With all the unsuccessful second year YTS lads now having moved on to pastures new, it was down to the bare bones for Blues boss Eric Kinder today, with just professionals to be Ben Mckenna and Steven Swinglehurst available from that age group, That therefore meaning the bench was down to one substitute, in Adam Gill, while under-16s midfielder Josh Calvert made a rare start in the centre of the park, Calvert improving as the game went on.
Kicking up the slope in the first-half on a pleasant Spring afternoon United had the first real chance of the game on three minutes when from a Mckenna corner, Blackburn-loanee centre-half Will James headed over the top from eight yards out. Mckenna then trying to get on the scoresheet himself sixty seconds later only to see his right-footed 22-yard strike fly straight into the arms of Welsh under-19 international goalkeeper Danny Ward.
The visitors came back into it though with a couple of their own right-footed potshots from long range around the six minute mark when firstly Jamie Morton cracked an effort miles over Joe Mulby's crossbar, then Ed Marsh saw Mulby make an easy take on his shot. Carlisle then earned a free-kick moments later when Matthew Owen fouled Dan Jones 25 yards out, Dave Symington for United though slamming the set-piece straight into the Wrexham wall with his right boot.
With 11 minutes on the clock the Welshmen had a slight chance when a long goal-kick from Ward flicked off the head of Calvert and into the path of Danny Murphy, the Wrexham striker though hitting an awful attempted lob wide of the target on his right foot when 35 yards from the Blues goal. Calvert then involved at the other end eight minutes later but he couldn't find the target either as his right-footed drive from just beyond the visitors 'D' flew away well over the top.
The visitors then had a good opportunity after 20 minutes when Josh Todd conceded possession and Louis Moss picked up play on his way to seeing his left-footed 25-yard drive deflect off James, flick off the top of the United crossbar and go behind for a corner, which ended up being worked short to terrible effect by Wrexham. Three minutes later and during a good spell in the game for themselves, the Welshmen tried to score the perfect goal only for Owen to see his close-range left-footed shot deflect away wide, the resultant two corners in a row producing nothing but goalmouth scrambles however.
After 25 minutes it was Wrexham once more when Mulby was forced into a good low save at his near-post following a cut in from the right and powerful left-footed 18-yard drive by Moss, Max Penk then glancing a close range header after Moss had swung the flag-kick in from the far corner of a dry pitch. The visitors did take the lead sixty seconds later though when Steve Tommasson launched a long ball over the top for Moss to run onto, his initial shot from just inside the Carlisle box on his weaker right foot being so poor though that it bobbled right into the path of an onrushing Jay Colbeck for the simplest of six-yard tap-ins.
United then tried to respond in the 28th minute but Mckenna was once more off target from range with his right boot as he cut in at pace from the left, before two minutes later Symington made an excellent run forward only to see it end with his 15-yard left-footed drive flying straight into the arms of a well positioned Ward. It was 2-0 to the visitors on 33 minutes however when Symington was caught napping a little on the right and Penk nipped in to steal possession before running on and hitting a left-footed shot from just inside the Blues penalty area across Mulby and into the far corner of the Cumbrians net.
So, Carlisle were now left looking at a big mountain to climb but they did go relatively close to scoring in the 37th minute when Penk fouled Symington on Wrexham's left-hand by-line. Mckenna's right-footed free-kick in first flicking off the head of Swinglehurst before it broke out to Lance McGlen at the back-post, McGlen then knocking the ball back in only for James to head unluckily straight into the arms of Ward from close range when surely anywhere else would have seen the net bulge.
Two minutes later and Symington broke away down the right before slamming a 15-yard right-footed shot across goal and inches wide of Ward's far-post, Mckenna then producing a similar result, but from slightly further out, from the other flank in the 41st minute. Wrexham then made a rare break forward in this point of the game as the Blues had a good spell of pressure but Murphy could only shoot well over the top with his right boot from 20 yards out.
With a minute to go before the break McGlen hurled a long throw into the visitors box which Mark Beck flicked on for Mckenna, the United youngster though had his back to goal and had to first do a bit of juggling before looping an 18-yard overhead kick up into the arms of Ward just below his crossbar. Morton then hit a right-footed shot wide of Mulby's far-post for the Red Dragons before the last chance of the half found a loose ball dropping to Mckenna for, from the middle of the Wrexham 'D', a right-footed volley which sliced away wide of the target.
So, into the second half of the match and it was United once more pressing straight away when Symington cut in from the right before unleashing a powerful 15-yard right-footed drive which Ward did well to parry over the top, the resultant Mckenna corner though producing nothing for the Blues. Up at the other end in the 47th minute and it was Wrexham going close when Liam Shipton's cross in from the right was headed straight up in the air by James, with Murphy then only able to send a looping header straight into the arms of Mulby from 15 yards out as he got on the end of the loose ball.
James was having a tough time in the game in this spell and just sixty seconds later he conceded possession as Murphy then forced a good save out of Mulby with a left-footed effort from just inside the Carlisle box. Shipton then chipping the rebound back in from which Morton headed wastefully wide from only eight yards out. Shipton then missing an even better chance to make it 3-0 in the 53rd minute when he headed Marsh's cross wide of Mulby's near-post from only as far as out as the United six-yard line.
Blues boss Eric Kinder then made the only change available to him in the game two minutes later as he brought on Gill for Jones, that seeing Gill take Symington's place on the right-wing, and Symington go into the striking spot that Jones had occupied. Bang on the hour-mark and the Red Dragons earned a free-kick in a dangerous position just outside the middle of the Carlisle 'D' after Brad Potts had fouled Colbeck, Penk though seeing his left-footed strike from the set-piece being deflected away wide of the target.
In the 64th minute the visitors, coached by Andy Davies and also the well-known face of Joey Jones, made their first substitution of the game when they brought on Max Fargin in place of Shipton down the right. Carlisle though again looking to pull a goal back in the 68th minute when Todd won a good tackle against Morton only to then shoot right-footed but well wide from 22 yards out. Infact the only thing that referee Mr Law did write down in his notebook at that time however was a booking for Calvert following his late challenge on Colbeck.
With 71 minutes on the clock, Swinglehurst, playing at left-back with Kieran Cahill now having departed the club, did well to head behind a goalbound looking 15-yard right-footed drive from Colbeck, before sixty seconds later the Red Dragons made their second change of the game when Robert Evans came on for Murphy upfront. Shortly afterwards and Mulby did well twice following a cross in from the left by Moss, Mulby first getting something on Fargin's close range header at the far-post before then getting across quickly to athletically punch away the danger as Colbeck looked to get on the end of the loose ball.
An even better piece of goalkeeping came at the other end in the 76th minute however when McGlen stuck a cross in to the Wrexham back-stick which Beck headed back into Symington's area eight yards out. Symington then doing well to get a low right-footed scissor kick in on goal only to see Ward make an excellent one-handed stop away to his right at his near-post. Carlisle then unable once more to make anything out of the resultant Mckenna corner against a tall and physical visitors back-line.
United did pull a goal back in the 82nd minute though when Calvert did well to win a header in the middle of the park that sent Symington away on a good run forward. The Blues youngster then seeing his right-footed shot from 15 yards out spin off the legs of Wrexham skipper Anthony Stevens as it slightly deceived Ward on its way into the back of the net. Carlisle then huffed and puffed a bit but the next action of note only came in the 87th minute when the Welshmen made their final substitution as Robert Salathiel replaced Moss on the left-wing.
Infact it was only Wrexham who went close two minutes into injury time when Salathiel was quickly involved as he got away on the break down the left-hand channel before firing in a left-footed drive from 15 yards out which brought an excellent diving save out of Mulby. United's only other opportunity to nick a late equaliser coming in the fourth minute of what turned out to be a mammoth six and a half minutes of injury time when Mckenna, partly in desperation, lashed a right-footed effort well wide from what must have been almost 40 yards out.
United line-up :
Joe Mulby, Lance McGlen, Steven Swinglehurst (c), Josh Todd, Will James, Brad Potts, Dave Symington, Josh Calvert, Dan Jones (Adam Gill 55), Mark Beck, Ben Mckenna.
No unused substitutes.
Wrexham line-up :
Danny Ward, Ed Marsh, Max Penk, Anthony Stevens (c), Steve Tommasson, Matt Owen, Liam Shipton (Max Fargin 64), Jamie Morton, Jay Colbeck, Danny Murphy (Robert Evans 72), Louis Moss (Robert Salathiel 87).
No unused substitutes.
Referee - Mr B Law.
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