Grand The Hero In Spot-Kick Drama

United boss Paul Simpson wanted to keep the same eleven as for the 2-1 League win over Wrexham three days earlier in this LDV Northern Area Quarter-Final tie but he was forced into two changes, one due to injury and the other rule-led. Derek Holmes came in for the cup-tied Michael Bridges and Simon Grand took the place of Danny Livesey who had taken a knock to the ankle in training that morning.

That meant the Blues started with a back five of Keiren Westwood, Peter Murphy, Simon Grand, Kevin Gray and Paul Arnison. Across the midfield were Zigor Aranalde, Chris Billy, Chris Lumsdon and Brendan McGill. Spaniard Aranalde had looked uncomfortable on the left of midfield on Saturday and United, unsurprisingly, looked better going forward when Simon Hackney took his berth on that side when skipper Gray went off injured at half-time.

Derek Holmes renewed his striking partnership with Karl Hawley upfront and waiting in the wings on a shuffled substitutes bench were Anthony Williams, Glenn Murray, Adam Murray, Raphael Nade and Hackney.

I’m sure none of the Carlisle players expected to still be on the Prenton Park pitch at 10.30pm but that was what was to happen on a night of high penalty shootout drama on the Wirral.

The match started quietly as both sides played the ball around in the midfield areas but it was the home side who were to make the first chance in the sixth minute. Ex-Shrewsbury winger Sam Aiston played the ball into Paul Linwood who in turn laid it on to Steve Davies. Youngster Davies cut inside Arnison and hit a well-struck shot which flew into Westwood’s side-netting.

Aiston again found himself at the heart of the play in the 14^th minute when he did well to trick his way past two United defenders, Davies was on hand to get a touch on his cross but Gray managed to clear the danger.

The Blues came back into the game though and a minute later Hawley got in behind the Tranmere defence but on a hard and bobbly pitch he could only look on in anguish as he mis-kicked his attempted shot. Aranalde was the next to be in with a chance in the 17^th minute when a part-clearance from Rovers centre-half Michael Jackson came straight to him 18 yards out, Rovers keeper Steve Wilson held his right-footed volley well however.

Aiston was causing all kinds of problems for the Carlisle defence with his direct running style and shortly afterwards Grand managed to deflect his curling shot from a long Wilson clearance over the Cumbrians bar for a corner. On 25 minutes the Rovers winger skipped past Murphy on the United left and crossed in for Facey to send his diving header goalwards, Westwood made a great low save though and Gray was able to clear the loose ball away from the United box.

It was the irrepressible Aiston who was to have the next opportunity himself sixty seconds later, Wilson’s goal-kick was flicked on by Davies to Aiston just inside the Carlisle area. Aiston got a poor connection on his effort however and the chance was gone.

On 32 minutes one-time Bolton striker Delroy Facey tried a looping curler from 18 yards out for the home side, but Westwood, whose handling was once more excellent all night, caught the ball easily underneath his own bar.

Four minutes later The Cumbrians almost took the lead under somewhat bizarre circumstances. Wilson rushed from goal to clear a McGill ball in but only succeeded in booting the cross straight at his own centre-half Ian Sharps, Wilson was in the end extremely relieved to see the ball fly back past him but out for a corner.

A few minutes before half-time the otherwise quiet Hawley had an opportunity for United as he ran in on the Tranmere goal, his shot at Wilson wasn’t the best but it still took the Rovers keeper two attempts to gather the ball safely.

It had been a first-half that had seen the home side pretty much on top although Carlisle’s well organised and neat defensive work had restricted Rovers to little more than long efforts on goal and half-chances.

The Cumbrians came out for the second-half with a changed line-up after captain Gray had needed to be taken off with a slight thigh strain, the substitution brought Simon Hackney on and a shuffling of the United pack. Murphy took Gray’s armband and his place at the heart of the defence, Aranalde dropped in to the left-back spot and Hackney was hoping to give Carlisle more attacking options on the left side of midfield.

Again it was a quite opening to the period with Rovers having the first effort as Davies’ shot was well charged down by Arnison four minutes in. McGill bobbled a shot wide and Hawley had an effort blocked as the Blues went straight up the other end but it was Facey who was to come the closest to a goal in the game so far in the 52^nd minute.

Right-back Paul Linwood sent a cross in which Facey got a good header on from the penalty spot, Westwood seemed to get his fingertips to the effort though and the ball pinged back out off the United bar. The burly Facey was once more in the thick of it just sixty seconds later when he wasted a good opportunity for Rovers. A long Linwood throw-on sneaked it’s way through to Facey but the ex-Bolton man showed little Premiership quality as he pulled his shot well wide from just 12 yards out.

The pace of the game seemed to pick-up from the hour-mark as the tie swung from end to end. Facey headed a corner over from home left-back Gareth Roberts just before then and in the 65^th minute Davies tried a daisycutter from the edge of the United box but Westwood got down well to hold on to the low shot.

Shortly afterwards Hackney had a shot blocked by Sharps as the ex-Woodley Sports youngster looked to try and exploit the open spaces in the Tranmere rearguard as the home side pushed forward in an effort to grab a winner and avoid extra-time.

On 69 minutes Rovers’ Carl Tremarco picked up a punched clearance from Westwood 20 yards out, he tried an audacious lob over the Carlisle keeper from there but Westwood got across quickly to palm the ball away from his goal.

Westwood made another great save just two minutes later when central-midfielder Danny Harrison thought he had put the home side ahead. Facey’s powerful drive was blocked away and the ball fell to Harrison in acres of space, it was excellent work by Westwood though who got down quickly to save the home-grown player’s effort.

In the 73^rd minute the Cumbrians couldn’t have got any closer to a goal as they were inches away from opening the scoring twice in sixty seconds. Firstly Arnison’s cross was flicked on by Holmes to McGill with the Dubliner’s first-time volley screaming just over the Tranmere bar. A minute on and Aranalde showed a great piece of skill on the left as he beat two Rovers players and sent Hackney away down the wing. Hackney sent a lovely cross in from the by-line which Lumsdon came steaming in on but from eight yards out the United lynchpin could only head the ball narrowly wide with Wilson rooted to the spot.

Glenn Murray came on to replace the tiring Holmes in the 77^th minute but the Maryport-born striker was often guilty of picking the wrong option as he struggled to make his partnership upfront with Hawley click.

Arnison tried one of his typical long-range blockbusters in the 80^th minute, this time on his traditionally redundant left-foot, but the effort was always rising and Wilson was able to watch it go over his bar.