson's earlier role. Then just sixty seconds later County made their final change of the game, taking off the powerful Turnbull and replacing him with Smeaton.

Matthew Brown, who always seems to have a good game in midfield for the Cumbrians, forced a good save out of Duncan in the 66^th minute. Brown's powerful 25 yard-drive seeing a smart stop low down at his near-post by the Stockport glovesman. Shortly afterwards Carlisle were again making the visitors defence work for their coin at last when a Blake long throw was flicked on into the left-edge of the County box by Kirkup. Ferris ran on to chase the ball down but the angle was very tight and he could only blaze his left-footed effort from eight yards out over the Stockport crossbar.

A minute later though and the Blues found themselves 4-0 down. Smeaton got a powerful drive in on his right foot from fully 25 yards out which Bradley did extremely well to tip onto his own crossbar. His own defence didn't help him out though, and, as the ball ballooned up and dropped back down, Ellis was left with the simple task of slotting the ball home from six yards out, leaving the United keeper kicking the post in frustration.

The Cumbrians made their final change in the game in the 70^th minute when another player on schoolboy forms, in Matthew Wood, came on to replace Vipond in the Blues midfield. Five minutes later Kirkup brought down Smeaton 30 yards out from the Carlisle goal in a central position. Ellis stepped up to take the free-kick, but his side-footed curler on his right foot was always easy for Bradley to watch over the United crossbar.

In the 78^th minute Blake hurled a long throw in from the left for Kirkup to fight for but the Carlisle skipper could only send his eight-yard header straight into the grateful hands of Duncan. Sixty seconds later and Stockport were straight back at the young Blues though when Kirkup gave the ball away to Bowler 25 yards out. He tried a powerful effort from there with his right foot which whistled just inched past of the Cumbrians far-post.

After 81 minutes some nice work by United's Brown in midfield saw him feed the ball into the feet of Ferris in the left-hand channel. Ferris tried a 20-yard left-footed half-volley straight away and he was unlucky to hit it so well that it flew straight at Duncan at a nice catchable height. Three minutes later and a Combe ball down the flank came to Hoban on the right-angle of the Stockport box. Hoban turned well onto his left-foot but he couldn't control his shot on his weaker side and the effort sliced harmlessly well wide of the Hatters far-post.

The last chance of the match came three minutes from time and rather fittingly it was a superb strike from the ever-dangerous Coward that made the final scoreline 5-0 to the visitors. Kirkup went through the back of Ellis 30 yards out from the United goal. United's big skipper then only compounded his own misery by taking a wild swing at the ball as the County man lay on the ground, the ball zooming off into the distance with Kirkup receiving a yellow card for the offence.

Coward stepped up to take the free-kick and he curled a delightful effort up and down and over the wall with his right foot at pace, Bradley standing no chance as the ball flew into the bottom corner of the Carlisle net. The final whistle came soon after, following two minutes of injury time, with United having been given a lesson in good forward play for the majority of the game. It would help though if we started playing a few balls on the floor to two small strikers instead of expecting them to continually win headers against players three or four inches taller than them. It's only the lads' second defeat in nine games though, so things are improving.