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Dalton was in the action as early as the third minute as well when Carlisle looked to be denied a blatant penalty when the 17-year old was clearly brought down in the Rochdale box only for the referee to somehow wave play on. Sixty seconds later Connor Tinnion made a good run forward from his left-wing berth but his left-footed shot was pulled wide of the target from 18 yards out.
The visitors had shipped 20 goals in their first six league games and it didn't take United long to breach their defence as they went 1-0 up in the sixth minute. A lovely pass down the right-hand channel from skipper Matthew Brown finding Matthew Wood running through the offside trap to take the ball around the 'Dale keeper and slot the ball home into an empty net from 18 yards out for his fifth goal of the season.
In the 12th minute Rochdale striker Ben Wharton made a useful run down the left but Carlisle goalkeeper Grant Carson did well to race from his line and make a good block just as the 'Dale man looked to get a shot in. Five minutes later the Blues came back and Gary Madine was unlucky to see his 12-yard header, from a Matt Duffy cross, fly just over the top of the Rochdale goal.
Shortly afterwards Otis Williams, who put in a hard-working shift on the visitors left, pulled a left-footed shot wide of Carson's near-post from 25 yards out. Williams being upended three minutes later by Carlisle's Dan Wordsworth as he won a free-kick 20 yards out on the left, Joe Reidy swinging the ball in only for United centre-half Tom Aldred to make an excellent headed clearance.
With 24 minutes gone a Williams pass down the right saw Kyle Buckley's run forward stopped by an excellent last-ditch tackle by Wordsworth. A bit of pinball then seeing the ball break to Wharton who fired a right-footed shot across goal and wide of the far-post. It was bitty fare at times with the official a little too keen on giving either side soft free-kicks but his whistle came to more use after 28 minutes when Carlisle went 2-0 up.
A lovely dinked ball over the top from Stephen Hindmarch seeing Madine running through into the left edge of the Rochdale 'D'. Madine thumping a left-footed half-volley in from there which fairly flew in off the inside of the visitors near-post. The Blues almost making it 3-0 moments later when a Jonny Blake corner bounced around before hitting the head of Madine, who was laying on the ground at the time, and finally being smothered by the 'Dale keeper.
Just after the half-hour mark the visitors missed a great chance to score when Wordsworth climbed over Buckley 40 yards from the United goal. Williams, unmarked at the Carlisle back-stick, failing to connect properly with a close-range volley on his weaker right foot as the cross came in. Wordsworth gave away another free-kick sixty seconds later, this time on Wharton just 22 yards out. The 'Dale tried to move the dead ball quickly but both Wood and Hindmarch charged out sharply to block Buckley's effort on goal.
Ten mintues before the break Hindmarch made a good run in from the right and played the ball into the feet of Madine 20 yards out. Madine hitting a first-timer with his right foot which the 'Dale keeper did very well to tip over as the ball arrowed towards the top corner. Wood was trying to bag his second goal of the game four minutes later but his left-footed drive from distance was pulled well wide of the visitors near-post.
Rochdale could perhaps have got a penalty in the 42nd minute when Wharton was shoulder-barged to the ground by Wordsworth in the United box, despite giving some novel free-kicks all over the park though the referee again waved play on. The last action in the first-half seeing a 25-yard right-footed shot from a visitors midfielder slicing way wide of Carson's far-post.
The opening chance after the interval came the way of Carlisle after one of the 'Dale centre-halves had gifted possession to Madine 22 yards out. The ball bobbled slightly on the young United striker though and his right-footed shot flew over the top. Both sides were giving the ball away a little bit now however to be fair on what turned out to be a much warmer morning than expected.
In the 50th minute Wordsworth fouled Wharton 22 yards out, with the free-kick again being touched off for a shot, Wood running out to block the shot from the 'Dale left-back only to catch him at full pelt on his lower leg. The stretcher was soon brought onto the pitch and after five minutes play resumed with a visitors substitution. The set-piece from that incident seeing a direct effort from Buckley on his right foot flying well over the top of Carson's goal.
Just after the hour-mark Tinnion made a good run in from the right, as he and Dalton swapped wings for a short spell, his left-footed shot from 22 yards out going straight into the arms of the 'Dale keeper. Madine was fouled three minutes later 40 yards out from the visitors goal, Duffy's cross in seeing Hindmarch head wide of the Rochdale back-stick from six yards out.
With 72 minutes on the clock, Blake, who hadn't been 100% since taking a knock to the ankle in the first-half was replaced by Simon Lakeland as United made their first change in personnel. Sixty seconds later 'Dale were attacking when Buckley laid a pass back to Joe Reidy 18 yards out, Reidy's right-footed shot from the middle pulling away wide of the target.
A quarter of an hour left in the match and Wordsworth was booked for persistent infringement after fouling Buckley 30 yards out in the left-hand channel. The right-footed shot, yet again after the free-kick had been touched off, this time by the substitute number 17, zipping wide of Carson's far-post.
Sixty seconds later Dalton was brought down 25 yards out on the left, the visitors choosing that moment to replace Buckley upfront as they made their second change of the day. Wood curled the free-kick in for the Blues and Madine flicked it goalwards with his right boot, the ball cannoning off the body of the 'Dale keeper and up into the air, Wordsworth then able to capitalise as he nodded the ball into the back of the visitors net from six yards out to put Carlisle 3-0 up.
The Cumbrians were playing some nice stuff now and in the 78th minute a good move involving Hindmarch, Wood and Madine saw Tinnion drive in a left-footed effort from 18 yards out which was well saved by the 'Dale keeper. The ball eventually breaking back to Hindmarch who thumped his right-footed shot in from 22 yards out only to see it fly straight into the arms of the overworked visitors glovesman.
Lakeland made his presence known in his short spell on the pitch when he was booked shortly afterwards for a foul on Williams in the centre-circle. Dalton had had his fitness run-out by now and he was replaced by Seaton for Carlisle with ten minutes to go. Madine then trying his luck from 45 yards out three minutes later with a right-footed lob that went over the top of the 'Dale crossbar.
Shortly afterwards a lovely corner in from Wood saw Madine running in strongly at the far-post only to surprisingly head the ball over the top from six yards out. Rochdale pressed forward again in the 86th minute and Brown was forced to make an excellent block on an 18-yard shot from Reidy, the rebound being thumped over Carson's crossbar from 22 yards out by the first Rochdale substitute with his left foot.
That break in play seeing Blues boss Eric Kinder make his final change in the game when Shaun Law came on in place of Wood in the United midfield. The young Cumbrians haven't kept a clean sheet all season and that statistic lives on after they conceded a goal with two minutes left. A corner in from Reidy seeing Carson come for the cross, but not far enough, as Wharton beat him to it to head in at the United near-post from six yards out.
A minute into what would turn out to be seven minutes of injury time Seaton fed Brown down the right as the Carlisle full-back overlapped. Brown's cross in seeing Madine fire a 12-yard right-footed shot straight at the 'Dale keeper. Two minutes later an almost carbon-copy effort came in from Madine, this time though it was on the turn from a long Brown throw-in, again though it was directly at the visitors glovesman.
So a good win for the young Blues over the 90 minutes with the next outing being a tough-looking clash away to high-flying Burnley this coming Saturday. In a footnote to this match the injured Rochdale left-back was eventually taken off the stretcher and was last seen hobbling off on crutches to the Sheepmount changing rooms.
United line-up :
Grant Carson, Matthew Brown, Matt Duffy, Tom Aldred, Dan Wordsworth, Jonny Blake (Simon Lakeland 72), Ged Dalton (John Seaton 80), Matthew Wood (Shaun Law 86), Stephen Hindmarch, Gary Madine, Connor Tinnion.
Unused substitutes :
Alex Mitchell (GK).
Results in the division this morning :
Accrington Stanley 0-3 Blackpool
Burnley 3-1 Preston
Carlisle 3-1 Rochdale
Oldham 2-3 Bury
Port Vale 4-1 Stockport
Tranmere 2-0 Shrewsbury
Wigan 2-1 Chester
Wrexham P-P Morecambe
Fixtures in the division next week :
Blackpool v Oldham
Burnley v Carlisle
Chester v Wrexham
Morecambe v Bury
Preston v Accrington Stanley
Rochdale v Macclesfield
Shrewsbury v Wigan
Stockport v Tranmere
Walsall v Port Vale
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