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Basque defender Zigor Aranalde was at fault for both City goals in the 2-0 reverse although the whole team put in another tepid performance with only the work-horse attitude of Karl Hawley coming out of the game with any credit.
With injuries to Derek Holmes, Raphael Nade, Paul Simpson and Simon Hackney attacking options were limited and Simmo again opted for the 4-5-1 formation with a back-five of Anthony Williams, Aranalde, Kevin Gray, Danny Livesey and Paul Arnison. Peter Murphy and Brendan McGill were on either flank with Chris Billy, Chris Lumsdon and Adam Murray occupying the centre of the pitch. Hawley was again expected to run himself into the ground as the lone striker which he did manfully, without any support from midfield, until the introduction of centre-forward Glenn Murray at half-time.
Things looked bleak straight from the kick-off as the Cumbrians spent the first 20 minutes completely on the back-foot with the home side coming flying out of the traps winning corner after corner and peppering the United box with crosses from all angles.
United summer transfer target, Gregg Blundell, nearly got the goal we were all expecting him to after just three minutes but he could only head weakly wide of the far-post from a Ben Davies cross. Blundell would get the last laugh on that score but it was Davies who caused the Blues defence no end of problems all evening.
Eventual sponsors man-of-the-match Davies, signed from Kidderminster in the summer of 2002 and a one-time skipper of Wales at semi-pro level, showed superb crossing ability throughout and looked a class above League Two level. Time after time he whipped in perfect crosses and corners with his right-foot into dangerous areas as United struggled to cope with Chester’s ability and organisation at dead-ball situations. Every set-piece seemed to be worked differently and City have obviously put in the hard hours on the training ground to add a huge amount of variation to that area of their game.
Chester’s continual early pressure told as they took the lead after only 11 minutes with United struggling to get out of their own half. Davies swung in yet another corner from the right which was met by the head of ex-Evertonian Michael Branch on the penalty spot. Williams saved superbly on his line but could only watch as the ball bounced down to David Artell off the crossbar who was quickest to move as he headed into the net from literally inches out.
It was a poor goal for United to concede as Aranalde twice had the chance to clear the ball but ended up mis-controlling it out behind the by-line.It was though a goal that had been coming for the home side as they piled in corner after corner which the Cumbrians struggled to deal with.
United came back into the game marginally after that as they tried to recover from the shellshock of the opening fifteen minutes but as we’ve seen all too often good approach play was spoiled with poor decision-making in the final third and it was Chester who had another opportunity in the 20th minute.
Chris Billy was unlucky to see his excellent tackle in the United half send the ball flying to Branch on the left-wing. The forward then cut inside both Arnison and Adam Murray but could only hit a weak shot from the edge of the area which was easily saved by Williams at his near-post.
The Cumbrians were finally involved at the other end of the game in the 22nd minute as they looked to haul themselves back into the game. A nice passing move between McGill and Adam Murray sent Hawley through but he was flagged offside just as he looked to pull the trigger. A minute later good inter-play between Murphy and Aranalde saw the ball land at McGill’s feet at the back-post but his shot from 12 yards out was blocked away for a corner.
United pressed again within the space of two minutes as Hawley was put through by Adam Murray. Chester keeper Chris MacKenzie saw the danger quickly though and came out to block-challenge the ball away and out for a throw-in. On 28 minutes McGill also saw his cross cleared away from the box after good work between himself and Hawley.
City’s Ryan Lowe entered referee Tony Bates’ note-book on the half-hour mark after he went over the top of the ball in a centre-circle challenge with Adam Murray. Bates officiated poorly all evening, although he can’t be blamed for the defeat, and seemed only interested in free-kicks being taken from the absolutely exact spot than he was in the rest of the laws of the game. Glenn Murray was especially unfortunate to have a number of free-kicks given against him in the second-half as the official blew his whistle for any form of physical contact from the United forward.
Hawley went through in the 32nd minute as a goal-kick from Williams flew over the top of the unusually static Chester back-line. The ex-Walsall frontman seemed to take too long on the ball though and that allowed Maltese international centre-half Luke Dimech to block his left-footed effort out for a throw. From the throw-in Murphy smashed in the type of ball any goal-poacher loves as he fizzed an excellent cross-shot across the face of goal but it was to no avail as it flew behind for a goal-kick.
Two minutes later Adam Murray volleyed straight at Chester stopper MacKenzie from the edge of box following good approach play from Lumsdon and Hawley. Shortly after McGill headed weakly wide from a Billy cross as United started to believe in their ability to get something out of the game. That belief soon came crashing down though as the home side doubled their lead four minutes later.
Aranalde, continuing his poor form from Saturday, gave the ball away to City midfielder Justin Walker on the edge of the United box as the Blues had looked to push upfield. Walker pushed a simple ball through to Blundell inside the Cumbrians’ area and the moment Carlisle fans had been dreading came as the ex-Doncaster striker smashed the ball past Williams and into the United net to prompt ironic cries of "what a waste of money" from the home faithful.
It was an awful mistake by the Basque left-back and you could almost see the look of deflation on the United players faces as they had just been having their best spell of the game. Gray challenged with MacKenzie for a Murphy inswinging free-kick just before the break but it was a dejected Blues outfit that trooped off the pitch at half-time facing their second two-goal interval deficit in successive games.
In a similar vein to the Leyton Orient game United player-manager Paul Simpson threw on Glenn Murray up-front as he reverted to a 4-4-2 formation, Lumsdon this time being the sacrificial lamb who would watch the second period from the bench. The one-time Sunderland midfielder has looked out of sorts since his comeback from injury and currently looks a shadow of the player who was so important in last year’s promotion campaign.
The second half started in the same way the first had as Davies delivered more quality balls into the United box and the Blues defence struggled to clear their lines.
Carlisle slowly crept into the game as Glenn Murray at last gave the Cumbrians some much needed physical presence up-front with Hawley although the Maryport-born frontman wasted a good chance on 51 minutes. A good ball in from Arnison on the right fell to the young striker but he could only half-volley weakly wide with only keeper MacKenzie to beat.
The Blues were coming on strong now and Adam Murray should have done better three minutes later as he tried to turn a Hawley pass past Dimech but he only succeeded in pushing the ball into the path of the keeper who smothered gratefully.
The chances were coming thick and fast now at both ends as United strived to pull a goal back and Chester looked to counter-attack quickly on the break. On 55 minutes McGill failed to head goalwards from an Arnison cross and from MacKenzie’s resultant clearance a mix-up between Gray and Williams saw Blundell sneak in and smash a low drive against the United keeper’s legs.
United failed to convert another good chance in the 59th minute even though the ball always seemed to fall to the foot of a Chester player in the box from rebounds all evening. After Adam Murray had swung in a corner the ball finally dropped to a United boot but Glenn Murray could only see his well-hit shot come back off MacKenzie and away to safety.
Davies was again the danger-man two minutes later after Arnison had found himself the second player to be booked in the game following a poorly-timed challenge on the winger at the left edge of the United box. Davies got up to hammer the free-kick goalwards but his head was in his hands as the ball smashed the top of the crossbar and flew over.
United had some further pressure in the 69th minute from an Aranalde long-throw into the Chester box. Glenn Murray flicked the throw on which was partially cleared back to him and the striker laid the ball back to Murphy, but unfortunately the Dubliner could only scoop an attempted cross well over to jeers from the 700 travelling Blues fans.
Three minutes later Livesey flicked a Glenn Murray touch-on from an Arnison cross into the arms of MacKenzie and shortly after Billy hit a low drive from the edge of the box just past MacKenzie’s far-post although the stocky keeper did look to have it well covered.
The home side nearly put the game beyond any form of doubt in the 76th minute as Davies was again the instigator. The winger’s corner from the left was headed strongly goalwards by Stewart Drummond but the tall midfielder was thwarted by Williams saving well low down on his line, the ball eventually being hacked clear to safety by Arnison.
United kept trying to find a goal though and Adam Murray powered a long-range header over the bar from a good Arnison cross on the right on 81 minutes.
The Cumbrians’ right-back seemed to spend the entire game looking to put in crosses as McGill continually checked back and laid the ball off to him instead of taking on his man as Davies was doing so dangerously at the other end of the pitch. Call me old-fashioned but I do expect a winger to try and beat his man down the wing and then a whip a ball in from the by-line from time to time.
Perhaps United’s best chance of the game and a fitting postscript to the overall performance from the Blues came five minutes from the final whistle as Glenn Murray wasted an excellent opportunity. Adam Murray released McGill down the right and the Irishman played a lovely ball into the box for Glenn Murray to run onto.
It all looked set for a United goal but young Glenn, who is short of confidence in front of goal, snatched at the chance when he had more time and only succeeded in side-footing the ball way over from twelve yards out to a chorus of abuse from the United fans behind the goal to further weaken his confidence.
It was another United corner that could have fallen anywhere but was eventually hacked away that signalled the final whistle to bring the curtain down on United’s unbeatean away league record and drop the Blues down to ninth place in the table.
Post-match quotes :
Chester boss Keith Curle was delighted with the performance of his side and commented:
"I think that was a very professional performance, the players listened to the instructions and came out and performed according to the game plan.
"We knew Carlisle had a disappointing result at the weekend, so we knew they would be vulnerable and we got at them early on.
"I think it was an entertaining game and the second goal was a great goal, starting with a great build-up and a clinical finish."
United’s player-manager Paul Simpson commented on the pressure his side was put under by an impressive Chester saying :
"I'm disappointed with the result and I don't think I've ever been involved in a game where we have been put under so much pressure from set-pieces.
"The first goal was an absolute killer, but we came into it and it looked as though we would go in only a goal down, but then we gave them a sloppy goal. If you give the ball away like that, you will get punished.
"Tonight we have let ourselves down with some sloppy play and we had enough chances to have got something out of the game."
thetashkenttheory :
Two defeats in a row now for United are beginning to take some gloss off what had been previously had been a superb start to the season.
It looks very much like teams are going to continually target us down the flanks now with Arnison and Aranalde both more comfortable going forward then they are defending.
Having said that any full-back would have struggled tonight against a player of the quality of Ben Davies who never put a bad cross in all game and he must have had at least 20 chances to do that.
Chester look like they will score a hatful of goals at home this season with their good attacking play, their huge amount of variation on set-pieces is also something I would hope our coaching staff took note of and will implement in our play.
We look very weak upfront even when all our strikers are fit and the lack of a natural goalscorer is showing when we try and unlock the better defences in the division. In hindsight the reticence from Simmo to take a gamble on signing a striker is now costing us dearly as we continue to miss the few chances we create.
The 4-5-1 experiment is looking less successful by the minute as Hawley gets no support from an out-of-form midfield, what McClen must have to do to get a start is beyond me. Signing a player on a six-month contract and then never giving him the chance to prove his worth seems a funny idea to me but then we all know better the man in charge don't we!!