After losing their unbeaten record at home to Port Vale last week it was back to Creighton this morning for Carlisle's fifth home game of their seven opening matches, with the young Blues up against a Blackpool side who have struggled in recent seasons. United weren't at full strength though as a bit of a bug in the camp saw first year defender Evan McEvoy absent ill while Danny Dixon and in particular Kyle Dempsey (pictured) didn't have anywhere near a full tank of fuel at kick-off.
Dempsey was involved in the opening chance of the game in the fifth minute though with Carlisle kicking down the slope on a glorious clear morning, his touch off from an Alex Salmon pass seeing Pat Brough fire over the top of the visitors crossbar from 22 yards out. As for Blackpool, well skipper Louis Cross had already gone down twice after taking an early knock and he had to admit defeat in the 14th minute as he was replaced by Harrison McGahey at centre-half, McGahey also taking the captain's armband off Cross.
Shortly afterwards and it was United attacking when Dixon sent Salmon away down the right-hand channel, Salmon though having his 12-yard drive on goal well parried away by Tangerines goalkeeper Connor Hunt. With 17 minutes gone, following a foul by Mitchell Clayton on Brough on the right wing, Tom Berwick curled in the free-kick which Salmon flicked with his right boot towards goal from close range, Hunt making a good stop though and then quickly moving to his side to make a further excellent block on Salmon's follow up off the rebound.
Three minutes later and Dion Charles shot over the top from just outside of the Carlisle box for the visitors, before in the 25th minute Henry Cameron set up the Australian Alex Gardikiotis for a low 22-yard drive that was easily held by Cumbrians stopper Jordan Parker. Bang on the half-hour mark and the Seasiders went even closer when Cameron sent a cross in from the by-line which Parker palmed away straight to the onrushing Marcus Johnston-Schuster ten yards out at the back-stick, Johnston-Schuster though seeing his side-foot on goal well cleared away from the line by Blues left-back Dale Minor.
It was back up the other end on 32 minutes though when Salmon and Connor Thomson (pictured) combined to set up Brough for a 22-yard drive over the Tangerines crossbar. Carlisle did make it 1-0 sixty seconds later though when Berwick played a pass into the feet of Dempsey, with Dempsey taking a quick couple of touches to set himself before curling a delightful effort from just outside the 'D' into the far top corner of the net via the fingers on Hunt's left hand.
Blackpool, who defended in numbers throughout with a bit of a negative outlook from the start, then had a rare foray forward in the 38th minute when Ramone Blackett pushed on before firing wide of Parker's right-hand post from distance. The last chance of the opening period coming the way of Carlisle in the 43rd minute when a Berwick corner saw Brough side-foot a volley straight into the arms of Hunt at the visitors near-post.
Into the second-half and with 52 minutes gone and me on ball-boy duty it was a long view from the far end but Salmon's cross seemed to see Brough first have a close range shot saved by Blackpool man of the match Hunt, with Clayton then able to clear Brough's follow up effort off the line. Play then breaking out to Berwick on the left whose cross into the middle of the box was headed wide of the target by Salmon to give the Tangerines some respite.
Just before the hour mark then and Staunch allowed a long ball over the top from Johnston-Schuster to bounce with Cameron able to nip in on the edge of the box only to see his attempted chip over Parker well parried away by Carlisle's goalkeeper, Parker then doing very well to chase back to the by-line and only concede a throw-in. That the last action of the match for Cameron as he was substituted for Connor Ready by Seasiders boss John Hills.
Blues boss Eric Kinder then made his first change of the game after 63 minutes when he brought on the strike duo of Jamie Clarey and Greg Peel (pictured) for the tiring through illness Dixon and Dempsey. Salmon then dropping back into a midfield role as Peel was quickly involved in the action when he robbed Jon Fraser deep in the right-hand channel before shooting low from 15 yards out straight at Hunt who was guarding his near-post well.
The two substitutes then combined to make it 2-0 to Carlisle with 65 minutes gone when a long Parker goal kick up saw Clarey harass Fraser out of possession before laying a pass across to Peel for a neat side-footed 12-yard finish back into the near corner of the net. That two goal lead not lasting long though as only two minutes later Charles was allowed to stick a low cross in from the right with Blackett unmarked eight yards out slotting the ball easily home beyond Parker.
Things didn't stop there action-wise though and in the 69th minute Minor's ball down the left-hand channel saw Clarey race on before seeing his low 12-yard drive ping away off the legs of Hunt. The Tangerines then coming quite close to grabbing an equaliser two minutes later when Johnston-Schuster's cross in from the right saw an unmarked Josh Ling ten yards out send a flicked header narrowly away over the angle of far-post and crossbar.
It was becoming end-to-end fare a bit more now with Blackpool forced to come out and look for a goal and that was allowing Carlisle a bit more freedom going forward as Minor's ball in from the left broke to Brandon Gwinnutt at the back-post, his shot from ten yards out though looking like it was going wide before bouncing clear off Ling. The visitors then making their final substitution of the game with 74 minutes gone when Ade Cole entered the fray in place of Ling.
Sixty seconds later and Peel's low cross in from the left found Thomson's studs eight yards out, but he didn't get a good connection on the ball and it simply dribbled into the gloves of Hunt. It was 3-1 to United in the 76th minute when a diagonal Salmon ball up was excellently headed down by Gwinnutt into the run of Thomson down the right-hand channel, Thomson then from 12 yards out picking his spot as he fired low and into the far corner of the net under the dive of Hunt.
Before the kick-off though and Blues centre-half Dillon Morse was booked for dissent after questioning a decision moments earlier with referee Holloway, with Eric Kinder then taking no chances as he replaced Morse with Jake Chisholm after 79 minutes. What would turn out to be Blackpool's last chance on goal coming three minutes later when Clayton sent Ready away down the left but from a tight angle Parker was able to push Ready's 12-yard drive away from danger.
It was back to Carlisle attacking after 85 minutes though when Minor and Thomson combined to set up Brough for a 20-yard left-footed drive over the top. The net was bulging again for United sixty seconds later though when Minor's pass found Salmon (pictured) for a quick run across the face of the 'D' before Carlisle's top scorer unleashed a powerful 25-yard drive that flew like an arrow into the top right-hand corner of Hunt's net to make it 4-1 to the Cumbrians.
Given Morse's earlier booking for dissent for United, Blackpool substitute Cole then did remarkably well to avoid a yellow card for speaking out of turn to the referee in the 88th minute before in the final minute of the game Clarey slammed a 25-yarder over the top for United. Clarey then again involved sixty seconds into added on time when he got to the Seasiders by-line with some nifty footwork only to see his close range shot on goal well turned behind by Hunt.
Berwick and Salmon then quickly working the resultant corner short with Berwick's delivery to the back-post seeing Staunch's header land at the left foot of Peel 12 yards out, Peel though pulling his shot from there across goal and wide of the target. So, a good win for Carlisle to make it five wins from their first seven matches, but things get much, much tougher for United now with six of the next eight games coming on the road, including trips to Burnley and Preston. Some hard work lies ahead.
United line-up:
Jordan Parker, Brandon Gwinnutt, Dale Minor, Brad Staunch, Dillon Morse (Jake Chisholm 79), Kyle Dempsey (Greg Peel 63), Connor Thomson, Tom Berwick (c), Danny Dixon (Jamie Clarey 63), Alex Salmon, Pat Brough.
Unused substitute:
Lewis Brass (GK).
Blackpool line-up:
Connor Hunt, Marcus Johnston-Schuster, Mitchell Clayton, Josh Ling (Ade Cole 74), Jon Fraser, Louis Cross (c) (Harrison McGahey 14), Ramone Blackett, Alex Gardikiotis, Dion Charles, Sam Staunton-Turner, Henry Cameron (Connor Ready 61).
Unused substitutes:
Dean Gardikiotis (GK) and Ash Rowley.
Referee - Mr Holloway.
Assistants - Mr Murphy and Mr Backhouse.
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