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The resident strong Creighton wind was blowing up the slope today and that aided a good early spell of Carlisle pressure, Matt Duffy in particular involved a lot pushing up from his left-back spot. United's first effort on the Stockport goal didn't come until the 15th minute though when Liam Davison's 20-yard right-footed shot was deflected behind, the resultant Conor Tinnion flag-kick only producing a soft County free-kick.
Three minutes later and the young Blues did have something to show for their possession. Jonny Blake's bobbly low left-footed shot from the edge of the box only being parried out by the diving Hatters goalkeeper away to his left, that leaving James Reid with the simple task of racing in to side-foot the ball home from eight yards out for his second goal in Carlisle colours.
With 23 minutes on the clock Duffy sent another good ball in from the left, but under pressure at the far-post Ryan Bowman could only hit his ten-yard volley with his right boot over the top of the visitors goal. Just before the half-hour mark and Bowman headed possession on to Blake down the left-hand channel but Blake's right-footed half-volley from 18 yards out was heavily sliced and it only threatened the corner flag as it just rolled out for a goal-kick.
Reid was harshly punished by the referee on 35 minutes when he was simply stronger than the Stockport right-back in the near corner of the pitch as the opposition defender tried to shepherd the ball out of play. Reid adjuged by the official to have pushed the County player to the ground despite the assistant referee two yards away having seen nothing, the whistle blowing just as Reid started his run in on goal.
Two minutes later and Tinnion was fouled 35 yards out on the left wing. Blake's subsequent right-footed free-kick in seeing the ball headed away by a defender straight to the feet of Sean Law just outside the visitors 'D'. Law then striking a half-volley with his right boot wide of the County back-stick.
United were well on top now and they went 2-0 up after 40 minutes when Simon Lakeland sent an excellent diagonal ball up from his right-back spot. Communication then lacking between his opposite number and the County goalkeeper as the Stockport defender, on the edge of his own box, headed back past his own keeper, who had come rushing out from his goal with the mute button turned on. The ball bounding on into the net with Blake's pursuit of it turning out to be fruitless.
Lakeland himself smacking in a powerful 25-yard right-footed shot three minutes later which the County stopper clutched at the second attempt. Sixty seconds on and it was 3-0 to Carlisle, Bowman working very hard to chase a ball down over in the far corner before knocking a pass into the box for Reid, the United striker then turning well and laying possession off for a running-in Tinnion to side-foot home with his left instep into the visitors net from ten yards out.
County's traumatised right-back was substituted during the interval and then, with the wind now at their backs, Stockport went close through their number nine a couple of times on 50 minutes. His initial right-footed 30-yard shot deflecting out off Tom Aldred before his ten-yard header from the resultant corner was hacked away off the line by Lakeland at the far-post.
The ball then being chipped in again and this time it was Aldred making a fantastic diving block tackle on the Stockport striker's shot from ten yards out at the other side of the goal. The game then going into a quieter spell as far as action was concerned, the only thing happening in a quarter of an hour being a County substitution on 59 minutes before United made a double change two minutes later, Towler coming on for Reid and James Wood replacing Davison.
Stockport had the next shot on goal and that came midway through the half when one of their players cut in from the left and fired a right-footed 20-yarder straight into the arms of Mark Gillespie. The young Blues stopper having a quiet day in goal, but what he had to do he did well, his kicking in particular looking a strong part of his game.
A comedy Hatters own goal was somehow averted by backspin and the wind after 68 minutes. An attempted clearance hitting another defender and then looping over the top of the keeper, the ball though landing on the line at back-post only to produce spin that Shane Warne would have been proud of as, with the wind also helping, it bounced away from goal.
Moments later and the visitors almost made it 3-1 when a right-footed strike from just outside the Carlisle penalty area zoomed inches wide of Gillespie's left-hand post. United should really have had a penalty three minutes later when Lakeland's ball into the Stockport box was well taken in on the chest by Bowman, one of the County centre-halves then bundling right through the back of him only for the referee to play on.
The ball then breaking to Tinnion who saw his 15-yard left-footed shot deflected over the top, his own subsequent corner being glanced wide by Law from the middle of the area. With 75 minutes on the clock Bowman, from a Lakeland pass down the right, made a great turn on the visitors left-back, who was actually their man of the match, especially going forward, Bowman then denied though by an excellent covering tackle from a County defender just as he shaped to shoot 12 yards from goal.
Bowman again had a good looking penalty claim turned down shortly afterwards when he had his shirt pulled in the left edge of the box after a neat turn. The United youngster still managing though to get a right-footed shot away from ten yards out which was pushed behind by the Stockport keeper at his near-post. Blake's corner in then producing nothing for Carlisle as the referee awarded a County free-kick against Steven Swinglehurst for pushing.
The visitors subsitituted their number nine after 79 minutes, then five minutes later they pulled a goal back from the penalty spot. Aldred the man at fault as he brought down a County player running into the United box from the left. The spot-kick dispatched strongly right-footed past Gillespie, who had dived the right way but had no chance as the ball flew low straight into the far corner of his net.
Carlisle managed to see out the rest of the game with no worries at the back though and the last chance of a goal actually came their way in the 88th minute. Wood and Bowman combining to set up Tinnion for a left-footed curler from the Hatters 'D' which drifted away well wide of the back-stick. The young Blues now having the Easter weekend off at youth team level before they return to action in their last away fixture, that being the long trip to Shrewsbury in a fortnight.
United line-up :
Mark Gillespie, Simon Lakeland, Matt Duffy, Steven Swinglehurst, Tom Aldred, Sean Law, Jonny Blake, Liam Davison (James Wood 61), Ryan Bowman, James Reid (Phil Towler 61), Conor Tinnion.
Unused substitute :
Jamie Cleary.
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