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It was Burnley who had the opening shot of the game in the first minute too when their skipper David Lynch cracked a left-footed drive over the top from distance. Carlisle though going close two minutes later when Dan Jones sent Luke Carr away for a left-footed 15-yard shot across Ben Woodhead, the Clarets stopper being able however to make a good parried save away to his left.
With five minutes gone the Blues took the lead when a slip from left-back Curtis Woods allowed Adam Gill to race away down the right and stick a cross in to the back-post. United have been struggling to take their chances but perhaps they could learn from visitors right-back Ed Williams who produced a sweet volley into the roof of his own net from eight yards out.
Ten minutes later and it was Carlisle attacking again in a quieter period of the match when Mark Beck headed back across the box from a ball in by Kieran Cahill, Carr then seeing his shot from the middle of the penalty area deflected away from the target as Woodhead was able to grab the ball on his by-line near his right-hand post.
In the 22nd minute the scoreline was 1-1 following a foul by Lance McGlen on Joe McKee 22 yards out in the middle of the park. McKee then curling the free-kick over the United defensive wall, with the ball bouncing onto the back of the legs of Joe Jackson via the underside of the Carlisle crossbar and then a header from Neil Yadolahi on the rebound. Jackson then able to fire home on the turn from close range as the Blues appealed in vain against what looked like a correct onside decision.
Four minutes later and it was Lynch once more running forward from central midfield but his shooting boots were at home again as his left-footed shot from 25 yards out flew away over the top on a crisp Autumn morning at Creighton. McKee then getting the next effort on goal in for Burnley just after the half-hour mark when his right-footed drive from well outside the United box was pulled well wide of the far-post.
McKee then turned well inside McGlen on 42 minutes before seeing his 20-yard left-footed drive very well pushed behind by the left hand of Jon Ball. McKee's corner in then seeing Lynch head wide of the target from six yards out at the back-post. The last action of the half coming just before the whistle when Ball dallied a little too long on a Steven Swinglehurst back pass, McKee then being able to charge it down on the edge of the box, but fortunately for the Blues the ball pinged well wide of the far-post.
With Jones struggling with a knock in the first half the injury curse struck again as Kieran Sloan came on for his debut in place of the Blues striker at half-time. With 48 minutes on the clock Carlisle had a shooting opportunity following a Woods foul on Gill just outside the 'D'. David Symington, filling in at right-back, stepping up to smack the free-kick over the top via the Burnley wall, the resultant Matt Osmond corner producing nothing for United though.
Belgian youth international Mehdi Lazaar, who didn't really impress for the Lancastrians given his background, then shot well wide of the Blues far-post with his right boot from 20 yards out, before seven minutes later he hit in a 30-yard right-footed half-volley which only proved easy for Ball to take. In the 59th minute United then looking to get something going when Phil Towler produced a good piece of skill, but sadly in the end his left-footed drive from the edge of the box was sliced well wide of the far-post.
After 63 minutes Beck went up in an aerial challenge in the middle of the Clarets penalty area with Woodhead for a Cahill cross in, Beck getting a crack in the ribs for his trouble but he got off lightly compared to the Burnley goalkeeper. Woodhead screaming loudly as soon as he hit the deck as he was eventually stretchered off with a serious looking knee injury, with replacement stopper Josh Cooke coming on in his place.
With 20 minutes left to go in the game Cahill was booked for the Blues by referee Chapman after a poor lunging challenge on Ross Wilson. The Clarets midfielder unharmed though and able sixty seconds later to stick in a ball from the right which eventually dropped down to the right boot of Lazaar. The Belgian however wasting a big chance as his 12-yard half-volley sailed away over the top of Ball's crossbar.
Carlisle then went very close to regaining the lead in the 74th minute when Gill's cross in from the right broke back out to Sloan 20 yards out in the middle of the park, his debut goal just eluding him though as his right-footed shot from there flashed inches wide of the far-post with Cooke beaten. The Cumbrians then attacking again seven minutes later but Beck's ten-yard header from a Cahill cross looped up into the air and was an easy one for Cooke to take.
McKee had looked the most likely to create something for Burnley all game and it was the signing from Livingston who put the Clarets 2-1 ahead on 82 minutes, his right-footed shot from just outside the right angle of the Blues penalty area zooming away low past Ball on its way into the far corner of the United net.
Sixty seconds later and Carlisle were looking for a quick equaliser that their overall efforts probably deserved when Osmond's 22-yard left-footed strike was well pushed over the top by Cooke. Osmond's first corner in then being cleared before his second one saw Swinglehurst head wide under pressure from close range at the back-post.
The Blues skipper paying for that as well as his nose was broken in the challenge, Adam Telfer therefore coming on in his place with Cahill moving in one to centre-half and Telfer playing in his normal left-back role. The visitors also making a change during the break in play as Archie Love came on for Lazaar on the left-hand side of the Burnley midfield.
With two minutes to go in the game the Clarets made sure of all three points when Ball had to handle a McGlen back pass as the Blues got themselves in a bit of a muddle in their defensive ranks. The resultant ten-yard free-kick was touched off to McKee but his shot brought a brilliant save with his legs out of Ball, unfortunately for Carlisle though possession got across to an unmarked Woods over on the right and his right-footed drive from 15 yards out slammed firmly into the back of the Blues net.
Despire there being a bumper seven minutes of injury time there were no further real chances created and so United continue to search for their first league win of the season. Next week comes a good chance to get it with a home game against Accrington Stanley on Saturday morning, but with the possibility of the Blues being down to just eight fit YTS players then it certainly isn't going to be easy.
United line-up :
Jon Ball, David Symington, Kieran Cahill, Steven Swinglehurst (c) (Adam Telfer 83), Lance McGlen, Matt Osmond, Adam Gill, Phil Towler, Mark Beck, Dan Jones (Kieran Sloan 46), Luke Carr.
Unused substitute :
Craig Whinham (GK).
Burnley line-up :
Ben Woodhead (Josh Cooke 63), Ed Williams, Curtis Woods, Alex Coleman, Neil Yadolahi, David Lynch (c), Ross Wilson, Stephen Hewitt, Joe Jackson, Joe McKee, Mehdi Lazaar (Archie Love 83).
Unused substitutes :
Alex Mullin, Stephen Edwards and Tom Taylor.
Referee - Mr Chapman.
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