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The football pitch seems to drain really well though and it was only the horrendously strong wind that was responsible for ruining the game, although some hefty challenges from Chester and a soft referee didn't exactly help matters either. His efforts following the usual pattern of officiating at this level where too much going unpunished early on leads to a match becoming niggly in the later stages.
Starting with the same eleven that had drawn 1-1 at table-toppers Wrexham last week the young Blues were kicking down the slope but into the teeth of the wind in the first-half, goal-kicks from Alex Mitchell often just making it to the halfway line when the gusts were at their strongest.
The first shot coming the way of City in the seventh minute when a 15-yard right-footed half-volley was struck across Mitchell's goal and wide of his back-stick from over on the right edge of the Carlisle box. The next effort coming as long as ten minutes later when a right-footed Chester drive from 22 yards out disappeared away past Mitchell's left-hand post on the wind.
Just after the half-hour mark and a bobbly right-footed shot from distance was an easy one for Mitchell to take. The lack of action in the game coming as the ball spent more time off the pitch than it did on it. Yours truly occasionally becoming the oldest ballboy in the west up at the far end in an effort to keep warm, as well as find something to do.
With 34 minutes on the clock the visitors missed perhaps their best chance of the game after a left-footed 20-yard effort had deflected away off Simon Lakeland for a corner. The resultant flag-kick in seeing an unmarked City player at the United far-post only able to volley wide of the target with his right boot from ten yards out.
Five minutes later came Carlisle's only real effort in the opening period as they battled valiantly against the conditions. A Conor Tinnion left-footed corner in seeing James Reid send a ten-yard header wide of the Chester back-stick. The last chance of the half coming after 43 minutes when Mitchell comfortably held a 22-yard left-footed drive from a City midfielder.
Moments after a quick interval and Lakeland sent a useful cross in from his right-back spot on his left foot, Jonny Blake though just unable to reach it as he dived towards the ball with right boot outstretched 12 yards from goal. City then making the first substitution of the match seconds before the hour-mark as the game once more descended into a wind-assisted stalemate.
On 62 minutes Mitchell was forced into a good save after the visitors had worked a nice opening down the middle, the United goalkeeper blocking well from an eventual left-footed shot from 18 yards out. Sixty seconds later and Reid for Carlisle was trying his luck with a right-footed 22-yarder that curled across goal from the left edge of the City 'D', but also well wide of the far-post.
That was the last action of the game for a tired looking Reid as he was then replaced by Steven Swinglehurst. The change seeing Swinglehurst go to left-back, Matt Duffy move up onto the left-hand side of midfield and Tinnion go into a free role on that side of the forward line. That making a real difference late on as the tricky left-winger had a barnstorming last 20 minutes as he had the Chester defence in knots trying to control him.
With 68 minutes gone Swinglehurst was raiding up and he smacked a left-footed cross-shot in from 12 yards out that someone really should have gambled to get on the end of. That being the case a couple of times later on as well when Tinnion stuck a couple of perfect balls across the six-yard line from the left flank.
Sixty seconds later and another attacking change was made for United when defensive midfielder Sean Law was sacrificed for Chris McDougall as Carlisle hunted a late winning goal, Blake then dropping back a little to help cover the centre-half pairing of skipper Tom Aldred and Jamie Cleary.
After 73 minutes Tinnion weaved an opening down the left before crossing in a ball that went just behind Ryan Bowman, the Blues youngster only able to scoop a left-footed shot high and wide from eight yards out as he stretched his leg back. The next moment of note coming three minutes later when a Chester striker was replaced upfront as went off with what looked like a cut to the head.
Bowman cut in well from the right-hand channel on 78 minutes and he could perhaps have pushed the ball in front of goal for the onrushing Liam Davison. He chose to shoot right-footed though from eight yards out and the City goalkeeper made a great save with his legs as the ball was eventually hacked away from danger by a covering defender.
It wasn't pretty but the only goal of the game finally came after 83 minutes when Blake had worked hard to chase a loose ball and win Carlisle a corner down at the end where I had taken root for a better vantage point of the one-way action and to help retrieve any of the balls that disappeared away behind the goal.
As Chester were still getting sorted out Blake and Duffy worked the corner quickly between themselves with Duffy then sticking a perfect cross in from the left for McDougall to head back in the same direction from eight yards out. The City keeper attempting to claw the ball out as it went in off the near-post, but the assistant referee was having none of it as he waved his flag and ran back towards the half-way line to much relief from players and spectators alike.
United's third and final substitution came in the 89th minute when James Wood replaced Davison in the Carlisle engine room. Wood immediately in the action when Tinnion made a remarkable run down the left as he ghosted past three or four Chester players before knocking a perfect cross in for Wood six yards out, Wood though somehow managing to side-foot a volley over from there when it seemed easier to score.
With a minute or so of injury time gone things started to get a little bad tempered over on the far side as Duffy looked to run the clock down by the far corner flag. A clearly audible shout of "fucking do him" from the Chester goalkeeper to one of his defenders running in to challenge not exactly the kind of comment you want to hear at any level of football.
The referee moments later choosing a sensible time to blow his final whistle before things got out of hand, that signalling a hard-working victory for the young Blues in conditions where one goal was always going to win the match. Next week being a pivotal one that will more than likely make or break Carlisle's title challenge as they face a trip to in-form Preston North End on Wednesday and then another game on the road at Macclesfield on Saturday.
United line-up :
Alex Mitchell, Simon Lakeland, Matt Duffy, Jamie Cleary, Tom Aldred (c), Jonny Blake, Sean Law (Chris McDougall 69), Liam Davison (James Wood 89), James Reid (Steven Swinglehurst 63), Ryan Bowman, Conor Tinnion.
Unused substitutes :
Mark Gillespie (GK) and Mark Sloan.
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