First Blues goal |
Keiren Westwood started behind a back-four of Paul Arnison, Peter Murphy, Kevin Gray and Danny Livesey. The four men assigned to do the battling in midfield were Chris Billy, Chris Lumsdon, Michael Bridges and the traditionally hard-working Brendan McGill. The forward line was the usual duo consisted of Karl Hawley and Derek Holmes. It was a new position for United loanee Bridges as he played the majority of the game on the left side of midfield pushing up to join the strikers when he could.
The home side started very brightly and had Carlisle on the back foot for the majority of the opening period. After just six minutes Diamonds midfielder Andy Burgess, playing out of position at left-back, found Chris O’Grady on the left. O’Grady went past Arnison easily but Livesey did well to block his cross out for a corner.
From the resultant flag-kick, put in by David Bell, ex-United loanee Phil Gulliver found some space in the box but his header was weak and went past Westwood’s far-post. Neil McCafferty was put through by Burgess six minutes later but his low drive from 25 yards out was well held onto by the Cumbrians’ keeper as he gathered the ball at the second attempt.
On the fifteen minute mark right-winger Bell got an effort in on goal for the Northamptonshire outfit as Carlisle struggled to grab a hold of the ball in the centre of the park with one midfielder light, although Bridges did his best to track back throughout the game. The flamboyant Bell drifted in from his flank and tried a curler from the edge of the United box, Westwood made a bit of a meal of the save but fortunately Gray was there to clear the loose ball. Bell had another chance from the Burgess corner that followed but his close-range shot was blazed well over the bar.
It was all Rushden at the moment and only some good defending by Gray kept out ex-Ipswich frontman Alun Armstrong three minutes later. Just sixty seconds on from that incident though and United took the lead completely against the run of play.
The goal came in a similar fashion to the Carl Ikeme howler in Carlisle’s 6-0 demolition of Stockport as it started with Arnison looping a high cross into the opposition penalty area. This time though home keeper John Ruddy, on loan from Everton, got two hands to the ball under a challenge from Holmes and looked to have taken the ball cleanly before inexplicably dropping it. Fortunately for United it dropped down straight to the feet of Holmes who was left with an empty net to easily tap the ball into.
Straight from the kick-off and Rushden almost bagged an immediate equaliser with a fantastic strike from Bell that was matched by an equally fantastic save from Westwood. Bell hit a rasper from fully 25 yards out which was destined for the top-right corner before United’s gloveman made a superb flying save as he managed to tip the ball round the post for a corner.
Just after the half-hour the Diamonds nearly levelled again. Bell swung another dangerous looking corner to the far-post which Armstrong headed powerfully towards the Carlisle goal. Arnison was well-stationed on the line though to clear the ball away as it was all hands to the pumps for the Blues.
Again though Rushden had failed to take their chances and make their possession football count and United punished them for it shortly afterwards as they doubled their lead. The goal came from a free-kick given for a foul on Murphy and went in while the Dubliner was off the pitch receiving treatment from Blues’ physiotherapist Neil Dalton. Carlisle scoring with ten men while Murphy isn’t on the field is certainly a new tactic that will please the majority of the Paddock faithful and should be further explored by Paul Simpson in their opinion. Logically, if we take Chris Billy out of the play as well, then we should score two.
Anyway, the goal. Lumsdon swung the set-piece in which Holmes got a good headed flick on into the feet of birthday boy Hawley who took a touch before getting his shot in. The ball took a timely deflection, from a Carlisle perspective, off Rushden centre-half John Dempster and looped over Ruddy and into the net to make it 2-0 to the Blues. We’re only just into December and Hawley, who turned 25 tonight, has already notched 15 goals for the Cumbrians – remarkable stuff.
United were powering back into the game now after going 2-0 ahead while Rushden seemed to lose heart after bossing the majority of the opening period only to find themselves on the wrong end of the scoreline.
In the 35th minute some lovely one-touch football between Holmes, Bridges and Lumsdon fed in Hawley but his effort sneaked just wide of Ruddy’s far-post. Three minutes on from that and Hawley was again in the thick of the action as he got on the end of a long Westwood goal-kick. Hawley laid the ball out to Lumsdon and his cross in was heading straight for Holmes but Gulliver did well to nip infront of the Lanark-born forward and clear his lines.
Just before the interval and Arnison thought he was the hat-trick hero from the Cumberland Cup against Harraby Catholic Club again as he put in an effort from distance which was easily collected by Ruddy.
Referee Mike Russell from Hertfordshire blew the whistle on the half shortly afterwards as Carlisle went into the tunnel holding a well-earned, if slightly undeserved, two-goal advantage.
Rushden started the second period as they had done the first being firmly on the front foot and putting pressure on a United defence which, to it’s credit, defended resolutely throughout.
Seven minutes into the half and ex-Oxford midfielder Dave Savage took on Billy on the edge of the Carlisle box. Savage controlled the ball poorly though and crashed to the ground under minimal contact from Billy but the official waved play on much to the chagrin of the crestfallen Savage.
After 55 minutes the Diamonds carved out a good chance which was well defended in the end by Carlisle’s man-of-the-match Livesey. Armstrong picked the ball up and ran on strongly towards the United box but the Cumbrians’ young centre-half did well to get in an excellent tackle and halt the striker’s progress.
Bang on the hour mark, and just after Livesey had been booked for a late tackle on Armstrong, the Blues had claims for a penalty waved away by referee Russell. Murphy hit a deep ball up to Holmes who then laid the ball off into Hawley. United’s top scorer took a touch and seemed to be tackled from behind but the official saw it as a fair challenge and signalled play on.
Almost immediately afterwards striker O’Grady, on loan from Leicester, got an effort in on the Carlisle goal from 20 yards out but Westwood was able to watch it go wide as it curled away from his net.
Again, pretty much against the run of general play, United more or less put the final result out of doubt when they scored a third on 65 minutes. Westwood hit another long punt down the middle of the pitch which Holmes got a flicked header on to send the ball into the Rushden box. As the Diamonds' defence stood watching and playing statues Lumsdon nipped in to head home from just beyond the penalty spot as Ruddy rushed out to meet the one-time Sunderland schemer.
With 20 minutes to go in the game it was Rushden’s turn to have a penalty appeal turned down by the man in black. Bell swung in another good delivery at a corner which was met full on by Gulliver who sent his header past Westwood but onto the chest of Gray who then booted the ball away from the line. The Diamonds appealed in vain for a spot-kick but referee Russell was having none of it as the United players pushed up and out of the box.
Both Broughton and O’Grady had efforts on goal that failed to trouble the Cumbrians’ keeper while youth team striker Lee Tomlin, on as a substitute for Armstrong, had a shot turned round the post by Westwood.
Rushden had the majority of the play and possession in the game and they had looked quite dangerous at corners and free-kicks with the delivery of Bell and the aerial prowess of Gulliver. United had defended stoutly though and Rushden lacked any real invention and penetration to really test the Carlisle rearguard from open play. Bell in particular saw a lot of the ball out on the left but his final ball was often poorly chosen as the Diamonds struggled to really create anything in the last third of the pitch.
In the 82nd minute Bridges did well to hold the ball up and lay a pass in to McGill but the chance was on the Irishman’s weaker foot and Ruddy was able to save his effort on goal easily.
The game quietened down in the closing stages as Rushden accepted their fate and United played out the final moments of the match. There was still time though for Carlisle to grab a fourth goal just as the clock was ticking from the 90th minute to injury time.
Hawley took the ball in cleverly on the top of his thigh and held it up strongly in his typical fashion as he waited for someone to make a run off him. Bridges was the man who broke away first from the Diamonds’ defenders and it was he who was the recipient of a nicely weighted ball by Hawley. Bridges showed a Premiership quality first touch and kept his nerve well to slot home casually past the outstretched hand of Ruddy to give the Blues a remarkable 4-0 victory.
A minute or so on and Mike Russell brought the proceedings to close as the United players went off to celebrate with the 329 travelling Carlisle fans that had made the trip to Nene Park. The Rushden players trooped dejectedly into the changing rooms though as they reflected on their fifth game without a win.
Another great away day for United and it takes the pressure off a bit for Peterborough on Saturday where a draw wouldn't be a bad thing with three points already in the bank. It's interesting to note that it was usually us as one of the teams on the wrong end of this but we have now beaten all of the bottom six, scoring 18 goals in process.
Well done lads, keep it up!!
Post-match quotes :
Carlisle player-manager Paul Simpson said:
"I was absolutely delighted with the result and the performance, we were fortunate to score the first goal very much against the run of play but all credit to Derek Holmes for challenging the goalkeeper and then scoring the goal.