With the first team at the same time awaiting the result of the Lincoln City v Alfreton Town match to decide their FA Cup First Round opponents, it was the youth team who get things underway at Brunton Park at that stage of their own FA Cup competition this evening. Even they had to wait a while as well though with Sheffield Wednesday getting stuck in traffic on the M6. the end result being a pencilled in 8.45 kick-off, although that did get pulled forward to 8.30 as the Owls eventually made better time than expected, albeit the tie still starting 90 minutes late.
With Carlisle kicking off the game towards the Waterworks End in the opening period you got the feeling that the visitors were still on the bus after spending most of their day on it, with United pressing strongly in the first five minutes or so. No clear chance came for the Blues until the seventh minute though, but it did bring a goal after man of the match Brad Potts (pictured) had been fouled by Emmanuel Dieseruvwe 22 yards out to the right of the 'D'. Blues skipper Lance McGlen stepping up to lash a right-footed shot across goal from the set-piece, with Potts, in a host of Carlisle bodies at the back-stick able to slide the ball into the net from close range with his right boot.
With 14 minutes on the clock Jack Lynch stuck a corner in for United from which Dave Symington at the far-post, was only able to shoot right-footed but miles over the top from the edge of the Owls box. Symington then in the 27th minute having a right-footed strike from distance held by Wednesday goalkeeper Lee Wall, before on the half-hour mark the visitors had their first chance of the game when a corner in from Scott Canham saw Ayomide Obileye head goalwards from six yards out, with Blues stopper Jordan Parker making a parry away from goal at almost the same time as he was flattened for a free-kick by Bradley Tomlinson-Fortham.
It was then Dieseruvwe cutting in from the left for the Owls on 35 minutes but his right-footed strike across goal from 22 yards out drifted away wide of Parker's left-hand post. Shortly afterwards and visitors right-back Matthew Tumulty picked up the only yellow card on the night from Cramlington-based referee Dean Hulme when he hacked down Symington in full flight. Symington perhaps still having a little bit of adrenaline in him as he then lashed the 35-yard free-kick miles high and wide of the target with his right boot.
Symington did make it 2-0 to the Cumbrians on 39 minutes when McGlen and Lynch worked a short corner, with Lynch's deep cross in finding an unmarked Symington at the back-post for a powerful low right-footed finish into the bottom corner of Wall's net. The last action of the first half then coming a minute into injury time when Jordan Galloway brought down Blues frontman Jamie Clarey 20 yards out to the right of the 'D', Josh Todd this time the one looking to profit from the set-piece but his attempted right-footed curler only flew away well over the top.
No substitutes then at half-time, with the second-half unusually kicking off at 9.30, and we were four minutes into it when Wednesday midfielder Tom Rowbotham struck in a powerfully hit right-footed effort from 25 yards out which brought a good tip over his own crossbar by Parker. The Owls then probably having their best chance to get back into the game come and go in the 50th minute when Dieseruvwe's corner in was, in a gang of bodies in the middle, bundled home by Tomlinson-Fortham at close range, referee Hulme had seen a hand to ball in there though and the goal was chalked off to very little complaint from the visitors camp.
Carlisle then put a good move together going forward in the 53rd minute with a Symington pull back from the left finding Potts for a firm right-footed drive from 15 yards out, but Wall was equal to it though as he made a good save away to his left. Rowbotham then trying his luck from the edge of the United box sixty seconds later, but his shot on goal with the outside of his right boot was weak and Parker was easily able to watch it wander past his right-hand post. Blues boss Eric Kinder making his first change of personnel during the break of play with Lynch, who had taken a knock in the first-half, being replaced in midfield by Brandon Gwinnutt.
Moments later though and it was Wednesday again in their best spell in the game when Wale Rasheed Ayoola pounced on a loose ball in the Carlisle box to fire a right-footed 15-yard shot across goal, Parker though making a good low one-handed save away to his right, with McGlen able to boot the rebound away from danger. The Owls going close again after 58 minutes when a corner in from Rowbotham was flicked on by the giant Ayoola at the near-post with the equally lanky Obileye then nodding over the top from close range in the middle.
The visitors were chucking men forward now in an effort to get a goal back, although a lot of it was huff and puff and they only really looked like scoring from their gameplan of set-pieces during the whole game, and from a cleared corner in the 63rd minute Carlisle were able to make it 3-0, as Potts sent a good ball through on the break for Clarey, who ran on in the clear from inside his own half to charge through and round Wall confidently on the edge of the penalty area before slamming the ball home high into the net with his right boot.
Seven minutes later and Gwinnutt fouled the only real Wednesday dangerman, in Mitcham Husbands, 22 yards out to the right of the Blues 'D'. Eyes flashed back to the figure of Canham though in the centre-circle who still down after an earlier challenge, play eventually being stopped for five minutes as the Owls left-sided midfielder was eventually carried off on a stretcher, with Charlie Dawes coming on in his place, while Wednesday boss Sean McAuley also brought on Matthew Kingston for left-back Johnny Fenwick at the same time. Play restarting in the 75th minute with Husbands hitting the free-kick right-footed across goal but just inches wide of Parker's right-hand upright.
The Owls then made their third and final substitution of the game with ten minutes plus injury time to go when Elias Moses replaced Tomlinson-Fortham upfront. United though the ones attacking in the 81st minute when a lovely passing move forward involved both Mark Beck and Potts at the end of it to supple the raiding McGlen 12 yards out in the Wednesday box, McGlen getting a defender's rush of blood though as he thumped his right-footed shot from there into Wall's side-netting at the visiting goalkeeper's near-post, a good chance gone there for Carlisle to make it 4-0.
Sixty seconds later and the long throw came out for the Owls with Tumulty chucking it deep into the Cumbrians penalty area for Dieseruvwe to flick on, but sadly for Wednesday Ayoola could then only head wastefully over the top from eight yards out. The Owls did grab a lifeline in the game in the 85th minute though with a large slice of luc, Tumulty hitting a deep cross in from the right wing which he sliced horribly only for it to end up being the perfect shot as it zoomed over the top of Parker, who lost the ball in the floodlights, and into the far corner of the United net.
With three minutes to go in the game it was Todd for the Cumbrians doing numerous stepovers on the left flank before chipping a delicate ball into the near side of the visitors box, with no-one reacting quickly to it though Todd was able to run onto it himself only to fire his right-footed drive from just inside the Wednesday penalty area wide of Wall's right-hand post. The Owls then again looking to score from a set-piece as we hit the final minute following a Clarey foul on Obileye just inside the visitors half, Wall then pumping the ball up long but Parker was easily able to save the resultant ten-yard flicked header from that man Obileye.
The lengthy injury to Canham obviously meant there was a good period of stoppage time to come with Carlisle looking to hold on to their two goal advantage. Nerves were completely settled among the home contigent of the 182 spectators present sixty seconds in though when United made it 4-1, Potts and Symington once more involved with the former pushing a nice pass across to the latter for a well-hit right-footed strike from the middle of the Wednesday 'D' that fairly skipped across the surface low into the right-hand bottom corner of Wall's net.
A second substitution of the game for United was then the last thing of note to come in the seven minutes of stoppage time played, with Clarey, who had taken a slight knock in an earlier challenge, being replaced in the 92nd minute by 15-year old left-winger Patrick Brough. So, an excellent victory for the young Blues in the first round of the FA Youth Cup, with Carlisle by far the better side, particularly footballing-wise, even taking into account a horrendous day of travelling for the visitors. Next up for the Cumbrians in the second stage of the competition if a trip of their own down the motorway to face non-league opposition in either Kidderminster Harriers or Brighouse Town, with those two teams locking horns at Aggborough on Wednesday evening.
United line-up :
Jordan Parker, Lance McGlen (c), Dale Minor, Dillon Morse, Brad Staunch, Brad Potts, Josh Todd, Jack Lynch (Brandon Gwinnutt 54), Mark Beck, Jamie Clarey (Patrick Brough 90), David Symington.
Unused substitutes :
Craig Rule (GK), Tom Berwick and Kyle Dempsey.
Sheffield Wednesday line-up :
Lee Wall, Matthew Tumulty, Johnny Fenwick (Mpatthew Kingston 75), Tom Rowbotham, Ayomide Obileye, Jordan Galloway, Wale Rasheed Ayoola, Emmanuel Dieseruvwe, Bradley Tomlinson-Fortham (Elias Moses 80), Mitcham Husbands, Scott Canham (Charlie Dawes 75).
Unused substitutes :
Cameron Dawson (GK) and Nick Hague.
Referee - Dean Hulme (Cramlington).
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