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Fortunately the battle with the brown sauce wasn't a traumatic one though as the first opportunity of the game didn't arise until the ten-minute mark when a swerving left-footed shot from distance by the Tranmere left-winger brought an excellent one-handed save from Alex Mitchell. The United keeper able to watch though two minutes later as a 25-yard right-footed shot sailed well over his crossbar from a Rovers midfielder.
With 19 minutes on the clock a cross in from the right by Jonny Blake found the head of Andy Cook eight yards out, sadly for Carlisle though Cook's header went straight into the arms of the Tranmere goalkeeper on the bounce. Rovers moving straight up the pitch from there with a resultant 15-yard shot from the left-edge of the Blues box being easily held by Mitchell.
Connor Tinnion cut in well from the left seven minutes later but he went round in circles for a bit as he looked to get the ball on his left peg, until he eventually gave up and hit a right-footed shot over the top from the edge of the box. Tinnion again skipping in from his flank in the 29th minute, and this time his right-footed 18-yarder forced the Rovers keeper to make a diving stop at his near-post.
Just after the half-hour mark, a 30-yard free-kick for Tranmere, following a foul by Stephen Hindmarch, was thumped left-footed straight into the grateful gloves of Mitchell. Then with 36 minutes gone, another Rovers free-kick, this time 40 yards out on the left having been conceded by Andy Cook for a high boot, saw a close-range Tranmere header from the ball in to the back-post expertly parried away by Mitchell.
Mitchell was certainly the busier of the two keepers in the first-half as Tranmere played with the wind at their backs and he made another excellent save to keep the score goalless after 41 minutes. A 30-yard right-footed rocket of a shot arrowing all the way into the top corner before Mitchell managed to brilliantly tip it up, onto and over his own crossbar. The resultant corner in seeing another shot from distance come in which only dribbled across goal and wide of the far-post.
United started to come back into though and just sixty seconds later they produced some nice football of their own when Blake and Cook combined well to feed the ball into Hindmarch on the right-angle of the Rovers box. Hindmarch's shot from there though zipping across the face of the goal and flying out beyond the back-stick.
Just as the clock ticked into first-half injury time Carlisle were pressing for the opening goal of the game once more but with a bit of a goalmouth scramble in the Rovers box the ball just wouldn't fall right for Cook or John Seaton and the chance was gone. The last opportunity of the opening period coming moments later when a right-footed Tranmere shot from 25 yards out sliced away well wide of Mitchell's far-post.
And then came the first 25 minutes of the second-half, which, erm, had a goal and some substitutions in it, and, er, absolutely nothing else of note. The goal coming the way of Carlisle in the 52nd minute when a good triangle of passing going forward from Michael Dowson, Cook and Seaton set Michael Hepplethwaite up for a right-footed half-volley 18 yards out in the right-hand channel. Hepplethwaite catching his shot just right as it flew back across the Tranmere keeper and into the far top corner of the net.
As for the substitutions, well they came three minutes later, when Ryan Bowman came on for Seaton, Bowman going upfront alongside Cook as Hepplethwaite then switched to the right. Rovers also making a double replacement at the same time as they made changes both upfront and on the right-hand side of midfield.
The wind and a bobbly pitch were in charge of the game now though as proceedings started to turn into a Rugby Union match as throw-in, kick it out, throw-in, kick it out, throw-in became the order of the day with both sides battling for possession in midfield. The next actual clear goal attempt coming after 71 minutes when Hindmarch's right-footed effort from 20 yards out whistled wide of the near-post.
Sixty seconds later Carlisle made their second change of the game with Matthew Wood, back from injury, replacing Dowson in the engine room. The visitors were having a really strong spell in the game now though as they pushed United back and in the 82nd minute the ball seemed to ping around the Blues penalty area for an eternity before it was finally hacked away from danger.
United finally getting the second goal that gave themselves some much needed breathing space moments later after a long Mitchell goal-kick had been flicked by Cook over the top of a pushed-up Tranmere back-line and into the path of Bowman. The Rovers keeper managing to get a little bit of the ball as Bowman rounded him 15 yards out, but the Carlisle youngster wasn't to be denied though as he slotted the ball home into an empty net with the inside of his right boot.
Blues boss Eric Kinder making his third and final substitution of the game before the restart with under-16s central midfielder Shaun Law coming on for the limping Matthew Brown. That meaning fellow central midfielder Blake, playing at right-back, with original right-back Brown starting at left-back in place of Matt Duffy who was featuring at centre-half instead of the suspended Dan Wordsworth, now had to move to left-back and Law had to go to right-back.
Honestly, read it back a couple of times and it will make sense, eventually, infact Tom Aldred was the only player in the Carlisle back four today to be playing in his correct position which makes the clean sheet they kept even more impressive. That no goals conceded statistic being confirmed after the last shooting opportunity of the game, in the 86th minute, had been fired well wide from 18 yards out by a Rovers substitute.
So, back to playing ways, and more importantly back to winning ways for the Blues youngsters, the lads now looking at probably winning their last four games in the next two weeks if they are definitely going to overtake Walsall and win the title. With the reserves playing on Wednesday night though minus David Raven, Paul Reid and probably Paul Arnison it remains to be seen how strong a side Carlisle will be able to field in their next match at home to Wigan on Thursday lunchtime.
United line-up :
Alex Mitchell, Jonny Blake, Matthew Brown (Shaun Law 83), Matt Duffy, Tom Aldred, Michael Dowson (Matthew Wood 72), John Seaton (Ryan Bowman 55), Stephen Hindmarch (c), Andy Cook, Michael Hepplethwaite, Connor Tinnion.
Unused substitutes :
John Jamieson (GK) and Simon Lakeland.
Results in the division last week, Saturday morning unless stated :
Accrington Stanley 0-2 Shrewsbury (Mon)
Blackpool 0-2 Port Vale
Burnley 1-0 Shrewsbury
Bury 1-3 Stockport
Carlisle United 2-0 Tranmere
Morecambe 1-2 Walsall
Oldham 2-3 Wigan
Preston North End 2-1 Wrexham
Rochdale 1-3 Chester
Fixtures in the division this week, Saturday morning unless stated :
Accrington Stanley v Preston (Mon, 2pm)
Wigan v Rochdale (Tue, 6pm)
Carlisle United v Wigan (Thu, 12noon)
Accrington Stanley v Macclesfield
Carlisle United v Burnley
Morecambe v Tranmere
Preston North End v Bury
Wigan v Rochdale
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