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United were straight at it as well and some early pressure saw Jonny Blake fire over from 25 yards out on two minutes following a neat lay-off into his path from new striker Andrew Cook. Shortly aferwards Stanley had a 12-yard header that went over the top of Grant Carson's bar then on eleven minutes the same player fired a left-footed shot wide of the Cumbrians near-post from long range.
On 13 minutes Connor Tinnion sent a free-kick into the visitors box which came back out to Carlisle's Tom Aldred, centre-half Aldred's shot deflecting wide of the far-post from 15 yards out. Five minutes later and United took the lead after the linesman decided to keep his flag fit by putting it up then down again. Carlisle played on though and Matthew Wood thumped in a right-footed drive from 20 yards out which looked an easy catch only for the Stanley keeper to let the ball slip straight through his gloves and into the net.
With 20 minutes gone on the clock left-winger Tinnion made a good run down his flank before seeing his 15-yard shot ping out past the back-post off an Accrington defender. Six minutes later the Blues were inches away from increasing their lead after a Blake pass through the middle saw Gary Madine try to push the ball past the Stanley keeper who just managed to knock the ball away from his feet.
Tinnion picked up on possession and floated a cross into the back-stick which Madine headed onto the inside of the post from six yards out, the ball rolling agonisingly along the line before an Accrington boot hacked it away from danger. Just before the half-hour mark the Stanley right-back was booked for a bad foul on Wood in the centre-circle. Wood firing a deflected shot into the arms of the visitors keeper after the resultant free-kick had been taken.
After 33 minutes Tinnion swung in a perfect corner, which was a feature of the game, Dan Wordsworth heading the ball goalwards from six yards out only to see it booted off the line as the Accrington goal led a charmed life. Two minutes later the Frenchfields pitch struck again as Madine stumbled on the bobbling ball as he ran in on goal following his own strong tackle on the right and some nice interplay with Cook.
Sixty seconds later Wordsworth had another header from a Tinnion corner cleared off the line as the young Blues just couldn't find that second goal. With five minutes to go in the half Stephen Hindmarch made a good run down the right and laid the ball across to Madine in the middle. Madine in turn set a touch back to Blake but the central midfielder's right-footed shot from 22 yards out screwed away wide of the far-post.
Carlisle finally did find their second goal that their dominance merited, aided by the wind and a slight slope, in the 43rd minute. It was thanks to Accrington though as a huge defensive mix-up saw Wood end up one-on-one with the keeper 15 yards out, Wood keeping his composure to side-foot the ball home into the corner of the net. United having a chance to make it 3-0 right on half-time from yet another Wordsworth header from a Tinnion corner, this time the ball hitting the back of Cook before being hoofed away by a busy Stanley back-line.
Carlisle boss Eric Kinder had no doubt told his charges to defend strongly immediately after the break but that seemingly fell on deaf ears as the visitors pulled a goal back after just two minutes. Stanley getting in a couple of deflected shots which led to them winning a corner, the flag-kick was well swung in to the near-post and the number ten was able to nod the ball home into the net on the bounce from close range after it had been headed down by his fellow centre-half.
Accrington could have equalised five minutes later when Wordsworth conceded a free-kick 35 yards out on the right. The set-piece, taken left-footed, flew across the United box and past everybody as it pinged away off the base of Carson's far-post. A Stanley boot was there to meet the rebound only three yards from the line but Aldred did well to get his body in the way and eventually hack the ball clear.
With 55 minutes gone a long free-kick up from Carson was headed down by Madine into the path of Tinnion 22 yards out, Tinnion firing a left-footed half-volley straight over the top of the visitors crossbar. Just after the hour-mark the Cumbrians made their first substitution of the game when John Seaton replaced Cook, Seaton slotting into midfield with Hindmarch now pushed further up to support Madine.
Two minutes later though and Accrington pulled themselves level in the game, Aldred conceding a free-kick 25 yards out in the right-hand channel. The left-footed number eleven stepped up to take the set-piece and his shot around the United wall flew across and into the far bottom corner of the United net, although Blues keeper Carson may be left wondering if he could have done better with it.
On 69 minutes Madine hit a 15-yard right-footed shot straight at the Stanley glovesman after Wood had fed the ball into him down the left-hand channel. Play going straight up the other end from the goal-kick with the ever-dangerous left-winger firing a half-volley well over the top of the United goal from distance with the wind at his back.
The visitors almost nicked the lead four minutes later when a shot by that man on the left-wing deflected off Carlisle skipper and right-back Matthew Brown on it's way out for a corner. Some excellent delivery again by the Stanley player saw a free header come in on goal from only six yards out, Carson doing well to close his legs in time as he made a good save with his feet low down on his line.
After 77 minutes a ball across the face of the Accrington box from Tinnion found Hindmarch in the right-hand channel, Hindmarch seeing his 15-yard right-footed half-volley well pushed over the bar by the Stanley keeper. Hindmarch was again in the thick of the action two minutes later when a ball into him from Matthew Duffy saw him fire a low right-footer straight into the arms of the well-positioned visitors glovesman from the edge of the box.
With ten minutes to go Wordsworth headed away a dangerous visitors cross in from the right, the ball went straight to the left-winger though, but he could only send his half-volley high into the hedge way behind the goal from 18 yards out. In the 82nd minute Blues boss Eric Kinder made his second change of the game when he brought on Michael Dowson for Tinnion.
After 87 minutes Carson was called into action as he beat away a swerving 18-yard drive from one of the Accrington substitutes. Sixty seconds later and Carlisle missed a glorious opportunity to regain the lead and take all three points, a cross in from the left by Duffy flying over everyone as it found its way to Seaton 15 yards out at the back-post. Seaton was unable to make the net bulge though as his right-footed half-volley sliced away wide of the near-post.
In typical youth team tradition there was some bizarre refereeing throughout as far as both sides were concerned, that culminating in the last minute dismissal of one of the Accrington coaching staff. A mammoth seven minutes of injury time appeared from somewhere but Stanley were able to hang on easily for the draw and their first ever point at this level of football at the 26th attempt. United meanwhile will rue the first-half missed opportunities that cost them their second win in a row at the start of the season.
United line-up :
Grant Carson, Matthew Brown, Matthew Duffy, Tom Aldred, Dan Wordsworth, Jonny Blake, Stephen Hindmarch, Matthew Wood, Gary Madine, Andrew Cook (John Seaton 61), Connor Tinnion (Michael Dowson 82).
Unused substitutes :
Alex Mitchell (GK) and Shaun Law.
Results in the division this morning :
Burnley 3-4 Bury
Carlisle 2-2 Accrington Stanley
Chester 3-2 Port Vale
Oldham 1-2 Stockport
Preston 1-2 Blackpool
Shrewsbury 3-2 Macclesfield
Tranmere 3-3 Walsall
Wigan 1-3 Wrexham
Results from Saturday 25th August :
Macclesfield 0-2 Wigan
Rochdale 3-3 Morecambe
Fixtures in the division next Saturday :
Accrington Stanley v Oldham
Bury v Rochdale
Chester v Burnley
Macclesfield v Port Vale
Morecambe v Blackpool
Preston v Carlisle
Stockport v Shrewsbury
Wigan v Tranmere
Wrexham v Walsall
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