Andrew Cook got a shot in on eleven minutes which saw the Cumberland keeper, who impressed throughout, make a good save, his counterpart in Alex Mitchell then able to watch a 15-yard strike from the "visitors" fly wide seven minutes later. Cook then seeing his one-on-one effort saved shortly afterwards.
United, playing a young trialist upfront with Cook, were often getting caught offside but they finally broke the trap in the 24th minute. Cook getting on the end of a through ball from John Seaton and smashing home the rebound after seeing his initial shot saved after he had perhaps dallied too long on the opening chance.
Seaton fired wide for the Blues just after the half-hour mark then on 39 minutes the trialist, following a pass from Shaun Law, hit a 15-yarder that flew out off the outside of the post, the Cumberland keeper looking aghast as the referee surprisingly chose to award Carlisle a corner.
Two minutes later it was 2-0 to the Blues when Law fed Cook who rounded the keeper on the by-line. It was a tight angle though so the ball was laid back to Simon Lakeland who smashed the ball home with glee from ten yards out. Law himself almost getting on the scoresheet before the break when his audacious 35-yard half-volley smashed off the underside of the Cumberland crossbar.
Matthew Brown was replaced at the interval by Dean Rea, a right-back from the under-16s, with Jonny Blake then moving across into the centre of defence. Shots were saved by either keeper at both ends around the 48th minute then a strike by the visitors on the break went wide from 18 yards out as Cumberland looked to find a way back into the game.
Connor Tinnion, playing at left-back, made an outstanding run forward on the hour, beating three men before pulling the ball back for the trialist, the chance was wasted though as he could only blaze over from close range. The next action in the match coming in the 63rd minute when Cook was replaced upfront by under-16s striker Isaac Cork.
Tinnion again did well down the left on 72 minutes as he fed the trialist in once more, this time though his shot from 15 yards out was expertly saved by the keeper. United bringing on another substitute sixty seconds later when Stephen Hindmarch came on in place of Lakeland.
Cumberland made the scoreline 2-1 in the 75th minute when a 22-yard drive flew into the bottom corner of the United net, although Mitchell perhaps could have done better with his attempted save. Hindmarch made a good run down the right after 77 minutes but once more the trialist was denied when his 15-yard shot was well held by the overworked keeper.
Gary Madine entered the fray for Blake in the 80th minute, Madine featuring in a particularly unaccustomed centre-half spot. The United trialist again saw a shot saved shortly afterwards before the "visitors" equalised with seven minutes to go. Some slack defending in the Carlisle ranks seeing an unmarked back-post header from a corner fly back across goal and into the net.
Michael Dowson tried to get the Blues going again after they had let their two-goal lead slip but his 22-yard shot went wide with two minutes to go. Law, who had impressed in midfield with Lakeland all afternoon, getting United out of jail with a last-minute strike on the rebound, after Cork had seen his shot saved, to seal a 3-2 win for Carlisle in a match that will have been a more than useful run-out for both sides.
United line-up :
Alex Mitchell, Jonny Blake (Gary Madine 80), Connor Tinnion, Matt Duffy, Matthew Brown (Dean Rea 46), Michael Dowson, John Seaton, Shaun Law, Simon Lakeland (Stephen Hindmarch 73), A Trialist, Andrew Cook (Isaac Cork 46).
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