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Morecambe started off well in the game kicking up the slope and on five minutes a corner in from impressive left-winger Chris Wraight saw both Connor Crossley and Gavin Clark put looping headers up into the air before Mark Gillespie was able to make a clean catch in the United goal. Carlisle then responding two minutes later with a James Wood cross in from the right which saw Richardson, ten yards out, head across goal and wide of the target.
Moments on and the Shrimps had one of their best chances in the match when Clark sent a ball through the middle for Jamie Silver to run onto, Silver though wasting the opportunity as he pulled his 15-yard shot away wide of the far-post. United then coming back in a quick burst around the ten minute mark as first Mark Sloan hit a 20-yarder straight at goalkeeper Adam Bee and then Reid, ten yards out, headed past the near-post from a Richardson left-wing cross.
Carlisle coming closer on 12 minutes when Richardson's header found Reid, a defender and Bee looking to get onto the ball into the penalty area. Possession eventually breaking to Sloan ten yards out whose shot pinged back to Matt Osmond off the legs of Morecambe's James Taberner, Osmond's left-footed effort then deflecting over the top for a corner which produced nothing.
With 14 minutes on the clock Richardson, from a Reid cross, had an eight-yard header fumbled behind by the bulky Bee, the Shrimps stopper redeeming himself though with a good take from Sean Law's resultant corner. Sloan and left-winger Osmond then swapping flanks for a short while in an attempt to find some holes in the visitors defence.
In the 21st minute Law sent a ball down the right-hand channel for Reid to race onto, Reid going round Bee out wide before sticking a cross in which Crossley headed behind. Reid then unlucky to see his eight-yard header from Osmond's corner well cleared off the line at the near-post. Richardson then sixty seconds later being fouled by Clark 25 yards out for a free-kick which Law slammed right-footed into the defensive wall.
Reid was again looking for a goal afer 24 minutes when he headed a Law corner wide, and then once more shortly afterwards when, on the end of a Richardson short pass, Bee did well to block him out as he tried to nick the ball past the visitors glovesman. Law then trying a tough volley 25 yards out as possession dropped to his right foot bang on the half-hour mark, the Blues midfielder sending his right-footed effort looping just over the crossbar.
The young Blues did take the lead moments later however when Osmond made a cracking run in from the left as he beat two before laying the ball off to Reid 12 yards out. Bee then unlucky as he made an excellent one-handed save from Reid's left-footed shot only for Sloan to pick up on the rebound at the back-post and tap the ball into an empty net.
A quieter spell in the game then followed before the interval until the 40th minute when Taberner misjudged a ball up from Wood that flew over his head. Reid then feeding Richardson onto the ball 35 yards out only for Crossley to bring him down, the Morecambe right-back getting a yellow card in what would probably have been a harsh sending-off. United unable to make the Shrimps pay though as Ben Richards-Everton thumped the free-kick straight at a defender.
Just as the clock was about to tick into injury time Carlisle doubled their lead when skipper and 18-year old birthday boy Liam Davison sent a neat pass down the left-hand channel for Reid. The Blues frontman then laying the ball across for Richardson, ten yards out, to hit a first-time shot which once more had Bee cursing his luck as his very good save dropped straight back to Richardson for a tap-in.
Three minutes into the second-half and Wood sent a ball over the top which found Osmond just outside the box, Osmond a little unlucky to see his left-footed half-volley fly straight into the gloves of Bee. Jason Barrowclough then, from a dropping loose ball, hitting an extremley similar effort at Gillespie up at the other end in the 55th minute.
Clark, who had a busy game for the Shrimps, made a good run through on 58 minutes only to then pull his left-footed shot wide of the target from 20 yards out. Carlisle then went close on the hour-mark when Bee seemed to get a nudge from behind at the near-post in the process of dropping Osmond's corner, the lurking Richardson then left with his head in his hands as his fierce right-footed drive from close range pinged away at speed off the inside of the upright.
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Sixty seconds later and it was United attacking again when Richardson, showing good footwork, and Reid set up Law for an 18-yard curler on his right foot that went inches over the angle of far-post and bar. Both sides making a change in personnel during the break in play as Phil Towler replaced Sloan for Carlisle and Ricky Ball came on for Steve Watson for Morecambe.
Towler quickly in the action on 64 minutes when he played in Richardson for a 20-yard right-footer which deflected off Taberner straight to Bee. Clark then trying to pull a goal back as we reached the midway point in the half, only for his right-footed effort from 22 yards out to slice away well wide of the far-post.
Davison then gave a Wood a nose bleed after 75 minutes as he set Wood up to cut in well past Ball down the right-hand channel, Wood then, on the edge of the box, thumping a right-footed half-volley inches over the top. A substitution apiece then coming again sixty seconds later when Paddy O'Brien replaced Osmond on the left for United and Josh Moffat came on for Michael Evans for the Shrimps.
Wood then raiding forward to purpose once more in the 77th minute when he cut in again well from his right-hand flank only to pull his 18-yard left-footed drive wide of the near-post. Morecambe then going on the attack shortly afterwards when Barrowclough sent a pass through the middle for Moffat, the Shrimp though seeing his left-footed shot from the edge of the box clung on to by a diving Gillespie at the second attempt.
The visitors then made their final change of the match after 81 minutes when Rob Evans came on for Silver. Carlisle then responding with their last substitution two minutes later as right-back James Bonner replaced Reid, Bonner having an extremely rare spell upfront for the last seven minutes alongside the diminutive but pacey figure of Richardson.
Morecambe were reduced to ten men for five of those seven minutes though when Richardson, clear through the middle, was hauled back 25 yards out by Jason Yates, the Shrimp then seeing red for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity. The cannon left boot of Richards-Everton then fizzing the free-kick inches over Bee's crossbar.
Despite being a man down the visitors were unlucky not to pull a goal back after 88 minutes when Moffat came in at pace from the left and laid possession off for Niall Cowperthwaite whose 15-yard left-footed shot flew across Gillespie but back off the left-hand post. Steven Swinglehurst then making an excellent diving block as Barrowclough looked to profit on the rebound.
Just before the 90 minute mark Bonner, from a Wood pass, nearly got on the scoresheet only to have a close range effort blocked by Bee and Ball. Two minutes into injury time though and it was 3-0 to Carlisle when, from a loose ball, Davison hit a perfect 20-yard right-footed dipping half-volley over the top of a static Bee and into the roof of the net to put the icing on top of his birthday cake and round off a good win and another clean sheet for the young Blues.
United line-up :
Mark Gillespie, James Wood, Steven Swinglehurst, Ben Richards-Everton, Jamie Cleary, Sean Law, Liam Davison (c), Mark Sloan (Phil Towler 61), James Reid (James Bonner 83), Manny Richardson, Matt Osmond (Paddy O'Brien 76).
Unused substitute :
Jon Ball (GK).
Morecambe line-up :
Adam Bee, Connor Crossley, Steve Watson (Ricky Ball 61), Jason Yates, James Taberner, Gavin Clark, Jamie Silver (Rob Evans 81), Jason Barrowclough, Michael Evans (Josh Moffat 76), Niall Cowperthwaite, Chris Wraight.
Unused substitutes :
Jordan Atkinson (GK) and Callum Moore.
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