United Youths Taste Glory In Penalty Drama

The big prize

United started brightly though and had their first effort on goal as early as the first minute when right-sided midfielder Richie Hoban cut in from his wing but he blazed his 20-yarder well over.

Four minutes later Hoban made a good run down the flank and crossed a low ball in for Rob Bainbridge which United’s striker hit well only to see it saved expertly by Michael Guillait in the Doncaster goal. The ball came back to Bainbridge but he could only hammer it into the side-netting from an acute angle.

On eight minutes Carlisle’s left-midfielder Andy Hardman won a corner which was taken by James Earl on the Paddock side of the pitch. Earl swung a lovely delivery in underneath Guillait’s bar which the keeper just managed to palm clear as he flapped on his line.

With quarter of an hour gone the Blues almost took the lead through a classic own goal routine. Bainbridge flicked the ball on to Stephen Hindmarch on the edge of the Doncaster box, but Rovers right-back Ian Snodin had seen the danger and came across to make a covering header back to his keeper. As Guillait set himself to catch the header though he slipped on the frosty surface and the ball sailed past him only to trickle inches wide of his near-post.

The young Cumbrians continued to keep the pressure up on the Doncaster goal as two minutes later Hindmarch went close. Earl’s corner in was flicked on by Kirkup to the back-post area where Hindmarch was lurking ten yards from goal, Carlisle’s frontman hit his shot sweetly but Snodin was well placed on the line and was able to boot the ball clear.

After twenty minutes Rovers mounted their first real assault on the Carlisle goal. Nathan Ireland hit a long diagonal ball from his left-back spot to the edge of the United box where Adam Brown had stolen a yard on Blues left-back Matthew Blake. Brown went for first-time glory as he attempted a right-foot volley but his effort only hit the United crest sign in the middle of the Warwick Road roof.

The South Yorkshire outfit were forced into a change two minutes later as centre-back Matthew Noble was forced off with a horrible looking head injury. Noble went up with Hindmarch in a 50-50 aerial challenge but it was the Rovers player who came off much worse as he was led gingerly from the field with blood pouring from the top of the head.

On 27 minutes Doncaster took the lead against the run of play from a terrible goal defensively for United. Brown hit a good shot in for Rovers which was blocked up into the air by Carlisle skipper Dan Kirkup. Doncaster’s Luke Bythway headed the ball on from there but the danger seemed to be over when Blues keeper Adam Bradley gave a clear shout for the ball as he rushed from his line. Kirkup’s centre-half partner Matty Bell somehow didn’t hear the shout though as he tried to boot the ball clear and only succedeed in slicing it over the head of Bradley and into the United net to put Rovers one goal to the good.

The game went a little scrappy for the rest of the half as both sides frequently gave away possession in midfield and the Blues struggled to find a way through a resolute Doncaster rearguard.

Earl was frustrated for the Cumbrians in the 32^nd minute when he leant back on a 25-yarder and sent it sailing over Guillait’s bar. Then almost on the stroke of half-time Earl sent Hardman free down the left but the youngster could only send his cross straight into the hands of the Rovers keeper with Hindmarch well placed for the Blues in the middle.

It had been a very bitty opening period but the lads had been 1-0 down at the half at home to Macclesfield in the previous round and they had to try and repeat their efforts against the Silkmen again this week.

The young Blues started brightly after the break as they looked to find a leveller in the game and the forward players combined well to carve out a good chance just two minutes in. Hardman played a low ball in to Bainbridge from the right which the striker dummied well to set up Hindmarch just inside the Doncaster box. Hindmarch was stretching to get there though and he could only toe-poke his effort narrowly wide.

Two minutes later and Rovers got themselves into a pickle at the back following a weak pass by centre-half Gerard Alonso. Guillait rushed from his goal to clear but his attempted clearance hit United’s Hoban only to fall just behind Hindmarch and the chance was gone.

Bradley made a good save for the Blues on 52 minutes when Adam Lee cut in well from the right and struck a low shot which the Carlisle keeper did well to push round the post.

On 55 minutes the Cumbrians had a succession of throw-ins down the right-hand side as they moved forward about 50 yards in five attempts. From the final throw Martin Graham hit a nice cross in which Earl met with his head on the penalty spot but his attempt went just over. Only a minute later though and United finally found their much deserved equaliser.

A free-kick was given away by Rovers’ Ireland on Shaun Vipond 45 yards out which Graham pumped up to just inside the Doncaster area. Kirkup was standing unmarked at the back for Carlisle 12 yards out and he guided his header beautifully over the top of Guillait and into the net to bring a good cheer from the 150 or so home fans sat in the main stand as the Blues made the score 1-1.

In the 60^th minute Blake brought down Doncaster’s Liam Green out on the right. Green got up to swing the free-kick in which Lee hit goalwards only to see it deflect off Kirkup for a corner. Green, who had an excellent delivery with his left-foot all night, put the flag-kick in which Alonso met with a firm header eight yards out, Bradley got down quickly though and did well to hold the ball on the floor.

The game was going through a sticky period again as both sides once more struggled to keep hold of the ball as they gave it away in midfield. With twenty minutes left a Rovers corner came out to substitute Liam Nelthorpe but his effort on goal from the right-hand side almost cleared the wall at the back of the Waterworks end.

Doncaster started to have a good spell again and they couldn’t have gone closer a minute later when they hit the woodwork. Lee cut in well from the left edge after United substitute Mike Stewardson had given the ball away and the Doncaster striker struck a good effort in from 15 yards out with his right foot. The ball deflected off the legs of Bell and flew past Bradley only to ping back off the post and land, fortunately for the Blues, safely back into the arms of the Cumbrians keeper.

On 72 minutes it was Carlisle’s turn to get a good shot in on goal. Stewardson played a probing ball down the right channel which Hardman, now playing upfront after the introduction of Stewardson, took well in his stride. The youngster cut inside and hit a good looking strike from the edge of the box but sadly for the Cumbrians it was straight down the throat of Guillait in the Rovers goal.

Earl deservedly went into referee Drew’s notebook on 77 minutes after a late and high challenge on Snodin as United looked to step up a gear in a hotly contested middle section of the park.

The game was swinging end-to-end now as both sides looked for the vital goal that would save the game going to extra-time.

Ten minutes from the end and it was Doncaster’s Lee who was again in the thick of the action as he did well to beat Earl and Kirkup on the by-line and get a shot in from a tight angle which Bradley managed to parry out. United substitute Ashley Combe, who had replaced Blake in the 73^rd minute did well to clear the ball out for a corner.

Two minutes later the Blues broke forward as Bainbridge cut in from the left-wing and played a clever ball into Hardman who was breaking towards the box. Hardman struck his shot well from the left-angle but Guillait got down well to hold onto the shot with both hands.

Another two minutes on and Graham gave away a free-kick in a dangerous central position 22 yards from the Carlisle goal when he brought down Brown. Green stepped up to hit the set-piece but his shot went straight into the United wall and rebounded to Rovers’ Bythway who volleyed narrowly wide of Bradley’s near-post.

United had the last chance to break the deadlock as the clock ticked into it’s 90^th minute. Hindmarch beat two men across the edge of the Doncaster area and laid a good ball into the path of the onrushing Bainbridge in the left-hand channel. Bainbridge’s first touch was poor though as he stumbled over the ball and sent it out for a goal-kick to end any hopes of a late winner as the tie went to extra-time.

Five minutes into the thirty added on and Hindmarch gave the ball away to Rovers’ Nelthorpe just outside the Carlisle box. Nelthorpe cut inside Bell and hit a left-footed curler which went just over the United bar. It was Hindmarch’s last action of the game as he was replaced by Jake Simpson two minutes later.

Both sets of youngsters were visibly tiring as over 100 minutes of football on a heavy pitch began to take it’s toll on the legs with a few of the Rovers players going down with cramp.

Shortly into the second period of extra-time and Stewardson had a good opportunity to get an effort in on the Doncaster goal but his poor control after a Simpson flick-on sent the ball out for a Rovers goal-kick.

After 113 minutes Simpson was the second Carlisle player to receive a yellow card for a bad challenge on Nelthorpe out on the left-wing. Nelthorpe went down in a crumpled heap following the tackle and after lengthy treatment the Rovers midfielder had to be substituted.

With five minutes left until the dreaded penalty shootout Simpson sent Hardman away down the right-wing. Hardman hit his cross-shot too early though, when more composure was needed, with Stewardson and Bainbridge about to run in at the back-post and the last opportunity of the game was gone.

So it came to penalties with United’s youngsters going first in front of the Warwick Road End as the spectators in the stand stood up to get a better view of the drama about to unfold.


Penalties :