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After a very quiet start to the match on a soggy morning up at Creighton, United had the first chance of the game on ten minutes when a Josh Calvert right-footed half-volley from 25 yards out was taken on the bounce at the second attempt by Stanley stopper Josh O'Connell. The visitors then responding two minutes later as Jon Ball parried wide a 20-yard right-footed drive from Nick Walker, the resultant Antony Field corner producing nothing though for the Reds.
After 14 minutes Field worked a good low corner across to Ryan Harper but his side-footed effort from just outside the box was well blocked by the Blues defence. Field then trying to do things all on his own shortly afterwards but his right-footed half-volley from distance flew away over the top, Matt Lawler however forcing Ball into a catch and hold after 22 minutes with a similar effort on the Carlisle goal.
Just before the half-hour mark and it was Walker's turn for an on top Accrington side to fire miles over the top of Ball's crossbar from long range. United's injury problems then got even worse on 32 minutes when Stanley left-back Ben Whitcomb came in with an awful tackle on Dan Jones, the Carlisle centre-forward eventually having to be carried off the pitch with a lower leg injury.
Remarkably Whitcomb only got a mild talking to from referee Law, his surname being one thing that he certainly didn't lay down during the game, when at least a booking and maybe even more was certainly the order of the day. The absence of Jones meant that Bell came on in his place to make it two trialists in the United eleven, Bell going upfront while Cass featured as a central midfielder.
The visitors then missed a chance to take the lead with 37 minutes gone after Mark Sloan, playing in central midfield, fouled Walker 30 yards out. Walker then dusting himself down to swing the free-kick in from which an unmarked Lawler headed poorly wide of the near-post from the middle of the Cumbrians box.
With five minutes to go before the break Dave Symington made a good run forward from his right-back spot, but his powerful 30-yard drive on his stronger boot was gathered in by O'Connell at the second attempt. The last chance of a pretty bitty and tepid first-half coming sixty seconds later when Field stuck a cross in from the right only for Adam Stockdale to send a header wide of the target from ten yards out.
Accrington came flying out after the break and almost scored straight from the kick-off when Field zoomed away down the right-wing and cut the ball back for Stockdale to side-foot a 15-yard effort inches wide of the Carlisle far-post. With 52 minutes gone it was United who took the lead though when Matt Osmond's cross in from the left just evaded the sliding in Bell in the six-yard box.
Possession broke out to a marauding Symington however and he put in a delightful ball on his weaker left boot which Bell did well under pressure to head in off the inside of the Reds near-post from the middle of the box. The game then going through a very quiet spell once more as the only action in the next 20 minutes of midfield battling was three substitutions.
Stanley making a double change on 62 minutes when Connor Hobson and Lawler were replaced by Jon Evans and Jamie Larner respectively. Carlisle then using their only other possible outfield substitute three minutes later when Kieran Sloan came on for Josh Calvert, that leaving goalkeeper Craig Whinham as yet again the only unused Blues player.
United then missing an opportunity to make it 2-0 after 72 minutes when a Mark Beck pass deflected off Whitcomb to Symington 30 yards out. O'Connell had got himself out of position chasing the initial pass and so he was mightly relieved to see Symington's 35-yard angled drive on a partly empty goal disappear away over the angle of far-post and crossbar.
The next job for a dire refeering crew to do was to let a substitute enter the field as Accrington made their third change on 73 minutes when Marcus Carver came on for Stockdale. The Reds then finding an equaliser sixty seconds later when Phil Towler fouled a swandiving Evans 22 yards out. Evans then stepping up to send a relatively weak low side-footed shot which must have gone under the Carlisle wall and maybe taken a slight nick off Holden on its way into the far corner of the Blues net.
Stanley then almost taking the lead in the 76th minute when a corner in from Evans started a bout of pinball in the United box, with Adam Gill eventually clearing off the Cumbrians line at the back-post. Two minutes on and referee Law did a fine job of evening up the situation when Carlisle's Kieran Cahill lunged through on Walker, Cahill though escaping a deserved yellow card as Whitcomb then fired the 22-yard free-kick over the top with his left boot.
Towler, who had a very good game out of position at centre-half despite two late tackles over the 90 minutes, was the one who got the booking in the end though for the softest foul of the three. The free-kick on Evans 20 yards out, seeing the Accrington man stay on the ball as his fierce right-footed drive was headed away well from just in front of the line by Cahill. Oliver Holden then nodding the resultant Evans corner over the top from close range.
The last chance for either side to then find a late winner coming in the 89th minute when Larner sent a cross in from the left which Field under pressure headed wide of the near-post from eight yards out. So, the young Blues still search for their first win of the season, but with a never ending injury crisis it's going to be a tough job to get it, the mission continuing next Saturday with a League Cup tie away to Preston North End.
United line-up :
Jon Ball, David Symington, Matt Osmond, Kieran Cahill, Phil Towler (c), Mark Sloan, Jake Cass, Adam Gill, Mark Beck, Dan Jones (Colin Bell 32), Josh Calvert (Kieran Sloan 63).
Unused substitute :
Craig Whinham (GK).
Accrington line-up :
Josh O'Connor, Jordan Rimmer (c), Ben Whitcomb, Oliver Holden, Karl Dailey, Adam Stockdale (Marcus Carver 73), Antony Field, Ryan Hopper, Matt Lawler (Jamie Larner 62), Nick Walker, Connor Hobson (Jon Evans 62).
Unused substitutes :
Adam Smith (GK) and Joe Wilkinson.
Referee - Mr B Law.
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