United Youth 4-1 Blackpool Youth

Frenchfields on a more pleasant morning

The Blues started the game strongly with a freezing cold bracing wind at their backs. After five minutes the visitors number five brought down Carlisle midfielder Gary Baker just outside the left-corner of the box. Fellow midfield man Shaun Vipond put the free-kick in which was only cleared away to right-winger Richie Hoban, but Hoban could only slice his effort well wide.

Two minutes later the ‘Pool keeper hit an attempted clearance from a back-pass straight up in the air, the ball hung on the wind and United frontman Andy Hardman was unlucky to see his header over the keeper go wide of the far-post. It was all Carlisle early on and they went 1-0 up in the tenth minute. A long free-kick up from right-back Ashley Combe was headed back across goal from 12 yards out by Blues centre-half, and skipper, Dan Kirkup, and into the danger area. Hardman was well placed at the near-post for the knockback and he easily swept home with his left foot from just outside the six-yard box to give the Cumbrians the lead.

Carlisle went 2-0 up just five minutes later as the Seasiders struggled to hold on to the ball upfront in the teeth of a wintry gale. Hardman picked the ball up out on the right, after a loose clearance, and cut inside to play a pass into the feet of Blues striker Pete Ferris on the penalty spot. Ferris's sliding shot was well saved by the young ‘Pool keeper but left-winger Mike Stewardson was on hand to tap the rebound home with his left foot from close range, although Stewardson did look as though he may have been offside from the initial shot.

With 25 minutes on the clock the visitors had their first clear shot on Adam Bradley's goal. Stewardson brought down the ‘Pool number seven 25 yards out on the right-angle of the box, the youngster getting back up to take the set-piece. The Seasiders midfield man curled a lovely effort across goal and was desperately unlucky to see the wind take it just inches wide of the United far-post.

Just after the half-hour mark Hardman chased down a long Baker ball out on the right and played a nice pass into Ferris on the bounce. Ferris tried to lob the advancing keeper, but with the wind at his back, it was always a tough ask and it floated harmlessly over the Blackpool crossbar from 20 yards out. Three minutes later and the Blues went close again from a set-piece. Vipond swung in a free-kick from 35 yards out on the right which Carlisle centre-half Dan Wordsworth got his head to, it wasn't the best of connections though and his ten-yard flicked header went wide of the far-post.

The Cumbrians did make the most of the first-half advantage though when they made the scoreline 3-0 on 38 minutes. Hoban put a good cross in from the right and after a bit of pinball in the visitors penalty area the ball came back out to Ferris on the edge of the box. His right-footed shot from there took a nick off the legs of the ‘Pool number six and that was enough to take the ball, on the wind, over the head of the Seasiders keeper and into the top-corner of the net.

Carlisle almost made it four two minutes later when a Vipond corner in from the left curled agonisingly past the far-post with Hardman just unable to get his head onto the ball. Just before half-time though and Blackpool grabbed a lifeline in the game when they pulled a somewhat debatable goal back. A United attack was cleared up the pitch by the Seasiders number seven, Vipond had first run on the ball but he seemed to be clearly hauled back by the ‘Pool number six, only for the referee to wave play on. The Blackpool youngster made the most of that interesting decision by the official as he ran on and slotted the ball past the oncoming Bradley and into the corner of the net from twelve yards out, the Carlisle lads continuing their protests well into half-time.

Three minutes after the break and the Seasiders right-back threw the ball in to the young number ten,. He tried a speculative left-footed half-volley, as the ball ran across him, from fully 25 yards out which was a cracking effort that whistled just inches wide of Bradley's far-post. The visitors were starting to make the most of the conditions, as they now had the fierce wind in their favour, although it did go against them on 51 minutes. The number six picked the ball up 30 yards out and tried to hammer a long-ranger in. He got hold of it too well though and it must have gone 15 yards over the crossbar on the wind, as it went over the hedge and into the field behind the goal without even taking a bounce.

The Blues gave themselves a three goal advantage in the game again in the 56^th minute when they went 4-1 up. Some good work between Ferris and Hoban saw Hoban send Hardman through in the left-hand channel. The first-year YTS striker hit his shot sidefooted across the keeper who managed to parry the 12-yard effort out, the ball just went straight to Baker though who was able to bobble it over the line from close range.

United missed a good chance to go even further ahead bang on the hour mark. The ‘Pool number six fouled Baker 40 yards out on the left. Vipond, taking over the set-piece role from the injured James Earl in the match, put another good delivery in which Kirkup got up well at the far-post to head back into the centre of the goalmouth. Wordsworth was first onto the chance and must have been left wondering how he had not scored his first goal for the youth team as he headed the ball inches wide of the near-post from only six yards out.

The first change of the game came seconds later when Blackpool took off their number five, playing at centre-half, and replaced him in a straight swap with the number seventeen. It didn't stop the Blues pressing forward though and two minutes later Vipond's free-kick in from 35 yards was part-cleared to Hoban just outside the Seasiders box, Hoban's right-footed shot from there went well over though.

And then the rains came, and little happened in the match for 20 minutes as the howling gale and freezing cold rain sent the ball flying off in all directions as plenty of umbrellas went the way of Gene Pitney. After 67 minutes Blackpool changed their keeper, the lad in goal from the start seemingly being a trialist. Two minutes later the Seasiders number eleven hit a cracker of a drive from fully 35 yards out, which he cleverly tried to keep down. The wind still got hold of the ball but it only just went inches over the Carlisle crossbar, pretty much at light speed.

The only action now, as spectators and players alike wondered how long was left in the game, and when they could get back in the warmth, were substitutions. United made their three allowed changes, Matthew Wood coming on for Hoban on 74 minutes, and Dan Dillon replacing Hardman after 84, Baker being moved upfront as Dillon went straight into the centre of midfield. Then with three minutes to go in the game Matthew Brown replaced Stewardson on the left-side of midfield, ‘Pool having, also on 74 minutes, having made a change to their frontline, the number nine being replaced by the number fourteen.

On 89 minutes Dan Dillon, who put in some crunching tackles on his younger opponents in his short spell on the pitch, won the ball just outside the Seasiders box. The ball broke across to Baker who tried a curler with his right-foot from 18 yards out but it was weak and easy for the substitute keeper to save low down at his far-post. The only booking of the game came in the 90^th minute, as the match started to get a little bit tetchy, when Vipond was yellow carded for a cynical trip on the ‘Pool number four.

The last chance of the game came United's way a minute into injury time. Vipond hit a searching ball over the top which Ferris was able to get on the end of. Ferris then tried a curling shot over the ‘Pool keeper from 20 yards out which the young glovesman did well to tip over the bar. A minute later came the final whistle on a good performance from the Blues, they made the most of the appalling conditions in the first-half and defended well after the interval to keep the visitors at bay. Only one defeat in eight league games now for the United lads who seem to be improving as a team with the season drawing to a close.