In fact, it was more like the other way round as the visitors created more of the chances in what was a desperately poor game not helped by inconsistent refereeing. United were hampered by the suspension of top scorer Richie Foran and midfield goal-getter Steve Soley. Stuart Whitehead was back in the middle of the park and at the back Dave Rogers returned in place of Mark Winstanley. Jonny Allan continued to play out on the wing where he never looks effective. On the night, not many of the players in blue shirts could claim to have enhanced their reputations. The first half was pretty forgettable. The Cumbrians were playing into the wind but created little in the way of chances. The Shrimpers seemed content to soak up pressure early on but began to get forward to some effect later in the half and had a spell of pressure need the end of the half in which Peter Keen had to be at his sharpest. He turned a header on to the cross-bar and another effort was cleared off the line as Carlisle were pressed back. For United a clever Steve Halliday back-header which brought a comfortable save out of Shrimpers keeper Flahaven was one of the few highlights. Referee Kaye of Wakefield even missed a clear corner kick and had to be helped out by his assistant's flag - a worrying sign of things to come for a crowd that has never missed an opportunity to berate short-sighted blokes in black shirts. The second half was barely any better. United tried to play football but the service to the forwards was virtually non-existent. Veteran striker Ian Stevens, returning to the starting line-up in the absence of Foran, didn't have a chance worthy of the name all night. Southend still looked the more likely scorers with some dangerous moments revolving around the physical presence of Barrington Belgrave and some good work from the left wing by ex-United favourite Damon Searle. Ian Selley fired over the bar with one of the visitors better openings. Dave Rogers had a rare sight of goal for Carlisle but missed the target. When Mr Kaye pulled up Andrews for an obstruction near the by-line the crowd's frustrations boiled over and the booing began in earnest. It wasn't always clear whether they were booing the hapless official or the players, in fact it was frequently both. The only person to get a cheer was John Courtenay who has now spent some money at last but he still hasn't bought the club. United came to life only near the end of this turgid encounter. Lee Andrews popped up on the right side of the penalty area and his wind-assisted cross flew off the face of the cross-bar. The referee's final whistle brought merciful relief for a cold and damp crowd of 3,045. Al's verdict: Dreadful stuff. The conditions didn't help but they weren't as bad as for the Torquay game which was quite a bit more exciting than this tosh. The problem at the moment is how to keep the players motivated. The takeover is still not done and dusted, we aren't going down and we aren't going to reach the play-offs. Concentration can waver. On tonight's showing, the visitors looked somewhat more likely to win, although in truth neither side really deserved the points. It was a mid-table stalemate between two sides who know where they'll be next season and that's in exactly the same place as they are now. Roddy will be glad that he can now start signing players again as the present bunch could do with a bit of a shake-up. Clearly, we missed Messrs Foran and Soley who are very important players for us. |
