|
In an action-packed encounter the opening chance came as early as the first minute when a Vale cross in from the right by the pacey Andrew Osei-Siribour flicked off Jamie Cleary and hit the near-post, Jon Ball, making a rare start in goal for the Cumbrians then able to smuggle the ball behind. Sixty seconds later United responding as Ben McKenna made one of many good runs down the right to feed Ryan Bowman in for a 15-yard right-footed shot over the top.
Moments on and a Kristian Cox cross for the visitors saw strike partner Anthony Malbon head over Ball's crossbar from 12 yards out before play swung up the other end. Matt Osmond, from a McKenna ball in, firing a first-time effort from the middle of the box inches wide of the near-post on his weaker right foot. The busy Vale midfielder Sam Morsy then shooting over the top from distance in the fifth minute.
The action wasn't slowing down and sixty seconds later Ryan Lloyd, after a mistake by Blues right-back James Wood, pulled a shot across the box and wide of the far-post from 20 yards out. A rare short quiet spell then followed before on eleven minutes McKenna again provided Bowman with an opportunity on goal, Bowman once more though lifting his right-footed effort too high from just outside the penalty area.
McKenna then setting up Manny Richardson four minutes later, Richardson choosing to shoot though, his 20-yard drive being blocked by Andrew Bratt, when a touch on to an unmarked Bowman was probably the better option. Shortly afterwards and it was Vale attacking again when Odei-Siribour's cross in from the right broke to James Beeston in the middle of the 'D', Beeston seeing his left-footed shot held at the second attempt by a diving Ball.
Midway through the half and Morsy, 20 yards out, picked up on a loose ball to fire a right-footer wide of the far-post, Bowman though failing to take a better chance up at the other end three minutes later. United's top scorer one-on-one down the left-hand channel side-footing a ten-yard shot straight at goalkeeper Dave Watson before only being able to lob the rebound over the top from close range.
With 27 minutes on the clock an uncharacteristic mistake by Ben Richards-Everton allowed Malbon to get in a right-footed effort from 20 yards out which deflected off Cleary and into the hands of Ball. The United goalkeeper having to make a good stop at his near-post four minutes later though when a nice Vale move between Odei-Siribour, Cox and Malbon ended in the latter of the trio shooting goalwards from just inside the box.
The visitors made their first substitution after 34 minutes when centre-half Joe Davis was taken off the green baize right on cue to be replaced by Sam Christensen. Immediately from the restart an unmarked Richardson, from a Bowman flick-on, thumping a ten-yard half-volley straight at the legs of Watson with his right boot.
Carlisle did take the lead on 36 minutes though when a lovely pass from Sean Law sliced through the Vale defence and allowed Bowman to run in on goal before sticking a side-footed shot into the far corner beyond the reach of Watson from 12 yards out. The Valiants finished the half strongly though and in the 40th minute a shot from distance by left-back Matty Bell deflected off Beeston and flew out for a United goal-kick.
The Blues did though have a break up the park sixty seconds later when an Osmond cross in from the right, he and McKenna having earlier swapped flanks, was flicked on by Bowman at the near-post, Watson though able to catch the ball underneath his crossbar. A mammoth succession of Valiants corners then came and went with the best chance from one of them being an excellent block by Wood when Odei-Siribour looked all set to bust the net from close range.
The last chance of the half again being created by a Lloyd corner in injury time when Osmond's clearing header fell straight to the feet of Bell just outside the box. Swinglehurst then making a good block on Bell's shot before a bout of penalty box pinball ended in Lloyd feeding Morsy for a right-footed drive which whistled inches wide off the woodwork.
The half-time whistle had come a little early following the need for Bratt to have treatment on a lower leg injury that happened in the goalmouth melee, Bratt, an imposing figure at centre-half, being replaced by Alec Hague during the break. Carlisle also making a change as Richards-Everton came off, Kieran Cahill entering the fray at left-back while Swinglehurst moved into the vacant spot in the middle of defence.
With 48 minutes gone Odei-Siribour hit a long distance right-footer miles over the top before United doubled their lead two minutes later. Law again the provider with a good tackle and pass to Bowman, the Blues striker then skipping past Bell at pace on his way to hitting a well placed 15-yard right-footed drive across the body of Watson and into the far corner of the Vale net.
The Valiants were defending far too high against the pace of Bowman in behind and he was able to claim his hat-trick just three minutes later. Wood, following a foul on Richardson in the Cumbrians half, hitting an excellent quick free-kick over the top for Bowman racing down the left-hand channel this time. The United frontman turning right-back Charlie Raglan inside and out before eventually scoring in the same manner as his previous goal, albeit this time on his left foot.
Port Vale's disintegration then complete on the hour-mark when a Cleary ball through found Bowman charging away from inside his own half, the end result again pretty inevitable as a left-footed 15-yard drive was hit across Watson and into the far corner of the net once more. Beeston then trying to reply for a shell-shocked visiting side in the 63rd minute with a left-footed shot from the middle of the box that went wide of the target.
Blues boss Eric Kinder then made his second change of the game when Phil Towler replaced Law in the engine room, Vale then missing a chance to pull a goal back after 65 minutes following a Swinglehurst foul on Malbon for a penalty. Ball making a tremendous save to tip Morsy's spot-kick onto the underside of the crossbar, Morsy then putting in a contender for the miss of all-time, never mind the season, as he took a quick touch and then somehow put the rebound wide from, at the very most, two yards out.
Play was soon up at the other end again though and, after a foul on Towler on the left, Wood stuck a free-kick in which eventually dropped to Osmond 15 yards out, his left-footed half-volley being well cleared by Christensen though. Osmond then seeing his header from a McKenna set-piece in headed off the line by Bell, Cahill then being fouled 25 yards out, Bowman though unable to get his right-footed shot from the free-kick past the Valiants defenders.
After 73 minutes Liam Rice replaced Lloyd for the visitors, United's Paddy O'Brien also coming on for Osmond at the same time. Vale had had quite a lot of possession during the game and they got a deserved goal two minutes later when Morsy played in Malbon down the middle as the Blues got caught on the break, Malbon able to slide a left-footed shot home under the body of Ball from 12 yards out.
Bowman was once more in with a goalscoring chance on 79 minutes when, from a Towler ball over the top and down the right, he shot right-footed across goal and wide from just inside the box. The big downside on the day for Carlisle then came three minutes later when skipper Liam Davison, challenging for a header, landed awkwardly and suffered a reoccurence of an old ankle injury, United down to ten men for the closing stages as Davison was helped off the pitch.
In the 85th minute Wood got in another good block in the Carlisle penalty area, a bout of pinball then seeing Ball make an excellent save from Morsy's close range right-footed shot. It was 5-1 to the Blues two minutes later though when, from a McKenna pass, Bowman unleashed a thumping right-footed 18-yard drive over the top of Watson and into the net off the underside of the crossbar.
Cahill then giving the Valiants a chance of a late goal sixty seconds later when his poor attempted clearance, in a squelchy penalty area at the bottom end of the pitch, fell straight to the feet of Beeston, the Vale midfielder hitting a left-footed shot from 12 yards out which Ball did well to smuggle behind at his near-post.
Just as the clock was ticking into injury time United, still chasing goals with the game extremely stretched, were denied what looked like what was one of the clearest penalties you will ever see as Bowman raced free into the box only to be brought down by Christensen from behind, the officials though somehow not awarding a spot-kick to the Cumbrians much to the astonishment of all of us.
McKenna then extremely disappointed with himself not to make it 6-1 in time added on when he made a tremendous run in past two defenders and down the middle only to, one-on-one with Watson in the middle of the box, shoot right-footed straight at the body of the Vale goalkeeper. That the last action of a match in a performance for the Blues where there were so many positives, but the one negative is a big one with Davison's ankle injury ruling him out of Monday night's game against Accrington at the very least.
United line-up :
Jon Ball, James Wood, Steven Swinglehurst, Ben Richards-Everton (Kieran Cahill 46), Jamie Cleary, Sean Law (Phil Towler 64), Ben McKenna, Liam Davison, Ryan Bowman, Manny Richardson, Matt Osmond (Paddy O'Brien 73).
Unused substitutes :
Mark Gillespie (GK) and James Reid.
Port Vale line-up :
Dave Watson, Charlie Raglan, Matty Bell, Sam Morsy, Andrew Bratt, (Alec Hague 46), Joe Davis (Sam Christensen 34), Andrew Odei-Siribour, James Beeston, Anthony Malbon, Kristian Cox, Ryan Lloyd (Liam Rice 73).
Unused substitutes :
Sam Johnson (GK) and Jack McGowan.
Youth Team Results : Click here
Youth Team Squad : Click here
Youth Team Table : Click here