Crunch Battles

The game at Rochdale tomorrow is the latest in a long line of crucial relegation six-pointers in recent years. Who can forget these:

May 8 1999 : UNITED 2-1 Plymouth Argyle

Ok, this wasn't a genuine SIX POINTER, but it was the last game of the season and United had to win to survive. In fact, they could have drawn and stayed up but it would have required a ridiculously high-scoring draw as goals scored and not goal difference was the decider that season. An attendance of 7,599 was on hand as the Blues ran out to one of the biggest welcomes heard at Brunton Park in years. The tension was unbearable. No matter how tense games get this season, it's unlikely anything will ever come close to this. Argyle, with Carlisle-born player-coach Steve McCall in the side, had nothing to play for. If you were a betting man, you'd put your money on only one team, but events elsewhere were always likely to be the deciding issue. Scarborough kicked off home to Peterborough with a one point lead on the Blues. The Posh had a chance of making the play offs, but they had to win and hope other results went their way. Everything seemed set up to favour Carlisle. From the off, they were pushing for the opening goal. Then less than 10 minutes in, a gradual buzz went round the stands. That buzz grew to a sort of restrained roar. Not quite like Carlisle scoring but unmistakable nonetheless. Peterborough had scored. The Great Escape was on. United visibly upped the pace. A cross was drilled in from the right. Up went Scott Dobie to head home off the underside of the cross-bar. It looked a perfectly good goal but referee Frazer Stretton chalked it off. Another heart-stopping moment. No goal, still nil-nil and still Scarborough just ahead on goals scored. Close to half-time a sickening collision between Tony Hopper and Paul Gibbs resulted in Gibbs being stretchered off with a broken leg. Carlisle didn't know it, but that incident was to play a significant part in the outcome. By the interval, news had filtered through of a Scarborough equaliser. Not much had changed, with Scarborough still ahead, but now by a single point. The incident which seemed to have scuppered our chances came four minutes into the second half. Substitute Lee Phillips turned back-peddling Damon Searle inside and out before drilling a left footed shot low past keeper Jimmy Glass into the bottom right hand corner. You could hear a pin drop around Brunton Park. Even the travelling Argyle fans could barely bring themselves to cheer. No matter what happened at Scarborough now, it seemed United were on their way down. Still the blue shirts poured forward. 63 minutes elapsed and McCall produced a poor clearance from a Graeme Anthony cross. Up charged skipper Dave Brightwell to wield his trusty left boot and drive low into the corner past the despairing lunge of James Dungey. Cue a mini pitch-invasion. Cue renewed hope. 1-1 at both games now and one goal either way could settle it. United became more frantic and threw more men forward. Paul Bagshaw came on as a substitute, Brightwell went up front. The minutes ticked down. The Scarborough game was now four minutes ahead as the treatment to Gibbs had pushed back the match at Carlisle. So as the game at Brunton Park moved into stoppage time, the final score filtered through from the McCain Stadium. 1-1. Scarborough fans stormed the pitch, thinking they'd done enough. A few clasped radios to their ears but most were celebrating. Four minutes of injury time elapsed, and Carlisle launch one final attack. The words of Derek Lacey and Graham Moss sum up what happens next:

Lacey: "So...deep deep deep, I make it sixty seconds...Jimmy Glass (Moss: Knocks it long) knocks it long.. it comes now to Bagshaw, Bagshaw back to Anthony....up to Stevens....and the ball goes out now for a corner to Carlisle United - will they have time to take it? Referee looks at his watch ... and here comes Jimmy Glass! (Moss: Go on Jimmy) Carlisle United goalkeeper Jimmy Glass is coming up for the kick - everyone is going up ...there isn't one player in the Carlisle half......well well..and the corner kick comes in...and...the goalkeeper's punch... oh...(Moss: Jimmy Glass!!!) Jimmy Glass! Jimmy Glass! Jimmy Glass, the goalkeeper, has scored a goal for Carlisle United....oooooh...there's a pitch invasion! There is a pitch invasion!!! The referee has been swamped - they're bouncing on the cross-bar!!!"

Apr 8 2000: Chester 0 - 1 UNITED

This was a game between the two teams at the bottom of the league but the Blues held a two-point cushion with a game in hand at kick-off. Chester, under the inept 'management' of their controversial owner Terry Smith, had virtually needed snookers at Christmas but in the same week they came to Carlisle and lost 4-1 they appointed Ian Atkins to rescue them from what seemed certain relegation. Atkins gradually pulled them back from the brink and by the time of this vital game, they were right on the tails of both United and Shrewsbury. The tiny Deva Stadium was packed with an estimated 2,000 in the away end. It was a game of tension but frankly very little skill. Chances were at a premium and as the match dragged on into the second half with no scoring, a goalless draw seemed likely. However referee Kevin Lynch, who had already made a habit of sending off United players in the past, decided it was time to spice things up. So off went Stuart Whitehead and Steve Halliday in the closing minutes. United had to defend desperately with nine men. Peter Clark decided as injury time kicked in to waste some time by going on a run upfield. Only he kept going and suddenly there was Scott Dobie at his side. Dobie looked up and cracked it. It flew past Wayne Brown and into the top corner, right in front of the large travelling Blue Army. The nine men had done it. Cue another huge pitch invasion and a worried looking manager Martin Wilkinson telling his supporters to get back behind the ropes. Chester went down after they lost 1-0 at home to Peterborough on the closing day. United lost 1-0 at Brighton but survived on goal difference.

Apr 29 2003: Shrewsbury Town 2 - 3 UNITED

Last season had not quite gone according to plan. Roddy Collins's profligate spending had left the Blues with a large squad who were struggling at the wrong end of the table. However, come the penultimate game of the campaign, United were clear of Shrewsbury and needed a single victory to ensure their survival. Town simply had to win, so this was a massive match at Gay Meadow. The Shrews had been conquered over two legs of the LDV Vans Trophy Area Final and there was a bit of needle between the two sides. They had also been in freefall since that contest, sliding to the bottom of the league with no wins in 12 games. Early on they made the running and a questionable penalty was converted by 'fat boy' Nigel Jemson to give them the lead. Close to half-time and things dramatically swung Carlisle's way. Brian Wake, who had been having a quiet time of it in the United side suddenly went crazy. He scored two goals in less than three minutes as United went in 2-1 up. With national radio coverage and John Courtenay going mental on Radio Cumbria alongside Derek 'Degsy' Lacey, it was turning into another dramatic evening in the history of the Cumbrians. Wake took advantage of another home defensive blunder to complete his hat-trick. By this stage it was like a funeral at the Meadow. The home fans knew what was coming and so did the celebrating supporters from Cumbria at the other end of this compact little stadium. A late Luke Rodgers goal was nothing but scant consolation. Carlisle had enough in hand to hold out and send the home team down.