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Despite the torrential rain the Brunton Park training pitch did hold up quite well but standing water was really starting to cause a problem late on as the ball stopped dead in big puddles. Infact if the game had been due to kick off a couple of hours later then I don't think that there would have been any chance that it would have finished.
Port Vale, fresh from hammering Wigan 4-0 at home last week, had the opening chance of the game after eight minutes when a 15-yard right-footed shot on the turn was hit straight at Blues goalkeeper Alex Mitchell. Four minutes later and Carlisle's Ryan Bowman made an excellent run and cut in from the right before laying the ball off to Andy Cook 15 yards out, Cook's resultant right-footed drive zipping across goal and inches wide of the visitors far-post.
With 15 minutes on the clock United took the lead, although I didn't see the goal as I was off rescuing the ball that had led to a Carlisle goal-kick. Apparently though Mitchell's long punt downfield was missed by the Valiants back-line, that allowing Bowman to nip in and lob the ball over the advancing visitors goalkeeper from 20 yards out.
Then just two minutes later it was 2-0 to the young Blues as Matt Duffy and Jonny Blake worked the ball well down the left flank. Blake eventually sending in a well-placed cross that found Cook running in six yards out to bury a downhard header into the Vale net.
So after starting well and having the better of the opening stages the visitors suddenly found themselves in trouble, an 18-yard shot over the top of the Carlisle crossbar in the 19th minute being their first response. Cook though was looking to get another goal shortly afterwards when he cut in from the right and fired in a right-footed cross-shot from 18 yards out that pulled away wide of the Vale far-post.
After 26 minutes one of the Valiants midfielder showed a good trick cutting in from the far-left corner as he teed the ball up for a 15-yard half-volley that fairly whistled across the United goalmouth on it's way wide. Then three minutes later, with the visitors playing well, a fierce shot from 18 yards out flew into the side-netting at Michell's near-post.
Shortly afterwards a Valiant picked up a on a loose ball just outside the Carlisle penalty area but he could only fire a left-footed half-volley over the top. Down on the visitors by-line two minutes later Cook did well to pinch the ball off a Vale defender, as he cut in though he mishit his 15-yard right-footed drive and it was an easy one for the visitors goalkeeper to handle.
On 33 minutes a cross in from the right by the visitors to the United back-post saw a Valiant head over from 12 yards out, then up at the other end four minutes later Cook's long range flicked header from a Duffy ball into the middle went straight into the arms of the Vale goalkeeper. Both sides at this point struggling to keep hold of possession at times as aerial passes either hit standing water or zipped away off the wet surface on the bounce.
Five minutes before the interval and after the visitors had given the ball away Bowman sent Cook racing clear down the right-hand channel. Cook's resultant right-footed shot across goal bringing an excellent one-handed save out of the Vale goalkeeper as he managed to push the ball behind, with the following Blake corner producing nothing for the Blues.
The last action of the first-half came in injury time when a Blake corner in found Duffy unmarked six yards out, the Carlisle left-back didn't get the best connection on his header though and it was hacked away off the line. Shaun Law, picking up on the loose ball, seeing his right-footed 15-yard drive deflected over the top.
Straight from the restart and Cook's shot from the halfway line was caught by the Valiants stopper, then sixty seconds later Bowman was sandwiched out by two Vale defenders as he broke down the middle, the United youngster only able to hit a weak right-footed shot straight at the visitors goalkeeper from 15 yards out as he came under pressure from both sides.
In a busy spell of the game a visitors free-kick came in from 30 yards out on the left, the ball somehow being toe-poked wide from the United six-yard line by a Valiant when it seemed much easier to score. United though made it 3-0 when Duffy's knock over the top found Bowman running clear into the Vale box, the Carlisle youngster then showing neat feet to dummy the goalkeeper to the floor, go round him and walk the ball into an empty net.
Going forward down the right Simon Lakeland and Liam Davison combined nicely in the 51st minute as Davison showed a lovely touch to lay the ball off to Bowman 15 yards out, Bowman sending a right-footed shot in straight at the well placed visitors stopper. Vale making a double substitution three minutes later as they looked to make some headway against their 3-0 deficit.
The 57th minute saw the beginning of the conditions taking over as Lakeland was caught out by the ball stopping dead in a puddle next to the United by-line. A Vale forward able to take advantage as he cut in and hit a shot from 15 yards out which Mitchell did well to push wide at his near-post.
Blues skipper Tom Aldred stood strong twice though to concede another corner and then clear it away. John Seaton latching onto the loose ball with the Valiants having pushed forward and then feeding possession onto Bowman down the right-hand channel. Bowman then unable to claim his hat-trick as he hit his 15-yard right-footer straight at the visitors goalkeeper.
Just after the hour-mark and, following a foul on Law, Lakeland hit a free-kick in from the right which was only headed out straight to Law in the Vale 'D'. The Blues midfielder firing in a left-footed drive from there which whistled inches wide of the Valiants far-post. Then on 63 minutes Seaton set Cook up down the left-hand channel for a right-footed 15-yard shot which was well stopped by the visitors goalkeeper.
The 67th minute saw Cook look all on to score as he got on the end of Seaton's cross in from the right, somehow though the visitors goalkeeper managed to get his body in the way of the United man's six-yard header. The ball flying off onto the base of the near-post, rebounding and then splatting into the goalmouth where the goalkeeper pounced onto it.
Two minutes later the visitors made their final substitution of the game, and then after 74 minutes James Wood replaced Lakeland at right-back for Carlisle, Lakeland having taken a whack to the ankle earlier in the half. Vale, just moments later, missing a good chance to score when a close-range header was put over Mitchell's crossbar at the United back-stick by one of their substitutes.
With just over ten minutes to go in the pouring rain Seaton put a cross in from the right, after a crunching tackle by Wood won Carlisle possession, from which Cook saw his ten-yard shot blocked. Blake then picking up on the loose ball and knocking it over to the back-post where Bowman sent a right-footed half-volley wide of the target from eight yards out.
The Blues were pressing again in the 84th minute when Bowman held the ball up well before touching it off to Duffy who had come charging down the left-hand channel. Duffy couldn't have caught hold of his left-footed 20-yarder any better but sadly for him it went flying off the top of the Vale crossbar and away into the distance at great speed. The break in play seeing Mark Gillespie have his first outing in goal as he came on for Mitchell.
With a minute left to go Bowman's pass pushed into the Valiants penalty area from the right saw Seaton make a clever dummy over the ball as he allowed it to run into the path of Blake 12 yards out, Blake though seeing his left-footed shot instantly blocked by a visitors defender. Cook then having a 18-yard right-footed drive easily saved by the Vale goalkeeper from Carlisle's next attack.
Just as it looked like the Blues would keep a clean sheet they conceded a goal deep into injury time. Aldred's attempted clearance out of a puddle clattering back off a Vale forward into the path of his teammate 15 yards out. The Valiant then left with the easy task of side-footing a shot across Gillespie and into the far corner of the net with what was almost the last kick of the game.
United line-up :
Alex Mitchell (Mark Gillespie 85), Simon Lakeland (James Wood 74), Matt Duffy, Jamie Cleary, Tom Aldred (c), Jonny Blake, Shaun Law, Liam Davison, Andy Cook, Ryan Bowman, John Seaton.
Unused substitutes :
Chris McDougall, Mark Sloan and Steven Swinglehurst.
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