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Upfront we moved onto another trialist in centre-forward Jamie Clarey (10), who plays in the local leagues in the Sunderland area, the last striking trialist we had from the Russell Foster Youth Leagues being Gary Madine - so no pressure on Clarey there then. Meanwhile on the bench were two youngsters who will be coming onto United's YTS scheme next season. The pair being unused substitute goalkeeper Jordan Parker (ex-Everton) and former Burnley left-back Dale Minor (16).
Two players who didn't feature but were at the game and will be on two year YTS deals next season were a duo of midfielders in Brandon Gwinnutt (ex-Derby Schoolboys) and Jack Lynch, formerly of Burnley. The only other new name for next season not on the scene at all being West Cumbrian midfielder Kyle Dempsey who is currently an under-15s player, but will be involved with the youth team squad in 2011-12.
So, with so many ins there understandably have to be some outs as well, with second year YTS players Jon Ball, Kieran Cahill and Paddy O'Brien all having been released with no prospect of a professional contract looming. Non-contract goalkeeper Craig Whinham also now not being involved as the positions of a permanent goalkeeper, a centre-half and a centre-forward look to be the only spaces left to fill in the Cumbrians camp next season.
Onto the game, and with it turning out to be a windy morning it didn't produce the best specatacle either, although Shrewsbury, particularly through diminutive midfielder Ryan Woods, did play some nice stuff early on. It took until the seventh minute for the first chance to come though when visitors skipper Elliott Turner shot over the top with his left foot on a loose ball from 25 yards out.
The next opportunity for the passing on the floor Shrews to score coming in eight minutes later when a corner from Iain Edmunds was headed dismally wide by Kane Cork from ten yards out at the Carlisle near-post. The young Blues went the closest to scoring in the opening stages in the 17th minute though when Dave Symington's corner over to the back-post was headed down by Mark Beck from close range, only for Shrews stopper Matthew Coton to make an excellent save with his legs as the danger was then cleared by Ashley Wells.
It was 1-0 to the visitors midway through the opening period though when another corner in from Edmunds saw Mulby get a little bit under the ball and Sam Westray sadly run in unmarked to head down and in from eight yards out. Shrewsbury were having a very good spell in the game now with their movement and neat passing football pulling Carlisle about, and in the 27th minute the fantastically named Cameron Broadway fired in a left-footed 15-yard shot that was well blocked by Blues skipper Steven Swinglehurst.
After that it was tepid fare for a while before Cork shot over the top from distance and then United came on strong right at the very end of the half. Matt Osmond's cross from his left-back berth firstly being loop-headed by Beck from 15 yards out into the hands of Coton, before in the first minute of injury time Coton misjudged a cross in from the right by Symington and Beck was able to head into an unguarded net from close range at the back-post to equalise for the Blues.
The last action of the opening period seeing the Cumbrians almost nick a 2-1 lead at the break when Lance McGlen, raiding down the wing from his right-back spot, stuck a cross in from which Brad Potts hit a shot in goalwards from the middle of the penalty area in a goalmouth scramble. Kieran Mills-Evans managing to smuggle the ball away before the whistle though to see leave matters level going into the interval.
During the break the visitors made a change in personnel as Jake Holyoake came in on place of Lewis Phillips, with Symington for United however getting the first shot in with a 25-yarder on his right foot that flew well over the top. As it got windier and the game got bittier it was a substitution apiece that was the order of the day next as firstly Minor replaced Osmond for Carlisle and Jordan Armstrong came on at right-back place in place of the attacking Omar Recci for the Shrews.
Bang on the hour-mark and Mark Sloan was looking to break the deadlock for the Cumbrians with a left-footed half-volley from 22 yards that sliced away well wide of the target. Shortly afterwards and Josh Todd replaced Berwick in the Carlisle midfield before Beck struck in a similar effort to Sloan's earlier one, the end result this time though being that it was the back-stick and not the near-post that wasn't troubled.
With 71 minutes on the clock Edmunds tried his luck with a left-footed shot from 20 yards out that deflected off Potts on its way into the arms of Molby, before eight minutes later Symington made a good run forward for the Cumbrians as he then laid the the ball off to Clarey down the left-hand channel. The United trialist only able though to scoop his right-footed shot across goal from just inside the box high over Coton's crossbar.
That was the last action of the game for Clarey as he was then replaced by first-year YTS striker Dan Jones, before Symington was once more looking to find a late goal for Carlisle but his left-footed shot from a tight angle flew into the side-netting at Coton's near-post. A busy Symington then after 84 minutes raiding down the left and feeding the ball back for Jones, who was only able to push his right-footed drive across goal and wide of the far-post from 15 yards out.
Two minutes later and Sloan's corner in was only partly cleared out by the head of Mills-Evans straight to Phil Towler in the middle of the Shrews 'D', Towler was quickly closed down though and his right-footed half-volley from there flew away over the top. The young Blues were then hit by a massive sucker punch in the 87th minute however when Woods played a ball down the middle and Broadway suddenly found himself clear in on goal to slide a 15-yard left-footed finish across Mulby and into the far corner of the United net to give Shrewsbury a late 2-1 lead.
With a minute left on the clock Carlisle were now looking for a late leveller, but after Towler was fouled by Armstrong 25 yards out, Symington saw his right-footed strike from the free-kick fly straight into the arms of Coton. The best, double chance for United as it turned out, coming three minutes into injury time when, from a Beck flick-in Towler produced a couple of good touches before seeing his under-pressure 15-yard shot well saved by Coton, the visitors stopper then doing even better to prevent Todd slotting the rebound home with a very good block on the Carlisle man's side-footer.
So, that was that as it turned out as young Newcastle referee Elliott Heward, who had a pretty good game all in, soon blew the final whistle on proceedings. The defeat bringing to an end what had been a good week for the Cumbrians with a 2-0 win at Blackpool last Saturday and 3-2 victory at Accrington Stanley coming before today. United's next chance to get back to winning ways coming round quickly when they face Rochdale at Creighton in a rearranged league fixture at 2pm this coming Thursday afternoon.
United line-up :
Joe Mulby, Lance McGlen, Matt Osmond (Dale Minor 56), Mark Sloan, Steven Swinglehurst (c), Brad Potts, Tom Berwick (Josh Todd 63), Phil Towler, Mark Beck, Jamie Clarey (Dan Jones 79), David Symington.
Unused substitutes :
Jordan Parker (GK) and Adam Gill.
Shrewsbury line-up :
Matthew Coton, Omar Recci (Jordan Armstrong 57), Ashley Wells, Ryan Woods, Kieran Mills-Evans, Sam Westray, Lewis Phillips (Jake Holyoake 46), Elliott Turner (c), Cameron Broadway, Kane Cork, Iain Edmunds.
Unused substitute :
Ben Evans.
Referee - Elliott Heward.
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