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It was the visitors that had the first chance of the game as early as the second minute though when Jamie Morton thumped in a long range right-footed drive that went well wide of the Carlisle far-post. Five minutes later and it was United attacking when, from a Max Penk headed clearance Phil Towler volleyed goalwards from the edge of the box with his right boot only to see his effort saved by Red Dragons goalkeeper Danny Ward.
Towler then involved again in the tenth minute when, on the end of Matt Osmond's inswinging cross from the right, he sent a 12-yard header wide of Ward's near-post. Moments later and Todd set up four goal man from Saturday David Symington for a left-footed shot from 25 yards out over the top, while in the 13th minute the Red Dragons responded when Max Fargin cut in from the left before firing a 15-yard right-footed drive straight at Blues stopper Jon Ball.
Two minutes later and Ward in the Wrexham goal was able to make an easy save from Mckenna's right-footed shot from distance, then sixty seconds on Ward did well to tip an Osmond 25-yarder with his favoured left boot over the top. Cumbrians right-back Lance McGlen then heading the resultant Mckenna corner wide of the target from eight yards out at the back-stick.
The visitors then came back with a Morton right-footed volley from distance that went wide of Ball's far-post in the 19th minute, but it was United again in the 24th minute when Mark Beck, following a Kieran Cahill cross in from the left, headed straight into the arms of Ward from ten yards out. An end to end game then three minutes later seeing a left-footed drive from just outside the Carlisle penalty box by Louis Moss deflect off Brad Potts on its way into the arms of Ball.
Todd was then trying his luck for the Cumbrians from long range in the 29th minute but his right-footed drive sliced away wide of Ward's left-hand post, McGlen though going much closer for the Blues six minutes later when his similar shot flew inches over the far angle of Ward's goal. The Red Dragons then shortly afterwards seeing a left-footed 22-yard shot from the busy Moss fly straight at a well placed Ball in the United goal.
There were a vast amount of speculative long range efforts all the way through the game and another one each soon came for either side when Osmond played in Symington for a right-footed drive over the top in the 38th minute, then two minutes later Morton hit a ridiculous shot from fully 40 yards out well wide of the Carlisle far-post.
The visitors did take the lead in the 42nd minute however when an 18-yard right-footed effort from skipper Lee Roberts was well tipped onto the underside of the crossbar by Ball, Fargin though was the quickest to react to the rebound as he slid the ball into the net past a sprawling Ball on the floor. Wrexham also having the last chance of the half in the final minute when John Jones headed back for Morton to shoot left-footed and over the top from 18 yards out.
For the Red Dragons the dangerous Moss had limped both off and onto the pitch at and after half-time, and he had to call it a day with a reoccurence of a foot injury in the 48th minute as he was replaced by Rob Salathiel. Three minutes later and Carlisle found a deserved equaliser when a lovely one-two between Mckenna and Towler found the latter player clear in on goal eight yards out, Towler then able to easily slide a right-footed finish under the body of Ward from there.
The same pair then combining on the hour-mark but this time Towler's right-footed drive from the edge of the box was an easy one for Ward to take. Carlisle were having a good period of dominance now and in the 62nd minute they went very close to taking the lead when Osmond's dipping left-footed strike from 20 yards out clipped off the top of the Wrexham crossbar on its way into an empty Warwick Road End.
United then went close again shortly afterwards when, from an Osmond cross, Beck laid the ball off to Symington for a 15-yard left-footed half-volley that sliced away wide of Ward's far-post. Towler then in the 69th minute, from another Beck touch as the big Carlisle striker started to get more into the game, seeing his right-footed drive from the edge of the box deflect off Roberts and loop up into the gloves of Ward.
The visitors then started to get back into the game and in the 75th minute the pacey Liam Shipton, who faded after the first-half, played in Morton for a right-footed drive from 18 yards out which brought a good save out of Ball. United then went very close moments later when Symington's attempted goalward right-footed shot from the edge of the box only sliced into the feet of Beck in the middle of the penalty area.
Beck's side-footer from there then looking in all the way only for it to get stuck in the feet of Red Dragons centre-half Jack Deaman on the line, a bumper goalmouth scramble then ensuing before Wrexham were able to clear their lines. Carlisle again looking for a late winner in the 79th minute but Cahill's left-footed drive from distance proved to be an easy one for Ward to take.
With ten minutes to go the Red Dragons were once more pushing forward when a 20-yard shot with his right boot from Roberts deflected away from danger off his opposite captain Swinglehurst, then with 84 minutes on the clock the visitors made their second change of the night when they brought on Andy Pasco in place of the relatively ineffective Jones upfront.
After 88 minutes it was United pressurising again though as Mckenna's corner in was only headed out by Anthony Stephens straight to the right boot of Symington on the edge of the box. Symington's well hit drive from there then just being cleared off the line at the near-post by a combination of Ward and Fargin. The final opportunity for the Blues to stop the game going to extra-time coming sixty seconds later when Beck set up Osmond for a left-footed 20-yard effort that went straight at Ward.
In the first of those extra 30 minutes Morton was shooting again for the visitors and this time his right-footed drive from distance flashed narrowly wide of the United goal with Ball looking beaten. Carlisle then responding sixty seconds later when Osmond and Beck combined nicely to set up Todd for a right-footed 25-yard drive over the top.
After 95 minutes the Cumbrians did take the lead however with Mckenna involved before Todd sent McGlen racing away deep into the far corner of the pitch. McGlen then cutting the ball back sharply for Mckenna, who had run on to just inside the box, to smash a right-footed drive from there high into the near top corner of the Wrexham net, an excellent finish from the Blues youngster.
Two minutes later and Mckenna was fouled by Roberts 25 yards out in the left-hand channel, Symington then shooting right-footed from the free-kick only to almost send it out for a throw-in on the Story Homes Stand side of the ground. Moments on and it was Deaman bringing down Osmond in almost exactly the same place, and this time it was Potts who thumped his effort over the wall but also well over the crossbar at the far-post.
Salathiel then responded for Wrexham in the 99th minute with a left-footed 25-yarder which was an easy one for Ball to take, but three minutes later it was Carlisle pushing forward again. Todd and Beck first setting Symington up for a 15-yard right-footed drive which flew wide off Stephens before Osmond's corner in was cleared out by Ed Marsh to Symington 35 yards out, the Blues midfielder this time though smacking his right-footed drive from there well over the top.
After 104 minutes McGlen's ball in for United broke out to Towler in the middle of the Wrexham 'D', his right-footed half-volley from there flying well over the top though. The final piece of action in the first period of extra-time coming almost bang on the whistle when Osmond was booked by Northumberland FA referee Paul Keogh for dissent after he kicked the ball away following a free-kick award to the visitors.
During the break in play both sides made a change in personnel when Mark Sloan came on for Todd in the Blues engine room and Steve Tomassen replaced Marsh at right-back for the Red Dragons. The first action coming quickly when Symington, who seemed determined to do nothing but shoot all night, hit an extremely speculative right-footed shot from fully 40 yards out straight at Ward.
Wrexham then had a good little patch in the game as they looked for a levelling goal and after 108 minutes Morton set Roberts up for a soft right-footed shot from distance that was easy for Ball to save. Roberts trying to do it all himself again two minutes later as he cut inside past Towler at pace only to hit his right-footed 30-yard drive straight at a hobbling Ball, the Blues goalkeeper having late in normal time taken a knock to his leg.
The substitution that did come for Carlisle though in the 111th minute was Dan Jones replacing Osmond out wide, before two minutes later Potts set up Symington for a low 15-yard right-footed drive across goal that brought an excellent one-handed save out of Ward. Symington then involved for the wrong reasons after 114 minutes when he was yellow carded following a late tackle on Penk.
Seconds later and Wrexham went very close to getting an equaliser when Shipton's cross in from the right was headed inches wide of a beaten Ball's far-post by Stephens from ten yards out. Stephens was pushing up a lot from his left-back spot in the closing stages as the Blues struggled to deal with his long throw-ins, one of them in the 117th minute missing everyone before dropping to Fargin ten yards out, his left-footed half-volley from there pinging away, fortunately for Carlisle, over the top via the crossbar.
The Blues then at last closing the tie out in the final minute of extra-time as they made the scoreline 3-1 when Towler, on the break, passed the ball into the middle for Jones, 15 yards out, to hit a left-footed shot back across the body of Ward and low into the bottom corner of the Wrexham net. United now then facing Walsall at home in round two after huffing and puffing a little bit to get past a stubborn Red Dragons outfit tonight.
United line-up :
Jon Ball, Lance McGlen, Kieran Cahill, Josh Todd (Mark Sloan 106), Brad Potts, Steven Swinglehurst (c), David Symington, Phil Towler, Mark Beck, Ben McKenna, Matt Osmond (Dan Jones 111).
Unused substitutes :
Craig Whinham (GK), Adam Gill and Paddy O'Brien.
Wrexham line-up :
Danny Ward, Ed Marsh (Steve Tomassen 106), Anthony Stephens, Jack Deaman, Max Penk, Jamie Morton, Liam Shipton, Lee Roberts (c), Max Fargin, John Jones (Andy Pasco 84), Louis Moss (Rob Salathiel 46).
Unused substitutes :
Jack Cookson (GK) and Jonathan Royle.
Referee - Mr P Keogh.
Attendance - 210.
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