United Youth 1-2 Stockport Youth

Richardson did start brightly in the game though and in the second minute he tried a lob from 40 yards out that only drifted safely into the hands of Stockport goalkeeper Xavier Parisi. Just sixty seconds later however and County took the lead, Ryan Wilson's pass through partly missed by Jamie Cleary, which then allowed the pacey Cameron Darkwah to run in on goal down the left-hand channel and slot a 12 yard side-footer across Jon Ball and into the far corner of the Cumbrians net.

After six minutes attacking Hatters right-back John Disney stuck in a good cross in from the right but Wilson's header from the middle of the box was pushed wide of the far-post. Shortly afterwards and Carlisle were denied an equaliser by the offside flag when Ben McKenna's right-wing ball in was headed down and in by Sean Law eight yards out, Sloan though had drifted in front of Parisi and the goal was chalked off.

In a busy spell in the game a cross in from the left by Louis Barnes for County was nodded wide by Steven Murty from close range at the Carlisle back-stick. United looked to come back into things though when skipper Liam Davison firstly shot off target from 22 yards out before in the 13th minute Law sent McKenna away down the right flank. His low ball in was then dummied by Sloan but it was slightly behind Richardson and the Blues midfielder could only hit his 12-yard right-footed effort over the top.

With 17 minutes on the clock Wilson chested down a Murty cross in from the right but his left-footed shot from the edge of the Carlisle box went across goal and wide. Parisi then forced into his first save of the match three minutes later when Richardson fed Sloan for a right-footed strike from a tight angle on the by-line which went straight into the hands of Parisi at his near-post.

Wilson then tried a half-volley for County from distance in the 21^st minute but it was mishit and only looped up in the air for an easy Ball catch. Stockport almost did make it 2-0 in the 28th minute though when Craig Roberts knocked a pass over the top for Darkwah to chase down, Kieran Cahill did well to come across from his left-back spot and put Darkwah under pressure however, the end result being Ball saving with his legs from Darkwah's rushed 12-yard right-footed effort on goal.

Bang on the half-hour mark and Cleary was left hobbling a bit for the remainder of the game after a very poor tackle on him by Disney somehow escaped a yellow card. Four minutes later, and after Davison had been fouled, Matty Osmond stuck the set-piece in which was cleared, his two resultant corners in a row then, as the Hatters defended well in the air, only ending in a James Wood 20-yard drive that deflected straight into the gloves of Parisi.

In the 36th minute the two Stockport strikers combined as Tom Fisher played in Darkwah for a left footed shot from the edge of the 'D' which flew at pace over Ball's crossbar. Two minutes before the break and County went close again when Fisher's 18-yard strike took an awful bounce up into the chest of Ball, Roberts then under pressure from Steven Swinglehurst only able to toe-poke the rebound wide of the target from ten yards out.

The last chance of the half coming as we ticked into injury time when some slack defending from Carlisle saw a Roberts corner headed wide from close range at the back-post by Sam Hare. Stockport having had the better of things in the opening period with United struggling a little to keep hold of possession up at the top end of a cutting up pitch.

It was 1-1 from the first chance of the second half though when Davison's pass through the middle was missed by Tom Baldwin, Richardson able to run through before, a little too early many of us thought, being able to push a side-footed effort from 15 yards out in the left-hand channel across Parisi and into the far corner of the County net.

Carlisle now having their best spell in the game as in the 48th minute Sloan set up Richardson for an 18-yard right-footed effort that curled just wide of the Hatters far-post. Richardson then perhaps getting a little bit too trigger happy three minutes later when turning and shooting from at least 30 yards out, his right-footed drive from there going well off target.

After 53 minutes and Richardson made a great run away down the right on the break but sadly for United his low ball in found the only defender, in County skipper Sam Barnes, instead of Davison and Sloan who were unmarked in the middle. Four minutes later though and it was Stockport again when Darkwah's ten-yard right-footed shot was well cleared off the line by Cleary, Wilson then hitting a weak effort from the edge of the box on the rebound straight at Ball.

Sloan and McKenna then played a nice one-two for the Cumbrians in the 63rd minute but Sloan's 18-yard shot with his right boot was only an easy take for Parisi. County then responding with a Darkwah left-footer from the 'D' which went straight at Ball, before it was back up the other end again with 66 minutes gone when Davison and Richardson combined nicely for a Davison 20-yard right-footed drive that took a deflection on its way to being gathered in by Parisi.

Midway through the half and Murty stuck a cross in from the right but Fisher could only head it wide of the far-post from just inside the Carlisle penalty spot. The Hatters did regain the lead in the 68^th minute though when Fisher showed some good strength to hold off Cleary before racing in and crashing an unstoppable right-footed drive in off the far underside angle of Ball's left-hand post and crossbar.

United seemed to be denied a penalty shortly afterwards though when Richardson had initially been fouled on the left-angle of the Stockport box, Richardson then looking to have been flattened again when Davison stuck the set-piece in deep to the back-stick. Disney had been booked for conceding the free-kick but it was soon one yellow card each when Cahill picked one up sixty seconds later for a badly timed tackle on Darkwah.

County then made the first substitution of the match in the 70th minute when Reiss Lee came in on place of Baldwin. The only action for a block of ten minutes then being replacements as two minutes later Paddy O'Brien replaced Osmond on the Carlisle left, then under-16s striker Dan Jones came on upfront for Sloan five minutes later. Jones now with the squad after recently being awarded a two-year YTS contract that will start next summer.

Finally some more action came with ten minutes to go when Disney stuck a ball in from the right which Darkwah headed back across goal from eight yards out which pulled an excellent one-handed diving save out of Ball at his far-post. Sean Williams then replacing Wilson down the Hatters left during the next break in play.

Shortly afterwards and Murty was stuck in two minds when, deep in the right-hand channel, he could only smack a right-footed cross cum shot away wide of Ball's back-stick. Ball though having to make another good stop in the 82nd minute when Louis Barnes laid off possession to Murty for a right-footed toe-poke on the Blues goal which Ball got down well to.

Sixty seconds later and Carlisle were looking for an equaliser when Jones fed the ball back to Davison for a 20-yard right-footed curler that flew away to safety over the top. United's by far best chance to grab a late leveller coming in the 87th minute when Richardson played in a completely unmarked Law on the Hatters penalty spot. Law with both corners gaping though only able to pull his left-footed effort wide of Parisi's near-post — a massive opportunity gone for the Cumbrians.

And that was their last one too as the only thing of note to happen after that was Phil Towler entering the fray in place of McKenna. Carlisle now looking back on four defeats in a row after a good start to the season with eight league wins from twelve, but without Bowman the goals have dried up and that will be a concern to boss Eric Kinder as well as David Wilkes, the latter being in charge today with Kinder away on a coaching course.