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Meanwhile for Rovers, there were three changes to the starting eleven that claimed a 2-0 win at Bury, along with a new formation. With Rovers playing 4-3-3 to match up with the Blues, Chris Shuker and Kevin Ellison pushed alongside Chris Greenacre in attack. Gavin Ward, John Mullin and Paul McLaren returned to the starting line up along with John Achterberg, Danny Harrison and Steve Davies thus dropping to the bench, where they were joined by top-scorer Gareth Taylor on his return from a jaw injury.
Leeds-loanee Jermaine Beckford, who again struggled upfront throughout for United, once more received quite a few kicks up the backside during the game and the first of those came after five minutes when he was brought down just outside the Tranmere 'D' by former Crewe defender Chris McCready. Murphy stepped up to take the set-piece for the Cumbrians but his left-footed effort was easy for visitors keeper Ward to take in on the bounce.
It was McCready again who found himself on the end of the official's whistle just sixty seconds later, this time though he was shown the yellow card for a foul on Beckford by referee Clive Oliver from Ashington. Zigor Aranalde curled the free-kick in for the Blues from 30 yards out on the left-wing but United skipper Gray was only able to head wide of Ward's far-post from 12 yards out. Two minutes later Simon Hackney, playing in central midfield, picked up on a loose pass by Rovers veteran Jason McAteer, Hackney choosing to quickly fire in a long-range effort which was watched over his own crossbar by Ward.
Only a minute later and Shuker, who was a constant threat for the visitors down the right all afternoon, played a large part in Carlisle almost going a goal behind. The one-time Manchester City flyer crossing in a peach of a low ball from his favoured flank which Ellison got across to get his foot to first from six yards out, only to see his effort ping away off the outside of the United near-post. The Blues tried to respond quickly with some pressure of their own but three minutes later Murphy headed over the top from six yards out after Chris Lumsdon had stuck a deep corner into the Rovers box.
With 14 minutes gone Ellison was forced to concede defeat after trying to run off an ankle injury he had picked up in his earlier chance, youngster Steve Davies coming on in place of the Rovers left-winger. Four minutes later Shuker sent another dangerous cross in from the right, fortunately for Carlisle though Gray was on-hand to deflect Mullin's close-range effort behind for a Tranmere corner.
The Cumbrians weren't out of things by a long chalk however and Ward made an excellent save after 20 minutes when Gall got on the end of a Hackney cross in. The Rovers keeper doing well to parry Gall's fierce 18-yard right-footed volley away at his near-post. Shortly afterwards Hackney went on another of his characteristic charges down the left-flank, his ball in breaking to Paul Arnison 25 yards out in the right-hand channel. The Blues right-back really should have hit in a first-time effort from there but he stumbled and visitors midfielder McLaren was able to nick the ball off his toes.
Hackney was on great form again and in the 27th minute he created a shooting chance for Beckford when he raced away down the left-hand channel and cut the ball back for the Leeds man. Beckford though continued his struggles as his weak 18-yarder was easily held with both hands low down by Ward. Two minutes later though and it was Rovers pressing again when good work by Mullin and Shuker in the United half set up an opportunity for Davies, the substitute wasted the chance however as he could only fire a right-footed shot well wide of Westwood's goal from 20 yards out.
Seconds later and Arnison passed up a good shooting chance when he chose to try and feed the ball into Beckford inside the Tranmere penalty area, it was a tough pass to execute though and Rovers's ex-Middlesbrough defender Robbie Stockdale was able to hack the ball away from danger. Hackney was the next player to find a yellow card waved in front of his face when, bang on the half-hour mark, he was booked for a bad over-the-top challenge on McLaren, the tackle certainly worthy of the caution it received.
Shortly afterwards Mullin tried to set-up Greenacre in the United box but his header was too strong and was an easy one for Westwood to take. The Blues missed a good chance to go 1-0 up after rent-a-foul McCready had brought down Harper 20 yards out from the Tranmere goal in the left-hand channel. Lumsdon curled the ball in and Aranalde could perhaps have done better when he headed wide of Ward's near-post from just six yards out, that missed opportunity was soon forgotten though as the Cumbrians did take the lead in the 35th minute with a beauty of a goal from Gall.
From an Aranalde long throw-in, headed out by Harrison, Paul Thirlwell fed a quick pass into the feet of Gall 25 yards out on the left-flank. The ex-Yeovil frontman scooting in quickly on his right foot past Stockdale and McCready playing statues before Harrison came out to meet him just outside the United box. Gall wasn't to be stopped just to the left of the Rovers 'D' though as he curled a pearler of a shot with his right foot beyond the reach of the diving Ward and into the far-bottom corner of the Tranmere net, Brunton Park erupting into raptures as the ball flew home.
The visitors soon tried to equalise though and after 43 minutes Davies was inches away at the United back-post from connecting with yet another pacey low ball in from the right by the impressive Shuker. Just as the clock clicked into first-half stoppage time Greenacre was a bit slow as he missed getting on the end of a Davies flick-on to him from the near-post to the far. Rovers having the last attacking opportunity in the opening period just before the sides trooped back off down the tunnel, after Lumsdon had fouled McLaren 30 yards out, McLaren himself looking to get on the end of Mullin's set-piece in only to send his header straight at the grateful Westwood on the bounce from ten yards out.
The second-half got away to a much quieter fashion than the opening period had and there were less chances throughout as United dropped a little too deep in the last 20 minutes as they nervously looked to protect their slender one goal lead. The only action in the early stages coming after 49 minutes when Greenacre fed Davies in down the left-hand channel, Davies though could only slice his left-footed effort wide of Westwood's near-post from 12 yards out. That little stoppage in play for the Carlisle goal-kick seeing Rovers make their second substitution due to injury when Mullin limped off and was replaced by Harrison.
There was certainly something for the 6,841 home fans, out of a total crowd of 7,328 - the visitors bringing 487 spectators with them, to get their teeth into seconds later though when Harrison's first involvement in the match should have been to walk back off the pitch after being red-carded. Hackney looking to race clear on goal down the middle onto a Lumsdon pass only to be hauled back by Harrison 22 yards out, it looked a clear sending-off for denying a goalscoring opportunity but somehow Mr Oliver only showed Harrison a yellow card, much to the derision of the Brunton Park faithful. Murphy's left-footed curler from the free-kick being easily saved down low by Ward at his far-post.
Just two minutes later though and Arnison made a fantastic clearance to preserve United's lead, the right-back managing to head over his own crossbar as a Greenacre cross looked to be going straight to Davies inches from the line at the Carlisle back-post. The dangerous Shuker stuck the resultant corner in, only for Rovers to have a goal disallowed for a foul on Westwood as the ball flew straight into the Cumbrians net. Tranmere's tactic of having six men run straight at the glovesman from the flag-kick in not really helping themselves in these days of over-protection at set-pieces for goalkeepers.
Once again Shuker showed off his skills after 54 minutes when he broke in from the right and flew past Aranalde for pace, his 15-yard right-footed shot didn't match the run though as it flew straight into the grateful arms of Westwood. Sixty seconds later it was Murphy for the Blues who was showing some profligacy in front of goal as he could only head a Lumsdon corner wide of Ward's far-post from 12 yards out, United now becoming reduced to just set-pieces in their quest for a second goal.
Ronnie Moore's side were seeing plenty of the ball in midfield but Carlisle were defending well as they harried Rovers all over the pitch, McLaren only getting a rare shot in for the visitors from 25 yards out which flew well wide on 57 minutes. Hackney tried to counter for the Cumbrians just after the hour mark but his left-footed 22-yard drive deflected wide off the legs of Tranmere left-back Shane Sherriff, that was the last action of the match for young Hackney as United boss Neil McDonald looked to shore up the Carlisle midfield defensively by bringing on Chris Billy for him. Another Tranmere crock in the limping and mouthy McAteer being replaced by Taylor at the same time as the visitors made their final permitted change.
It was Shuker again causing the Carlisle back-line problems in the 71st minute, although he once more shot straight at Westwood from 18 yards out after cutting in past Aranalde from the right, you get the feeling that if Shuker could add some end product to his game then he would be one hell of a player. Moments later and the Blues were again looking nervy at the back when a Greenacre flick on a Shuker cross in looked to be all on a big chance for Rovers as the ball broke to Davies, Thirlwell got United out from behind the eight ball though as he made a fantastic saving tackle on the Tranmere winger.
After 77 minutes there was an identical repeat of the visitors disallowed goal from a corner on 53 minutes, Tranmere again seeing Shuker's flag-kick fly straight into the Carlisle net, only for it to be chalked off once more for a foul on Westwood by the charge of the heavy brigade. That break in play signalled the end of proceedings for Arnison, who had pulled his hamstring in conceding the corner, Livesey coming on to replace him as a makeshift right-back, targetman Holmes also entering the fray at the same time in place of the extremely tired Harper for United.
Unsurprisingly it was pretty much all Rovers now as they pressed for an equaliser, the Blues also dropping back a little too deep as the prospect of a win after three league defeats in a row made them nervous. Gray got away with one in the 81st minute when the ball hit his arm when he made a sliding challenge in the Carlisle box, no penalty was given by Mr Oliver though, although it was one of those that you'd expect to get but would be fuming to have given against you.
After 83 minutes Harrison hammered a 25-yard piledriver well wide of the United goal, then sixty seconds later, and not before time to perfectly honest, Shuker, who had been moaning at the referee all afternoon, was booked for dissent. The last real chance for the visitors came after Lumsdon had deflected a Shuker shot out for a corner with five minutes left. Shuker's resultant flag-kick in breaking out to an unmarked Harrison 12 yards out at the Carlisle back-post, Westwood making a great save with his legs to block out the Tranmere man's powerful low drive.
The last moment of any real note in a bitty last five minutes, plus the three allotted minutes of injury time as the Cumbrians hung on for a vital victory, came just as the clock ticked into that stoppage time. Beckford and Rovers's Jamaican international centre-half Ian Goodison challenging for the ball in the air out on the right wing by the half-way line, the tussle seeing Beckford go down in extremely theatrical fashion as Goodison's elbow just brushed the side of his head. Goodison going into the book for the misdemeanour, although Beckford's play-acting was a bit naughty really.
Post-match quotes :
Furious Tranmere boss Ronnie Moore said:
"At times in the first half we were like a pub team. We have enough quality to be top of the league but some of the balls we played were embarrassing. We can't afford to give teams a 45-minute head start.