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United at least started brightly though and they were gifted the lead after just four minutes when Shaun Vipond lobbed a pass forward towards Stephen Hindmarch upfront. The Cumbrians didn't need to do any more from there to score though as Jonathan Crompton attempted a back pass to Lloyd Ransome in the Vale goal, Ransome slipping on the slippery surface as he tried to field it and so seeing the ball dribble past him and into the back of the Valiants net.
Two minutes later Carlisle's Richie Hoban had a 25-yard half-volley that flew straight into the arms of Ransome. After 14 minutes Vale's Simon Richman made a good run down the left and sent in a cross to the United back-post which flew just over the head of Blues left-back Matthew Blake and the visitors Ross Davidson and out for a throw-in.
On 19 minutes Hindmarch gave the ball away in the middle of the pitch and Vale attacked with purpose, only for Danny Glover's Lethal Weapon of a 20-yard shot to be well blocked by Blues centre-half Terry Stewart. Glover was again in the play three minutes later when he got a cross in from the right after some good set-up play by Ashley Carter, Will Bown managed to be first to it at the near-post but his flick with the outside of his boot flew over the Cumbrians crossbar.
Sixty seconds later, as the visitors had a good spell in the game, a corner in by Vale skipper Jake Moult was headed over United keeper Grant Carson's goal by Davidson from ten yards out. Shortly afterwards a quick free-kick was played forward by Crompton into the feet of Glover who then teed up Moult with a lay-off, Moult wasted the good opportunity from just outside the Carlisle box though as he dragged his effort across goal and well wide of the target.
The Blues came back into the game quickly however and after 25 minutes Andy Hardman released Hindmarch down the right-hand channel, the young United striker running on and rounding the keeper only to find the angle too tight for a shot, his cross in being cleared at the near-post by Vale left-back Josh O'Grady. Two minutes later it was Hardman's turn to run at the Valiants defence, after Hoban's good tackle in midfield had given him possession, Hardman hitting a 22-yard shot in which deflected off the legs of Crompton for a Blues corner.
Carlisle doubled their lead on 32 minutes with a crackerjack of a goal, for the second time in three games, from Matthew Blake. United skipper Shaun Vipond had initially put a cross in from the left which was only headed back out by O'Grady straight to Blake who had stayed forward after an earlier Blues corner. Blake steadied himself for a 22-yard half-volley on the right-angle of the Vale box and hammered it straight into the top-right hand corner of Ransome's net to give the Cumbrians a two goal advantage.
After 37 minutes Moult was booked by referee Corkhill for a bad, and late, tackle on Vipond that might have brought a straight red in a first-team game. Five minutes later Hindmarch flicked Vipond's ball up into the path of Hardman down the left-hand channel, but Hardman's shot was dragged wide of the Valiants far-post. The last chance before the half-time whistle came the way of the visitors in injury time, Carter getting a cross in from the right which was only headed straight up in the air by Moult eight yards out, leaving Carson with an easy catch to make at his near-post.
The second period got away to a quieter start than the first had with the bizarre own goal so soon into it. It was the Blues though who had the first shot on goal in the half when first-year midfielder Matthew Wood picked the ball up and tried an effort from distance only to pull the ball wide of Ransome's far-post as Carlisle kept up the pressure on the Latics back-line.
The Cumbrians were awarded a free-kick on 51 minutes after a foul on Richie Hoban by Vale's Michael Scott 22 yards out from the Oldham goal on the left-hand angle of the penalty area. Vipond stepped up to take the set-piece which he hammered into the visitors defensive wall with his right foot, the ball deflecting over the Oldham crossbar for a corner, Vipond's flag-kick in subsequently being headed clear by Crompton.
Six minutes later Hoban worked hard to pick the ball up in central midfield, and nutmegged Moult in his run towards the Valiants box, 25 yards from goal he tried a piledriver of a shot but Scott was able to get a good block in. The visitors were busy trying to pull a goal back just after the hour-mark when a ball was played across the face of the United penalty area by Carter to O'Grady, the Vale left-back getting in a quick and powerful drive which whistled just inches past Carson's far-post.
The visitors were reduced to ten men midway through the half when Moult put in his second bad tackle of the game, and received his second yellow card. Matthew Blake picking the ball up in his left-back spot and running forward only for the Vale skipper to scythe the United man down in full flight. It's not often you see a red card brandished in a youth team game but Moult was certainly deserving of it for his two wild challenges, as frustration at the score seemed to get the better of him, hardly the example you want your captain to show though.
In the 67 th minute Matthew Blake also found his way into the referee's notebook as, struggling back down the left flank after the earlier foul on him, he was outpaced by Carter. Blake bringing Carter to the floor in a tackle down the back of the Vale man's legs and receiving a yellow card for his troubles. The free-kick was played in low by O'Grady to Glover, who curved his run round the front, but his shot didin't suit the approach play though as it flew way over Carson's crossbar.
In the last 20 minutes the Valiants pushed forward to try and get something out of the game, but with only ten men at their disposal it left the Blues with some big gaps in behind to try and exploit. With ten minutes to go in the game Wood won possession well in the middle of the park and fed substitute Matthew Brown whose well placed cross in was headed just wide by Hindmarch. Second United substitute Dan Rayson and Hindmarch also missed late one on ones with Ransome whilst the opposing defence was left exposed with the Valiants one man down. The final piece of action seeing Hardman race down the left in the last minute only to be unlucky when his cross come shot came back off the inside of the far post with the Vale keeper beaten.
United line-up :
Grant Carson, Ashley Combe, Matthew Blake (Matthew Brown 72), Terry Stewart, Dan Wordsworth, Shaun Vipond (c), Richie Hoban, Andy Hardman, Matthew Wood, Mike Stewardson (Dan Rayson 75), Stephen Hindmarch.
Substitutes :
Alex Mitchell, Jonny Blake and Mark Graham.
Port Vale line-up :
Lloyd Ransome, Tom Shaw, Josh O'Grady, Jake Moult (c), Jonathan Crompton, Michael Scott, Ashley Carter, Ross Davidson, Will Bown, Danny Glover, Simon Richman.
Substitutes :
Ashley Hill, Chris Martin and Ben Nixon.
Referee - J.P. Corkhill.
Results in the division this morning :
Blackpool 1-1 Wrexham
Carlisle 2-0 Port Vale
Chester 0-0 Wigan
Oldham 4-2 Shrewsbury
Rochdale 2-2 Macclesfield
Stockport 2-0 Preston
Tranmere 2-1 Bury
Walsall 2-0 Burnley
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