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Neither side made any changes to their winning elevens from Saturday, so, with David Raven recovering from a dead leg for the Blues, United lined up with Keiren Westwood, Raven, Zigor Aranalde, Peter Murphy, Kevin Gray, Chris Billy, Chris Lumsdon, Paul Murray, Michael Bridges, Karl Hawley and Kevin Gall in a 4-3-3 formation. Anthony Williams, Paul Arnison, Derek Holmes, Simon Hackney and recent signing Neale McDermott waiting in the wings on the substitutes bench.
United started brightly and Chesterfield keeper Barry Roche had already plucked the ball away from Murray after a Hawley touch-off, before Hawley himself wasted a glorious chance in only the third minute. Aranalde and Bridges combined well to set up the ex-Walsall man on the edge of the Spireites box, but he got his attempted lob all wrong and it was an easy effort for Roche to catch.
Two minutes later Paul Hall found a Paul Shaw cross deflect into his path, but as the United defenders crowded him out his efforts to win a penalty were a bit naughty. After 14 minutes Bridges flicked on a long Westwood goal-kick, seemingly into the path of Hawley, but Aaron Downes did well to get in the way and clear any potential danger. A nice move from the home side involving Hall, Shaw and Phil Picken saw Billy forced to concede a corner, Westwood making a good claim from Alan O'Hare's ball in.
The Spireites were starting to have a little bit more of the play now and on 19 minutes Westwood had to make a stretching grab to cling on to Shaw's glancing header. Sixty seconds on Lumsdon worked hard defensively for the Cumbrians when he made an excellent tackle to sweep the ball away from Hall just as he broke into the Carlisle box. The United strikeforce was again guilty of holding on to the ball for too long after 23 minutes, Bridges this time losing possession to Reuben Hazell afer a jinking run when Gall had looked well placed for a pass.
Seconds later the impressive Colin Larkin provided a nice cross in for Shaw, but the one-time Rotherham man could only fire wide of Westwood's goal, it was then quickly Bridges' turn to shoot off target after controlling an Aranalde throw-in nicely. After 28 minutes it was an Aranalde throw again causing the Spireites problems as Gray flicked it on to the back-post, sadly for United though Gall couldn't find the net as both sides struggled to find the killer touch.
Sixty seconds later Murray was unusually sloppy in possession as he gifted the ball to Larkin in the middle of the park. Fellow-Irishman Murphy soon came across to close him down and the radar was once more off target as Larkin's shot failed to test Westwood from 18 yards out. Shaw showed some nice skills in the 31st minute as he turned quickly and got a shot in from 20 yards out which skimmed inches over the United crossbar, it was to cost him though as he stretched his hamstring in getting the effort in and he had to be substituted for Wayne Allison later in the half.
Referee Andy Woolmer, who had quite a good night with the whistle, brandished his first yellow card of the game on 34 minutes after Mark Allott bundled Bridges to the floor 25 yards out from the Chesterfield goal in a central position. Murphy stepped up to take the free-kick and his left-footed curler over the defensive wall looked in all the way only for Roche to make a fantastic save as he tipped the ball over his own crossbar. The corner in came to nothing, infact it was worse than that as Bridges was booked for a foul on Shaw as he tried to recover possession for the Cumbrians.
Aranalde and Lumsdon were both unable to get the ball out of the United box on 41 minutes, Kevan Hurst eventually getting a low 20-yarder in which Westwood did well to collect as it flew through a packed Carlisle penalty area. Shaw eventually gave into his hamstring problem on 43 minutes as "The Chief" came onto the field of play to a rapturous welcome to the home fans, who hoped to see Allison win a few headers upfront.
After 44 minutes Larkin showed more good trickery as he got past Billy and Murphy, only to see Raven take the ball away from the feet of Hall just as the Chesterfield man looked set to pull the trigger. The last action of the half came as Carlisle made what was becoming a rare foray forward, Lumsdon's corner in, after Bridges had seen a shot deflected wide by O'Hare, being headed out by Downes straight to Murray. The Blues midfielder sent his 20-yard side-footed effort though and the two teams went back down the tunnel with neither side having troubled the scoreboard operator.
Straight after the break Chesterfield were right at the Blues, Larkin skipping all too easily past Gray after taking down a long ball up nicely. His cross in was deflected out by Gall, but only straight to Derek Niven who became the latest Spireite to fire an 18-yarder wide. Raven won a corner moments later as the Cumbrians looked to get going on the break, but Lumsdon's ball in was easily cleared away from his own goalmouth by Hall.
Then it was up the other end on 50 minutes when Niven won a corner off Aranalde. Allison's header was deflected off Murphy over the bar, the next flag-kick coming off Allison to Allott whose shot this time came off Gray for another corner. Some respite finally came for Carlisle after the third corner when Downes' overhead kick pinged off the top of the bar, but the whistle had already gone for a foot-up offence by the Australian when going for the ball.
Bridges missed out on a chance in the 53rd minute as a Murphy ball up hit Downes and fell straight into the path of the United man, Bridges rushed his shot though after taking the ball down well and sent his volleyed effort wide from 15 yards out. Moments later Westwood received treatment from Blues physiotherapist Neil Dalton as he came out to smother a through ball and fell awkwardly on his shoulder. He didn't have much time to feel sorry for himself though as, pretty much straight from the restart, Hurst cut inside Raven at pace, Westwood wasn't tested though as the Sheffield United-loanee's shot went weakly off target.
The only really poor refereeing decision of the night came in the 62nd minute in a bit of a bizarre incident, after Chesterfield had been incorrectly awarded a throw-in which O'Hare tried to take ten yards or so from the correct place. Perhaps already realising his mistake the official then reversed his decision and gave the throw to United, O'Hare showing his frustration with the whole job by hurling the ball away in disgust, referee Woolmer booking him for dissent for his show of petulance.
Five minutes later Bridges tried his luck from 25 yards out but it was an easy save for Roche to make. After 68 minutes became the third Chesterfield player on the night to go into Mr Woolmer's notebook when he brought down Hawley in full flight ten yards inside the Spireites half. The stoppage in play saw Cumbrians boss Neil McDonald make his first substitution of the night as he brought on Hackney for the tiring Murray.
United were forced into another change of personnel just two minutes later when Gray left the field with a tight hamstring. With, daftly enough, no recognised centre-half on the bench, the Blues had to put Aranalde into the middle of the back-four and stick the right-footed Arnison on at left-back, hardly an ideal scenario when under the cosh away from home.
On 76 minutes some nice passing football from the Cumbrians saw a chance created, Bridges' pass seeing Hackney scoot past Picken and cross into the edge of the Chesterfield box. Gall set the ball nicely back for the onrushing Lumsdon to have a crack from 20 yards out in the middle, but like most efforts on goal from the Carlisle midfield his shot flew miles over the Spireites crossbar.
Moments later Chesterfield responded with a curling Allison effort after he had turned his way into the Cumbrians box, sadly for the Saltergate faithful though it flew straight into the arms of Westwood. The Blues made their third and final change of the night when they brought on Holmes for Gall in the 83rd minute, the United coaching staff looking to bring on some fresh legs, although perhaps taking off Hawley or Bridges may have been the better move rather than the pacey Gall.
Perhaps the best chance of the evening to find the winner came to the home side with just five minutes to go when Downes touched a deep ball up over the top of the Blues defence. Larkin suddenly found himself with a clear opportunity on goal but Westwood came out quickly to close down the angle and made an excellent, and vitally important, save with his legs. The Spireites were pushing for a late winner now and Caleb Folan came on for Hurst with four minutes to go as they cranked up the pressure.
Raven conceded a flag-kick from an Allison flick-on with two minutes left, Hall took it and picked out Allott on the edge of the United box with a "Sheringham corner", but Allott's fierce volley pinged off the outside of the Carlisle post and behind for a goal-kick, much to the relief of the 650-strong travelling Blue Army. The last chance to find the only goal of the game came the way of the Cumbrians in injury time, only for an out-of-form Bridges to fire his shot weakly straight at Roche after he got in behind O'Hare. Referee Woolmer ended proceedings moments later on a hard-fought 0-0 draw, where the home side came on strongly in the final stages, and United will have left Saltergate happy with a point.
Post-match quotes :
Chesterfield boss Roy McFarland said :
"It was a decent match. I can see why Carlisle beat Doncaster. They tested us and we knew they would be a good counter-attacking outfit. I think we edged the game and had the better chances but didn't take them.