With Steven Swinglehurst in first team action for Carlisle and Mark Sloan nursing a rib injury it was down to three substitutes today for Blues boss Eric Kinder, although there was one new face involved with Will James, on a work experience deal from Blackburn Rovers, taking over Swinglehurst's vacant spot at centre-half. Right-back Lance McGlen meanwhile being the recipient of the captain's armband at a slighty soggy Creighton, albeit the actual playing surface holding up well.
Things couldn't have looked any brighter for the Cumbrians either when they took the lead with the first attack of the game, Phil Towler feeding Ben Mckenna for a good run through past two Rovers defenders before he laid the ball off for Mark Beck (pictured) ten yards out. Beck then easily able to slot a left-footed shot home beyond the reach of Andy Coughlan to put United 1-0 up.
Tranmere came back quickly though on the back of a Josh Todd error and Blues stopper Joe Mulby had to make a good save to parry away a well hit right-footed 20-yard drive from Cole Stockton. With seven minutes on the clock it was Rovers once more when Osmond fouled Steve Wainwright 25 yards out in the middle of the pitch, the danger for Carlisle being averted though thanks to an awful shot from the set-piece by Max Power on his right foot which was pulled miles wide of Mulby's near-post.
Power then dragged another effort on his stronger side TO almost exactly the same place FROM almost exactly the same place sixty seconds later. United were then pressing forward in the 12th minute when Beck flicked on from a Dave Symington right-wing cross, only for Tom Berwick to meet the ball at the same time as Coughlan, play then breaking across to Mckenna who could have easily gone down under a challenge from Wainwright for a penalty, but he played on only to see his cross in go straight into the arms of Coughlan.
Moments later and Mulby got himself in no man's land when he came out for an Ellis Appleton cross in from the left, that meaning the diminutive Jake Kirby was able to win a flicked header that flashed narrowly wide of the Carlisle back-stick. With 14 minutes gone the visitors went close once more when McGlen brought down Appleton 30 yards out on the left, Power then curling the set-piece across goal but somehow across everybody on its way out at Mulby's far-post.
It could then have been 2-0 to the Blues on 21 minutes when Mckenna skipped through the middle onto a Towler touch, his right-footed shot from 15 yards out though just being blocked and held by Coughlan as the ball looked to be sliding underneath him. From maybe 2-0 to definitely 1-1 it was two minutes later however when the pacey Ellis Healing cut in from his right-wing berth for Rovers before curling a lovely left-footed effort over the top of Mulby and into the roof of the United net from 22 yards out.
Carlisle then had a quick chance to regain their lead when Mckenna flew into the distance at pace before laying the ball off for Beck just inside the visitors penalty area, Beck however conspiring to drag a shot on his stronger left foot wide of the far-post. It was a busy spell in the game now and in the 25th minute Appleton stuck a cross in from the left which Stockton headed wide of the target from ten yards out, then up at the other end sixty seconds later Symington struck a 15-yard right-footed drive into the gloves of Coughlan at his near-post.
Stockton and Kirby then linked up for a Kirby right-footed effort from the edge of the United penalty area which disappeared away wide of the target. After 31 minutes Tranmere found the Carlisle net again though to make the scoreline 2-1, a side-footer on his right boot from Stockton in the left-hand channel 15 yards out being parried away in front of goal by Mulby, that then seeing Kirby be the first player to skip in and slam home the rebound from close range.
Four minutes later and Rovers left-back David McNamara got forward once more but his 25-yard half-volley on goal was an easy one for Mulby to take. Power had seemingly left his shooting boots back on the Wirral and in the 36th minute he pulled a 20-yard right-footed effort well wide of the Blues far-post. Carlisle then went extremely close to an equaliser sixty seconds later when Beck sent Towler away down the middle, sadly for United however Towler's shot on his goal with the inside of his right boot from 12 yards out pinging away off the base of Coughlan's right-hand post.
The Cumbrians were having a strong spell now and with 40 minutes gone Berwick's cross in on his weaker right foot saw Beck's flicked header from the middle of the box plucked out of the air by Coughlan under the angle of his far-post and crossbar. The last chance of the first-half also coming the way of United two minutes before the break when Todd tried his luck with a 22-yard right-footed drive which was well parried wide by an at full stretch Coughlan away to his left, the resultant Osmond corner then producing nothing for the Cumbrians.
After all the action in the opening period, the second 45 minutes started relatively quietly with the first shot on goal coming seven minutes in when Mckenna's right-footed effort from 25 yards out drew a good save out of Coughlan. Tranmere were then pushing forward in the 55th minute but Stockton was once more off target as his drive on goal was far from that on his right boot as it flew away well wide of Mulby's far-post. Two minutes later Mckenna then being the first player to go into referee Chris Backhouse's notebook as he was yellow carded for a late challenge on Wainwright.
Bang on the hour-mark and it was better news for the Cumbrians though as they found an equaliser when Towler and Mckenna combined well going forward to get the possession through to Beck 15 yards out, Beck then from there sliding a left-footed shot across Coughlan and into the corner of the net to make the scoreline 2-2. It was then almost 3-2 to Carlisle three minutes later when Symington smashed a shot from the opposite angle to Beck's across goal only to see it bounce off the inside of the far-post, Beck then sadly seeing his shot on the rebound cleared away from danger off the line by Will Vaulks.
With 65 minutes on the clock Mckenna and Beck worked together to create a right-footed half-volley for Mckenna on the edge of the Tranmere penalty area, Mckenna though striking it just wide of the near-post, the break in play seeing Josh Calvert replace Phil Towler in the United engine room. Midway through the half and visiting skipper Power tried his luck with with a right-footed shot on goal from 22 yards out which Mulby managed to parry away from danger low down at his near-post.
Rovers did find the net once more in the 69th minute though when Stockton all of a sudden found himself racing clear down the middle following a clearance up from the back, the visitors number nine then steadying himself before smacking a right-footed 15-yard drive past Mulby to put the Wirral side 3-2 up. Rovers boss Shaun Garnett then, while United centre-half Brad Potts pleaded a case for offside on the Stockton goal, making a change in his ranks as Appleton was replaced by Jordan Holmes.
McGlen then got his long throw out of the bag on 72 minutes but United's lack of a natural goalscorer this season was evident again when Beck flicked the ball on perfectly into a deserted six-yard box, meaning Tranmere were easily able to clear their lines. A similar situation occurring two minutes later when Beck at the back-post, following a foul by McNamara on Symington on the left-hand by-line, headed Osmond's free-kick back into the middle only for no-one but big John Holmes to get on the end of it for Rovers. Potts then slid the loose ball back into the box looking for Osmond but unluckily for the Blues a diving Coughlan just managed to get there first.
In the 76th minute Mckenna, who is beginning to look above this level now, particularly when he runs at players at pace, struck in a right-footed drive from 20 yards out which Coughlan caught relatively easily, with Blues boss Eric Kinder then making his second substitution of the match when Dan Jones came on in place of Berwick. It was then almost 4-2 to Tranmere in the 78th minute when Osmond brought down Wainwright over on the right, Power's ball in to the near-post seeing Mulby flap a little before then doing very well to block away a close range effort by Holmes.
So, ten minutes left in the game and Kirby left the field to be replaced by Chris Lynskey following a crunching and slightly late challenge on Kirby by McGlen which surprisingly didn't even warrant a Rovers free-kick. Referee Backhouse did get his notebook out again on 88 minutes however and unfortunately for Carlisle it was Mckenna once more when Vaulks went to the floor after an aerial challenge with the United youngster, Mckenna then seeing yellow and inevitably red as the Blues went down to ten men for what would prove to be a very lengthy period of injury time.
United having a good chance to nick a late leveller five minutes into that stoppage time when Osmond, up from the back, stuck a cross in from the left which an unmarked Jones eight yards out could only head wide of the far-post. So, another defeat for the lads who seem to be finding more ways to lose a game than they do to a win a game at the moment, particularly as far as taking their chances when on top in matches is concerned. Next weekend there is no game for the Cumbrians with their next fixture coming a week on Friday at home to Wrexham.
United line-up :
Joe Mulby, Lance McGlen (c), Matt Osmond, Josh Todd, Will James, Brad Potts, Ben Mckenna, Phil Towler (Josh Calvert 65), Dave Symington, Mark Beck, Tom Berwick (Dan Jones 76).
Unused substitute :
Adam Gill.
Tranmere line-up :
Andy Coughlan, Steve Wainwright, David McNamara, Will Vaulks, John Holmes, Mark Beech, Ellis Healing, Max Power (c), Cole Stockton, Jake Kirby (Chris Lynskey 80), Ellis Appleton (Jordan Holmes 69).
Unused substitute :
John Courtney (GK).
Referee - Chris Backhouse (Carlisle).
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