|
With pretty much four central midfielders in there the young Blues employed a diamond formation, that working well going forward but often in defence full-backs Matthew Brown and Matt Duffy were left exposed down the flanks with no real cover in front of them. The Sheepmount pitch was in much better condition than expected although it did cut up a little in the second-half due to the recent wet weather.
Carlisle started the game off strongly and after a good spell of early pressure Lakeland fed the ball into the feet of Gary Madine down the right-hand channel in the ninth minute. Madine firing over the angle of County's near-post and bar with a right-footed drive. The Cumbrians played some lovely stuff in the opening 45 minutes and that was rewarded as they took the lead with 13 minutes gone.
A left-footed Duffy free-kick up, after Lakeland had been fouled on the half-way line, finding it's way to the Stockport back-post where Madine was able to head the ball down and into the net from ten yards out despite the County goalkeeper managing to get a hand to his effort. 20-goal striker Madine looking to add to his tally just sixty seconds later only to see his fierce right-footed 22-yard drive parried up into the air then caught by the County glovesman.
Madine was again in the action in the 16th minute following a foul on Dalton bang on the left-angle of the Stockport penalty area, Madine thumping the set-piece right-footed but well over the top. Two minutes later and it was Madine again, this time from a lovely pass into him from Dowson, his 25-yard right-footed drive this time whizzing inches over the angle of far-post and crossbar.
County had their first effort on goal after 23 minutes after Tom Aldred had brought down one of their strikers 30 yards out. The Hatters left-back curling the free-kick straight into the arms of Blues keeper Alex Mitchell at his near-post. Stockport, after working a short corner well, seeing Mitchell well placed again to make an easy save after a 22-yard right-footed drive was fired straight at him.
County were having a good spell in the game now and two minutes later Mitchell was forced to hang to another low long-range shot that zoomed towards him. Then on 34 minutes a Hatters corner in was headed back across from the far-post by the tall visitors centre-half towards one of their strikers. His right-footed shot from ten yards out, as he was pressured by United defenders, being held by Mitchell at his near-post.
The Stockport left-back sent a shot from 30 yards out miles over Mitchell's bar two minutes later, with United then fighting back to double their lead in the 40th minute. A cleverly placed ball by Dowson ran right into the path of Seaton 18 yards out down the right-hand channel. Seaton then picking his spot nicely as he thumped a right-footed drive low into the near corner of the County goal.
Shortly afterwards a cross in from the right by Stockport found one of their forwards ten yards out but he could only head the ball down and straight into the grateful arms of Mitchell on the bounce. The last chance of the opening period once more coming the way of the visitors as they looked to pull a goal back before the break. Yet again though Mitchell was in the right position to see a 22-yard right-footed drive fly straight at him.
To say the visitors went for broke during the interval would be an understatement as they made a triple substitution to get the second-half underway. Now with the wind at their backs, and a much more physical and rugged approach to proceedings, Stockport were on top early but it was United hoping to threaten from a set-piece with 51 minutes on the clock.
Duffy's left-footed 30-yard free-kick in, after Dalton had been fouled, seeing Andy Cook's mistimed ten-yard header hacked away from danger by a County defender. Two minutes later and this time it was Blues skipper Dan Wordsworth brought down on the half-way line, Brown's right-footed free-kick into the Stockport box found the head of Duffy eight yards out but his flicked effort was straight at the Hatters goalkeeper.
The County left-back was sticking in some good corners on the wind as the Hatters started to turn the screw and you could sense a goal was coming for the visitors, and that goal did come after 63 minutes. Another good cross in from the left-back going over the head of Duffy on the wind deep in the Carlisle penalty area, that allowing the Stockport number four to run in and side-foot the ball on the volley with his right boot past Mitchell from close range.
Duffy himself was hacked down on the half-way line in the 68th minute, his left-footed free-kick up seeing Madine head the ball just behind Cook 15 yards out, Cook then pushing a right-footed half-volley on the turn just wide of the Stockport far-post. United were clawing their way back to superiority now and their hard work bore some fruition in the 71st minute as they went 3-1 up.
Some good strong centre-forward play by both Madine and Cook seeing them hold the ball up well under pressure before Madine knocked possesssion into the path of Seaton right in the middle of the County 'D'. Seaton once more picking his spot perfectly as he sent a lovely shot with the inside of right boot curling low into the far bottom corner of the Stockport net.
Five minutes later and the Hatters goalkeeper made a real hash of it as he tried to take a touch on a backpass, he did well in the end though as he managed to make good block tackles on both Cook and Dalton as the United pair looked to profit. That being pretty much the last of the action for Cook as he was replaced in the 79th minute by under-16s central midfielder Shaun Law, that change seeing Dalton move upfront to partner Madine.
Carlisle almost being caught out straight from the restart of play when a quick throw-in saw an uncontested right-footed shot come in from 22 yards which Mitchell was glad to watch sail well over the top. Youngsters Lakeland and Law combined well for the Blues in the 81st minute, Law's nice pass eventually seeing Dalton hit a right-footed 22-yard drive which looked in all the way only for it to dribble wide off the base of the County near-post.
That would have been 4-1 to United but all of a sudden it was only 3-2 as Stockport pulled a goal back after 85 minutes. A corner in being met by a firm header from the Hatters number two as he thumped his effort into the back of the Carlisle net from eight yards out. The Cumbrians making another substitution before the kick-off as Blake, wearing a fetching pair of black leggings in the cold weather, replaced the tiring Brown at right-back.
Some interesting challenges were coming in now as the Blues looked to run down the clock, Dalton being fouled in the 89th minute out on the right flank for one of them. Lakeland swung the free-kick in with his left foot and it was a case of anwyhere else for Law as his header from eight yards out bounced down and up and straight into the arms of the County keeper.
The final action of any note in the match coming two minutes into injury time when the Stockport number six was booked for a late lunge on Duffy out on the Carlisle left wing. It still took another three minutes for the final whistle to come though, it's occurence signalling a return to winning ways for the young Blues in the league, something they will hope to see continue when they visit lowly Shrewsbury next Saturday lunchtime.
United line-up :
Alex Mitchell, Matthew Brown (Jonny Blake 85), Matt Duffy, Tom Aldred, Dan Wordsworth (c), Michael Dowson, John Seaton, Ged Dalton, Gary Madine, Andy Cook (Shaun Law 79), Simon Lakeland.
Unused substitutes :
John Jamieson (GK), Connor Tinnion and Matthew Wood.
Results in the division this morning :
Accrington Stanley P-P Chester
Blackpool 4-3 Macclesfield
Burnley P-P Port Vale
Bury 1-1 Shrewsbury
Carlisle United 3-2 Stockport
Morecambe P-P Tranmere
Oldham P-P Walsall
Preston North End P-P Wigan
Fixtures in the division next Saturday morning :
Chester v Blackpool
Macclesfield v Burnley
Port Vale v Bury
Shrewsbury v Carlisle United
Stockport v Morecambe
Tranmere v Oldham
Walsall v Preston North End
Wigan P-P Rochdale, Rochdale at home to Wigan in Lancashire FA Youth Cup
Wrexham v Accrington Stanley
Youth Team Results : Click here
Youth Team Table : Click here
Youth Team Reports : Click here
Youth Team Squad : Click here