With Adam Gill away now at Penrith on a work experience deal, and Tom Berwick and Brad Potts both sidelined with ankle injuries it meant there was a place available on the Cumbrians bench for trialist centre-forward Liam Woodhouse, a 16-year old who is currently with Horden Colliery Welfare over in County Durham. Another Blues striker though in Alex Salmon (pictured) featuring in the Carlisle starting eleven against his former club Morecambe today.
Kicking up the slight slope in the first-half the visitors had the first chance of the game when when their skipper Ryan Winder fired in a long range right-footed shot straight at United goalkeeper Jordan Parker. Six minutes later though and Carlisle took the lead when some nice approach play by firstly David Symington and then Mark Beck set up Salmon for a confident 15-yard right-footed strike past Morecambe glovesman Ryan Shepherd and into the net.
With 13 minutes on the clock the Shrimps then responded with another long range effort, this time though Kenny Taylor firing a left-footer wide of Parker's left-hand post. Parker was forced into a good save two minutes later however when Ryan Giller sneaked past Brad Staunch before cracking a right-footed drive from 15 yards out across goal, Parker managing to get a good low hand on it away to his right before Will James hacked the ball away from danger.
The visitors did find an equaliser in the 20th minute though when a low cross in from an unmarked Matthew Parker down the left saw Lance McGlen, with the ball coming behind him, toe an attempted block straight to the right boot of Ben Hardcastle in the middle of the Carlisle box. Hardcastle from there lifting a well hit finish over both the bodies of McGlen and Parker high into the top right corner of the United net to restore parity in the match.
That situation didn't last long though as it was to 2-1 to the Blues after 24 minutes, Beck playing Salmon through down the right-hand channel, with Salmon then knocking the ball past the onrushing Shepherd 15 yards out. Patrick Brough for Carlisle and James Short for Morecambe were then looking to reach the loose ball at the back-post and it was Brough who got there first to slide a shot home from close range with his left foot.
Sixty seconds later and the Shrimps missed a good chance to get another leveller when McGlen fouled Charlie Joyce by the corner flag, Parker then curling the free-kick in to the near-post area from which Joyce somehow headed wide from only about four yards out. On the half-hour mark it was United though when Jack Lynch pushed a pass through for Symington on the break, but Symington, on his weaker left foot, could only fire an 18-yarder well wide of the Shrimps far-post.
Shortly afterwards and Hardcastle cracked a right-footed effort a long way off target from distance for the visitors, then in the 33rd minute the Cumbrians came back with a Beck pass to McGlen on the break, McGlen seeing his shot blocked by Phil Bannister on the edge of the box, with Symington then curling the rebound left footed but well over the top from 20 yards out. United then won a free-kick two minutes later for a Hardcastle foul on Salmon just outside the Morecambe 'D', Symington's right-footed strike straight from the set-piece pinging off the defensive wall, missing the head of a stretching Beck by an inch and going straight into the gloves of Shepherd.
Carlisle then made it 3-1 with 37 minutes on the clock when Josh Todd and Salmon linked well together going forward, Todd then playing a lovely pass through for Beck to smash a left-footed 12-yard effort into the net through a tight window at Shepherd's right-hand post. Morecambe then unable to pull a goal back just before half-time when Hardcastle set up Joyce for a left-footed shot from just inside the United box which brought a good low save out of Parker.
Five minutes into the second-half and Carlisle got in a bit of a muddle at the back as Hardcastle saw an 18-yard right-footed drive deflect off McGlen and fly inches wide of Parker's right-hand post. Joyce's resultant corner then causing an good old fashioned goalmouth scramble as Parker made a good low reaction save among the boots before the ball eventually came back out to the player who had started it all, in Hardcastle, this time though his shot from the edge of the box skipping wide without the aid of a deflection.
After 56 minutes it was 4-1 to the Blues when on the break once more Todd chipped a good cross over to the far-post from which Salmon, six yards out, volleyed home with his right boot, although Shepherd did get a hand on the effort before it hit the side of his net. Two minutes later and it was 5-1 when a Lynch corner went narrowly over the head of James, that presumably unsighting Hardcastle on the six-yard line as the ball bounced off his left leg and straight into the back of the net.
Blues boss Eric Kinder then made his first change in personnel before the restart as left-back Dale Minor came on for James, that meaning that McGlen swapped over to his natural right-back spot. On 59 minutes Taylor struck a left-footed 20-yarder wide of the Carlisle far-post for the visitors, then three minutes later Symington played in McGlen down the right-hand channel, McGlen though getting a defender's rush of blood as he sliced a right-footed drive well wide of the near-post from the angle of the Shrimps penalty area.
With 65 minutes gone Joyce stuck a Morecambe corner in but Short headed over at the far-post from close range, Carlisle then making another change before Parker's goal-kick when Dan Jones came on for Brough and United went to a 4-3-3 formation. Shortly afterwards and Symington set up Lynch for a long range left-footed strike that flew well over Shepherd's crossbar, before on 67 minutes up at the other end United were asleep twice when Joyce and Parker worked a quick short corner and then Short was once more left unmarked at the back-stick, but again he headed poorly over the top from close range.
The Blues then extended the scoreline to 6-1 in the 75th minute when the Shrimps were again caught out by United's speed on the break, Beck this time laying the ball back for Jones to slot home well with his right instep from 15 yards out. Carlisle then made their third and final substitution of the game, with Morecambe boss Richard Danson surprisingly choosing not to make any, when trialist Woodhouse came on for Lynch, that seeing Jones drop back into the midfield ranks.
Woodhouse was quickly into the action too as within sixty seconds of his introduction he fired in a left-footed 18-yard strike, albeit straight at Shepherd. After 79 minutes Salmon stuck a cross in from the right which it looked like Beck should have headed towards goal, the United striker took it on his chest though before laying it back to Jones for a right-footed shot from the edge of the box which zipped away narrowly wide of the Shrimps back-stick.
Symington was then looking for one of his blockbuster long distance goals three minutes later but his right-footed effort sailed away high and wide of the target. The visitors then had an excellent chance to make it 6-2 on 85 minutes following an ungainly Staunch aerial foul on Giller just inside the Carlisle box. Joyce stepping up, after winning the battle with Short, to take the penalty right-footed only to see it well saved by Parker away to his right, Joyce then looping a header on the rebound straight up into the air for an easy Parker catch and fall to the ground with ball in gloves.
Shortly afterwards and Beck was leaning back on a Minor cross in from the left when he headed it over the Morecambe crossbar from eight yards out, then in the 87th minute Salmon headed on to Woodhouse for a left-footed half-volley from 15 yards out that brought an easy save out of Shepherd. The last word of the game going to Salmon against his former club in the 89th minute though when he made it 7-1, the 17-year old racing clear onto a long Symington ball over the top before producing another confident finish with his right boot beyond the reach of Shepherd and into the net from just inside the visitors penalty area.
United line-up :
Jordan Parker, Will James (Dale Minor 58), Lance McGlen (c), Brad Staunch, Dillon Morse, Josh Todd, David Symington, Jack Lynch (Liam Woodhouse 77), Mark Beck, Alex Salmon, Patrick Brough (Dan Jones 65).
Unused substitutes :
Jamie Clarey and Brandon Gwinnutt.
Morecambe line-up :
Ryan Shepherd, Nathan Hawkshaw, James Short, Phil Bannister, Sean Wilkinson, Ben Hardcastle, Charlie Joyce, Ryan Winder (c), Ryan Giller, Matthew Parker, Ryan Taylor.
Unused substitutes :
Jack Cookson (GK), Edward Gate, Lewis Gardner, Matthew Knipe and Simon Wearing.
Referee - Mark Backhouse.
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