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Kicking into a strong Kent wind in the first-half the Cumbrians did have the first opportunity to put some pressure on when Jermaine Beckford beat Gills centre-half Ian Cox to the ball and crossed into the home penalty area. Ex-Fulham man Duncan Jupp was soon there to clear the danger for Gillingham though, and that was about as good as it got for United in the match really. Keiren Westwood was soon forced in to action for the Cumbrians after four minutes when midfielder Clint Easton crossed in from the left, only for ex-Darlington striker Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu to head weakly straight at the United keeper from the centre of the Blues penalty area.
The home side had a good chance again on six minutes, as they pummelled an off-form Carlisle side in the early stages who looked miles off the pace. Ndumbu-Nsungu doing well to control a long Leon Johnson over the top and feed in 22-year old midfielder Andrew Crofts just 12 yards out in the United box, Crofts finish didn't match the approach play though as he could only send his left-footed effort wide of Westwood's back-stick. Highly-rated young winger Matty Jarvis was the next up to the plate for Gillingham just sixty seconds later as he skipped in from the right past a lead-footed Zigor Aranalde, Jarvis' left-footed drive flying inches past Westwood's near-post.
The way the Gills had been going at the Blues in the early stages a goal had certainly been coming and come it did after just eight minutes through a well-worked effort from one-time Southend midfielder Mark Bentley. Jupp instigating the move as his crossfield pass found Irish under-21 striker Gary Mulligan in the right-hand channel, Mulligan then laying the ball into the path of the marauding Jarvis on the edge of the Carlisle box. Jarvis then quickly seeing the opportunity to push the ball in front of the onrushing Bentley, the Gills man able to give the home side the lead as he fired powerfully home into the bottom corner of the United net past a stricken Westwood from 12 yards out.
Mulligan was causing problems down the right-hand channel again after 11 minutes as he made his way past both Aranalde and Peter Murphy, the frontman then playing a pass into the feet of Michael Flynn. The ex-Wigan central midfielder firing in a fierce right-footed drive from 25 yards out which, fortunately for Carlisle, Westwood was able to watch zoom over his own crossbar. Two minutes later and Ndumbu-Nsungu was looking to get on the end of a dangerous and pacey low cross in from the right by Flynn,. The big Kinshasa-born targetman was only able to get a tiny toe-end on the ball from eight yards out though and Westwood managed to cling onto the half-chance with both hands.
It took until midway through the half for the Blues to have their first real chance of scoring after Cox had brought down Kevin Harper 30 yards out in the right-hand channel. Aranalde stuck the free-kick in to the middle of the box which Murphy did well to take down on his chest. The Dubliner turning in one quick movement and powering in a left-footed volley which whistled inches wide of the Gillingham near-post with Trinidadian international goalkeeper Kelvin Jack seemingly beaten.
On 27 minutes Johnson was the first player on the day yellow-carded by referee Paul Melin from Frimley in Surrey when he brought down Harper 25 yards out from the Gillingham goal to the right of the ‘D'. Murphy again tried to get on the scoresheet for the Cumbrians from the resultant free-kick as he fired in a quick and direct left-footed effort, Jack was alert to the danger though and was sharply down at his near-post to push the Irishman's shot away for a corner. The Blues were having a marginally better spell in the game now although it was certainly hard going against a home side that looked much more up for the battle than they did.
Bang on the half-hour mark and Bentley was creating danger down the right when he scooted in past Aranalde and crossed a dangerous low centre in for Ndumbu-Nsungu to get on the end of. The Gills frontman got to the ball first in front of United skipper Kevin Gray but he couldn't send his shinned half-volley goalwards though as it zipped marginally past Westwood's near-post. Sixty seconds later and Aranalde went into the book for the Cumbrians as he protested too long to referee Melin about a throw-in decision and was yellow-carded for dissent.
After 33 minutes Jarvis cut in sharply again from the right and set up Flynn 20 yards out in the right-hand channel. Flynn trying one of his trademark pile-drivers only to see his right-footed effort fly miles wide of Westwood's near-post and almost out for a Carlisle throw-in. Three minutes later the unusually quiet Simon Hackney tried to stick in a cross for Beckford but Jack was able to clutch the ball out of the air before the Leeds-loanee could get anywhere near it. With five minutes to go in the half Paul Thirlwell had to limp out of the United engine room with an injury, Chris Billy coming on in place of the Derby County man.
Just as the clock ticked into first-half injury time Kevin Gall tried his luck from distance only for his shot to ping off the legs of Cox and out for a Carlisle throw-in. Two minutes into the time added on, and with almost the last kick of the half, Lumsdon fired in a right-footed drive from 25 yards out, like most shots that emanate from the Cumbrians midfield though it was off-target and Jack was able to watch it sail well over the top. So the two sides trooped off down the tunnel with the Gills holding a one-goal lead that could quite easily have been more given United's dire and extremely lacklustre first-half display.
During the break United manager Neil McDonald gambled and made his final two substitutions of the game when he brought on Derek Holmes for the ineffectual Beckford upfront and Simon Grand on for Aranalde, who had injured a groin in the first-half, on at left-back. Like most Carlisle matches this season the second period was a lot quieter than the first-half had been, the initial attacking move coming the way of the Gills on 48 minutes. Jarvis and Bentley working a nice one-two on their way up to the edge of the United box only for Murphy to be well stationed to intercept the passing move and clear the ball upfield.
The Blues were trying to press forward in the early stages as they looked to grab an equaliser but they lacked a real creative spark all day, compared to the home side who had looked like they would score every time they attacked in the first-half. Gillingham certainly looked like they would double their lead on 54 minutes when Easton stuck a good cross in from the right which Mulligan met with a firm header on the Carlisle penalty spot. Fortunately for the Cumbrians though Westwood was able to quickly get across and tip the ball around his own far-post.
United continued to try and get some forward momentum going, mainly through Hackney and Gall – with Holmes now adding some much needed physical presence upfront – but it really was a big off-day for Carlisle attacking-wise. Bang on the hour-mark and it was still the Gills looking to get a second goal when the ball broke from a long Flynn throw-in to Ndumbu-Nsungu at the Blues back-stick. The big striker quickly laying an intelligent reverse pass into the feet of Easton, only for Easton to slice his left-footed effort horribly wide of Westwood's near-post from 18 yards out.
In the 65th minute Grand deflected a Crofts header, following a curling cross in from Easton, out for a corner, Cox heading the resultant Gills flag-kick straight at Westwood from just eight yards out. United's best chance to grab an equaliser in the match came just two minutes later when only an athletic save from Jack and the woodwork saved the home side. Holmes instigated the chance as he did well to control a long ball up by Lumsdon, the big Scot feeding a touch into the run of Gall, the ex-Yeovil man then trying to lift a shot over the advancing Jack from 15 yards out. Somehow the Gillingham glovesman got his fingertips to the ball though and managed to touch it onto the face of the crossbar, Jupp sadly well placed for the home side to boot the loose ball away from danger.
With 20 minutes to go in the game Gall and Harper worked a crossing opportunity for Raven, the one-time Liverpool right-back seeing his centre fly across the face of goal with no United forward having gambled to get on the end of it. Loanee Chorley entered the fray for Gillingham in the 72nd minute, Crofts making way for the 24-year old who took up an uncharacteristic position in front of the Gills back-four. Defender Danny Jackman coming on for striker Ndumbu-Nsungu at the same time as boss Ronnie Jepson adopted a "what we have we hold" policy for the remaining 18 minutes.
Chorley was looking to get straight into the action two minutes later when he tried his luck with a right-footed effort from 25 yards out, the ball was always rising though and Westwood was able to watch it sail over the top. Grand became Carlisle's second yellow-cardee on the day as he went into the book in the 80th minute for a bad tackle on Bentley 40 yards out on the Gillingham right. Jupp stuck the free-kick deep into the Cumbrians penalty area but Johnson was unable to convert the chance as he could only head the ball straight into the grateful arms of Westwood in the United goal. Two minutes later Bentley missed a great opportunity to double the home side's lead as he somehow headed a Jarvis cross in from the right wide of Westwood's far-post from just six yards out in the middle of the Carlisle goalmouth. Sixty seconds later Chorley tried his luck from even further out than his previous effort, this time his shot flying way past the United net and into the advertising hoardings.
In the 88th minute the Blues were awarded a goal-kick 30 yards out on the right after Easton had fouled Gall, Lumsdon's cross over to the Gills back-stick being headed away out of his own box by Chorley. That clearance was the starter for the home side to put the result beyond doubt as Flynn picked up on the loose ball and, with Carlisle defenders pushed up looking for an equaliser, played a deep pass over the top for Jarvis to run onto down the right. Jarvis charging on into the United penalty area before cutting the ball back for the onrushing Mulligan to slot home past a helpless Westwood from six yards out. Ronnie Jepson then ensuring his goalscorer got a good reception from the Priestfield Stadium faithful as he replaced him with former Reading frontman Bas Savage as the clock ticked into injury time.
The last chance of the match actually came the way of Carlisle two minutes into the three minutes of time added on, although true to form away from home the Blues failed to convert it. A ball across by Raven into the Gills box being well controlled and taken on Gall, Jack was again the Cumbrians nemesis though when he made an excellent save with his legs to block the United man's right-footed effort from eight yards out. The final whistle going just 30 seconds later to signify yet another game on the road without a win for the Blues and Gillingham's first clean sheet of the season. No surprise in either instance really, although that won't have been any solace whatsoever for the 500 or so Carlisle fans as they trooped dejectedly away from the Priestfield Stadium.
Post-match quotes :
Gills boss Ronnie Jepson said:
"It's a great three points against a team that are doing well and I'm pleased with the clean sheet as well. We changed around a little bit today - we had numerous chances in the first half and caused Carlisle plenty of problems. I thought we went off the boil a little bit in the second half but we could have been more than a goal to the good at half-time.
"You expect to be under the cosh against teams like Carlisle so it's an excellent three points. I thought we deserved the second goal and I always felt they were vulnerable to the counter-attack."
Cumbrians manager Neil McDonald commented:
"The most disappointing thing for me is we didn't compete in the first half. They haven't had that many chances but they were definitely the best team ing the first half and probably won the game because of that.
"I asked for a better performance in the second half which we got but we were then caught on the counter-attack. We knew they were going to come fast out of the traps but it's just baffling how we've got a team that play not so well away from home but well at home."
thetashkenttheory :
An away win, an away win, my kingdom for an away win - well that's certainly what it feels like at the moment now that we have gone 11 matches on the road without a victory. It must surely be down to confidence as much as anything else now as the team have the best home record in the division, it's damn lucky we do though as I dread to think where we would be without it. Although if you look at the situation from the other direction we'd be right up at the very top end of the table if we had any kind of record away from home, 4 points from a possible 24 is nothing short of diabolical to be honest.
Things are certainly going to have improve in front of goal if we aren't to end up getting sucked into a relegation battle, hopefully the return of top scorer Karl Hawley from a rib injury next week will make a difference. Jermaine Beckford patently isn't the answer to any question, never mind United's current striking problems, Derek Holmes surely being the lesser of two evils for a starting place upfront in the absence of Hawley. It's Rotherham at home next, a match that will certainly be a lot more difficult than it looks in the League One table, as the Millers would be fifth if it wasn't for their ten point deduction.