|
Blues player-boss Paul Simpson made just one change to the starting line-up that had taken the field against Tranmere in the LDV Vans Trophy six days earlier, as Danny Livesey came back in for Simon Grand. Livesey recovering from the knock to the ankle he had taken in training early last week which ruled him out for the penalty-marathon against the Wirral outfit. Simpson must be extremely pleased to have a full squad to choose from at this busy time of year.
The one change meant a back five of Keiren Westwood, Peter Murphy, Kevin Gray, Paul Arnison and Livesey. The midfield quartet was made up of Brendan McGill, Chris Billy, Chris Lumsdon and Zigor Aranalde with Aranalde retaining his place on the left-side of midfield. Derek Holmes was once more relegated to the bench as Karl Hawley and Michael Bridges were partnered upfront.
The game started quietly on a cold Boxing Day at Brunton Park as 11182 expectant fans, 786 of those making the journey from Darlington, waited for the first chance of the match to come.
That first opportunity came for the Cumbrians but it was as late as the 10th minute as the opening stages had been played out with both teams struggling to hold on to possession in a hotly-contested midfield, although the bobbly surface didn’t help matters. Arnison ran on to the end of a long Aranalde throw-in but his strong header went over the Darlington bar and into a Waterworks end packed with travelling Quakers fans.
Only one minute later and Darlington boss Dave Hodgson was forced into making his side’s first substitution of the game. Ex-Birmingham City player Joey Hutchinson went down in a heap after a seemingly innocuous challenge with Bridges and had to be carried off on a stretcher with suspected cruciate ligament damage to his knee. Dutchman Shelton Martis came on to replace Hutchinson in the centre-half spot and had an impressive game at the back.
In the 14th minute Bridges found himself in the action as he was the first on to another long throw into the box from Aranalde, hitting a half-volley which came back off Quakers defender Matthew Clarke and away to safety.
Two minutes on and Carlisle went close through a deflected Bridges effort. A long Arnison ball came back from Hawley to Bridges but his shot flicked off the legs of Martis and over the head of the visitors' 6’7 French keeper Bertrand Bossu. From the resultant corner, swung in by Murphy, both Livesey and Aranalde seemed to be impeded but referee Mike Lewis waved away the protests of the United players.
After 20 minutes Quakers striker Clark Keltie made an excellent save from a Westwood clearance as he put both hands up to block the United keeper’s punt, inexplicably though the awful officiating crew signalled play on as the ball flew out for a Blues throw-in.
Carlisle were really beginning to get a hold of the game now as the visitors seemed unable to keep hold of the ball in forward areas and it kept coming straight back at their overworked defence. United weren’t making the best of their possession however as both Hawley and Bridges had an off-day and the inclusion of Aranalde on the left-side once again gave the Blues little attacking options down that flank.
On 26 minutes McGill had chances twice in the space of sixty seconds. Firstly the Dubliner ran on to a short Bridges pass and hit a low drive in which Bossu did well to collect. Then a minute later the Cumbrians broke quickly from a Darlington corner, the ball eventually finding it’s way to Aranalde on the left via Hawley and Bridges. The Spaniard swung in a good cross to the back-post where "targetman" McGill was lurking to plant a firm header back across Bossu, the Frenchman used all of his giant frame though to dive full length and save, the ball then being hoofed clear.
Bang on the half-hour mark and the Blues took the lead through one of a raft of contentious refereeing decisions from the frankly terrible Mike Lewis. Any form of physical contact brought yet another shrill of his whistle and that is what came as he awarded United their second penalty in two home games, London buses anybody? Murphy curled a corner in from the right, Martis lightly pulled Livesey’s shirt at the back-post and the official pointed straight to the spot.
Lumsdon stepped up once more to take the spot-kick and planted it firmly into the bottom right corner as, fortunately for Carlisle, Darlington’s giant French keeper dived the wrong way. The net rippled as the Blues went one goal to the good after a good spell of pressure had finally paid off. Joe Kendrick received the first booking of the game shortly afterwards as the visitors’ frustration began to boil over.
The good-time feeling around three sides of a packed Brunton Park didn’t last long however as just eight minutes later the visitors drew level through a poor piece of defending and a bad refereeing decision.
One-time Leeds winger Simon Johnson went down like he was shot under minimal, if any at all, contact from United left-back Murphy. Referee Lewis bought the theatrics though as he awarded the Quakers a free-kick in the far corner of the pitch. Logan curled the set-piece in to the back-post where Johnson was waiting completely unmarked five yards out to head the ball towards goal. Westwood seemed to get both hands to the ball but the effort squirmed past him and went in despite the best efforts of Livesey and Gray to clear. Johnson was probably Arnison’s man to mark but as the United right-back had come into the wall it left the Blues an important one man short in the middle.
Such a poor goal conceded defensively seemed to knock the Christmas stuffing out of a Carlisle side who had pretty much controlled the game up until that point and they never played as well afterwards as they had before the Quakers' equaliser.
Half-chances came for Lumsdon and Hawley shortly before the break but referee Lewis soon did what he does best as he blew his whistle to bring the half to a close. It was a disappointing opening 45 minutes in reality for a United side who had had all the play but still found themselves level.
Darlington came out of the blocks quickly straight after the interval and almost took the lead from a corner. Westwood got a poor punch straight down the middle on a Logan corner and the ball fell straight to Quakers midfielder Jonjo Dickman. The one-time Sunderland player hit his 15-yard volley extremely weakly though and straight down the throat of a relieved Westwood.
The United keeper struggled a bit today as he was put under constant pressure at set-pieces from a tall and physical Darlington side who looked for the excellent delivery of Logan to create aerial opportunities. Carlisle’s quality at corners on the other hand was dire for the majority of the game. Murphy and Hackney were unable to clear the head of the first defender from one flank and Lumsdon from the other constantly floated the ball far too close to the 6’7 Bossu who was able to pluck the ball out of the air with ease.
After 48 minutes Hawley was hauled back by Clarke just outside the left-edge of the Darlington box. Lumsdon drove the free-kick in on goal but it the curled effort had little power and Bossu was able to gather it cleanly on the bounce.
Two minutes later Gray was booked for the Cumbrians as he dived in on Johnson away on the right-flank. Shortly after that incident Keltie got a good shot in for the visitors from 18 yards out but Westwood got down quickly to push it around his near-post for a Quakers corner.
In the 57th minute Hawley was very unlucky to not reclaim the lead for the Blues. Bridges controlled a Billy pass nicely and touched it off to his strike-partner who turned Clarke well and hammered in a shot from ten yards out which, if it had gone anywhere else but straight at Bossu, would have put United 2-1 ahead.
A minute after the hour Carlisle made their first change of the game as Hackney replaced the ineffective Aranalde on the left-hand side. That change came seconds after Lumsdon had been the second player to go into the book for United following a wild and late challenge on Brian Close. It was Hackney who made a great run down that flank in the 66th minute as he played the ball into the Darlington box. Hawley got there first and laid it off to Bridges but Clarke got across quickly to make a good block tackle on the Blues’ loanee striker.
Darlington were still hopeful of taking all three points back to County Durham though when Kendrick sent Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu through with 22 minutes left. The ex-Sheffield Wednesday man’s shot was poor though as he sent his effort flying well wide of Westwood’s goal.
The Blues went as close to finding a winner as they would do in the second-half shortly afterwards through a Hackney header. Billy sent a good ball to the far-post from the by-line where Hackney looked like he had scored as his attempt went past the outstretched hands of Bossu. Once again though it was a case of anywhere but for the Cumbrians as the effort went straight at hte retreating Close on the line who was able to hack away it to safety.
Lumsdon tried another curled free-kick in on goal two minutes later from 20 yards out for United but again it was a poor effort that was weak and straight at Bossu who saved comfortably. In the 74th minute Holmes came on for Bridges as the Blues looked to change things round a bit and get more aerial pressure on the Darlington rearguard.
Straight from a United attack the hapless official was again in the thick of it as he started off a quick break for the visitors. Carlisle were pushing up for the winner and found themselves short at the back when a Billy pass to Hackney came off the legs of referee Lewis and straight to Darlington’s Ndumbu-Nsungu. He played Logan in who then crossed in low for Keltie but Blues fans were grateful to see Keltie's half-volley fly narrowly wide of Westwood’s goal.
Eight minutes from time Hawley had a great chance to send Lumsdon clean through on the Quakers’ goal but United’s top scorer just lost control of the ball at the vital time. Hackney had put Hawley away down the left and just as Lumsdon was steaming clear down the middle Hawley dallied too long on the pass and the chance was gone as Clarke blocked the ball out for a throw-in. A collective sigh went around Brunton Park as the Carlisle fans realised what a wonderful opportunity it had been to find the winner.
In the 87th minute it was the visitors who almost grabbed the game by the scruff of it’s neck as Logan floated in a sweet free-kick in from the left. There was a tangle of bodies in the air at the back-post, with Westwood one of them, but fortuantely for the Cumbrians the ball found it’s way out for a United goal-kick.
There was little action in the final three minutes and the accompanying three minutes of injury time as the Quakers sat back content with their point and the Blues continued the problems they had with the quality of their final ball throughout the rest of the game.
Bossu went down under a Gray challenge from a corner rolling around and clutching his leg as if it was broken as he looked to see out time for the Quakers. It was good news for Darlington when ten seconds later he jumped to his feet in the manner of Lazarus to take the free-kick.
The final whistle soon came on a game which United will see as two points dropped against a side that played to the level of their mid-table position. Still there is no time to look back on it as in another 53 hours the Blues will be lining up for a tough-looking away game at Boston.
Post-match quotes :
Darlington boss David Hodgson said:
"It was a good point today, but we didn't deserve to win the game. Teams have got to come here and compete and we didn't always do that, but in the end we got away with it.