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For the visiting Lions caretaker-boss Willie Donachie, at the helm after the sacking of Nigel Spackman three games ago, made two changes to his side that won 3-2 at Rotherham last time out. Paul Robinson who was out with a hamstring strain and Ali Fuseini who was rested being replaced in the starting eleven by ex-Wycombe defender Danny Senda and Samy Mawene, Mo Ross then switching from right-back to partner the experienced Richard Shaw in the heart of the Millwall defence.
No-one ever expected it to be easy fare after the capitulation at Crewe against a resurgent Lions outfit but you never expected to have to face 90 minutes of thuggery from the visitors either. The precedent for an afternoon of appalling challenges and refeering from Graham Laws of Whitley Bay coming as early as the first minute when Paul Arnison, still in at right-back in the place of the injured David Raven, was the victim of a bad late challenge from big Danish striker Poul Hubertz. The Blues amazingly not even being awarded a free-kick as Arnison rolled around on the floor clutching his ankle, the United man continuing after receiving treatment from physiotherapist Neil Dalton. That's one booking Millwall should have had then.
The yellow card was soon out two minutes later though when an over-exuberant Beckford went flying in with a very poor challenge on Mawene just outside the Lions box. A melee soon ensued with Millwall players charging in to remonstrate with Beckford, one-time Oxford winger Chris Hackett in particular getting involved as he shoved the Cumbrians loanee in the chest with both hands. With the scrum quietening down referee Laws pulled both both players aside and rightly booked Beckford for the initial bad foul, Hackett only receiving only a talking-to though for his hotheaded-ness. That's two bookings Millwall should have had then.
There was certainly very little going on in the early stages football-wise, the first shot taking eight minutes to come in as Mawene fired well over Keiren Westwood's crossbar from distance. A dull opening fifteen minutes on a blustery day at Brunton Park only seeing another shot five minutes after Mawene's, Danny Haynes, who had chosen Millwall over Carlisle as the club to join on loan from Ipswich, hitting his 22-yard effort over the top and into the Warwick Road End. Haynes was again in the thick of the action on 20 minutes when he pressured Arnison into playing a tight back-pass to Westwood, the United keeper's clearance hitting the closing-down Hubertz, Westwood clutching the ball this time as it came back to him, that allowing him and Arnison to have a little row with each other.
Moments later and the Blues were to have an even bigger let-off when the pacey Hackett burned down the right past Zigor Aranalde and crossed in from the by-line, Lions midfielder Alan Dunne somehow contriving to flick the ball over the top of the United goal from almost underneath the crossbar. The visitors were having a good spell in the match now and on 25 minutes Haynes sent a right-footed drive in from the right-angle of the Carlisle penalty area which Westwood was able to watch fly over his head and away to safety. Sixty seconds on and with the Blues unable to keep hold of the ball upfront the visitors were creating again, Hubertz wasting a big chance when he headed Hackett's right-wing centre back across goal but wide from just six yards out at the back-post.
A goal had been coming for the Lions though and the Cumbrians defence was finally breached on 27 minutes by Dunne, following a Beckford long-ranger easily held by ex-Chelsea keeper Lenny Pidgeley in the Millwall goal. The Lions breaking straight up to the other end with Hubertz knocking a centre across goal from the right-hand by-line, Haynes was the first there only to completely miss the ball with a wild right-footed swing. Dunne was on-hand behind him to make no mistake with his effort from 12 yards out though for his third goal in three matches, although the ball may have taken a slight nick off Arnison on it's way into the top right-hand corner of Westwood's net.
Four minutes later Millwall conceded one of a Grade A hacking amount of 22 free-kicks on the day, left-back Tony Craig bringing down Simon Hackney just outside the centre of the Lions 'D'. Lumsdon stepping up to take the set-piece only to see his right-footed curler ping away to safety off the top of the visitors defensive wall. The Blues kept up the pressure though and they were able to grab an equaliser just sixty seconds later through new-boy Beckford. Hackney showing some cracking skill to dribble past Senda, who tried to haul him back, then Ross on his way down the left-hand channel to the Millwall by-line, his cross in from there finding Kevin Gall unmarked at the far-stick. Gall's shot from ten yards out was off-target though only for it to leave Beckford with the simple task of side-footing the ball into the back of the net from three yards out for his first goal in professional football.
The happy feeling for the 7,900 home fans in Brunton Park, the Lions bringing a respectable 513 travelling spectators with them, didn't last long though as Millwall regained the lead on 39 minutes. A long hooked ball over the top of the United back-line seeing Kevin Gray make a complete hash of an attempted header back to Westwood not once but twice, the Blues skipper almost missing his first go at the ball before nodding his second effort about six inches in front of him as he was completely off-balance. That allowed Hubertz to nip in straight through the middle and clear on goal, Westwood having little chance to do anything about Hubertz's side-footed shot from the edge of the Cumbrians box that bobbled it's way along into the United net.
Shortly afterwards the visitors really should have been reduced to ten men for the remainder of the match when Beckford went up to challenge for a ball in the air on the left-wing only to be flattened by an elbow straight to the back of his head by Ross. You won't see many clearer sending-off offences to be honest but somehow the Lions defender escaped the scene of the crime with just a booking, as you were beginning to get the distinct feeling that a Millwall player would have to kill someone to get a red card. That's two bookings and a sending-off Millwall should have had then.
Still the game really did reach it's turning point after 41 minutes when Chris Lumsdon pumped a 40-yard free-kick up into the Millwall box, Hubertz pretty much punching the ball away with both fists as Mr Laws pointed to the penalty spot for the clear handball. Somehow, despite a couple of misses, Lumsdon is still the designated spot-kick taker at the club and he would fail again as his powerful right-footed effort thudded back across goal off the inside of Pidgeley's right-hand post. Billy then trying a follow-up half volley from 22 yards out which was easily blocked out for a corner by the foot of Mawene, and the chance was gone when three points could well have beckoned for United with an equalising goal there. Lumsdon can't have been helped though by the antics of the Lions keeper who came wandering off his line, escaping a booking in the process, after the Blues midfielder had put the ball on the spot, that's three more bookings and a sending-off Millwall should have had then.
Just as the clock was ticking onto the 45 minute mark Hackney tried to take Carlisle into half-time level, only for Pidgeley to match the excellence of Hackney's left-footed drive as he managed to tip his goalbound effort over from 35 yards out. In the last of the four minutes of time added on Craig looked to extend the visitors interval lead when he hammered in a 25-yard left-footed shot which flew inches over Westwood's crossbar much to the relief of the Cumbrian faithful. The whistle for half-time coming seconds later to signal the end of certainly entertaining, but extremely frustrating, 45 minutes of football.
Blues boss Neil McDonald made his first, and only as it would turn out, change of the game at the interval as he brought on Holmes in place of the ineffectual Billy, Hackney then dropping back into the midfield to accomodate the big Scot upfront. Little of real note happened in the early stages of the second period although to be fair United had to be on their toes twice to repel Lions corners after some more good work down the right by the pacey Hackett.
Five minutes in and the visitors had the first chance after the break when Hubertz fired in a fierce shot from 18 yards out which was well collected by Westwood as the ball flew straight at him. Then moments later, as the visitors continued to press, Mawene made a good run forward and tried to play the ball into the path of Haynes down the left-hand channel, Livesey was on-hand to cover quickly for Arnison though and the Cumbrians centre-half was able to make a block tackle as the ball was then picked up by Westwood.
In the 52nd minute Beckford was a bit too rough and tumble again as he brought down Mawene, it was about the only decision the referee gave in Carlisle's favour all afternoon though as he only gave the Leeds-loanee a talking-to instead of a second yellow card. Hackett did go into the official's notebook literally seconds later though as he was booked by Mr Laws for persistent infringement following a foul on Arnison. Livesey again was showing good positional play sixty seconds later when Dunne tried to get on the end of a Hackett cross in, Livesey being well-placed to hack the ball away from danger.
After 55 minutes Lumsdon tried to fire a pacey 22-yard dead-ball into the Millwall net, following a foul by Lions defensive midfielder Marvin Elliott on Holmes, the United's schemer right-footed free-kick pinging off the head of Shaw and out for a Blues corner, one of ten on the day for Carlisle which failed to produce a goal sadly. Holmes and Gall showed some good link-up play shortly afterwards when Holmes' flick-on from a Gray ball up found Gall, the ex-Yeovil man was off-target again though from 20 yards out as his shot flashed across goal from the right-hand channel and behind at Pidgeley's far-post.
Bang on the hour-mark and Gall was firing another shot in on the Lions goal from 18 yards out, this time though it deflected off Craig and went out, for what would prove to be, another wasted Cumbrians corner. Holmes was causing a bit more trouble upfront for the Lions in the second 45 minutes as he added some physicality upfront, although it was difficult for him to do much with both Millwall climbing unpunished over his shoulders all the time.
It was his own team-mate in Aranalde though who was getting in his way on 64 minutes when a Lumsdon free-kick in from the right flew across goal to the back-stick. Holmes looked better placed for the opportunity but the Spaniard stretched for the ball first and got a poor connection on his header that flicked inches wide of the Lions far-post. Sixty seconds later Millwall manager Willie Donachie made his first substitution of the match when he brought on right-back Mark Phillips for Senda.
After 68 minutes the Blues hit the visitors woodwork again when a cross in from Hackney on the left broke to Gall 15 yards out in the right-hand channel, the Carlisle frontman's right-footed shot pinging off the outside of Pidgeley's near-post as it flashed behind for a Lions goal-kick. That break in play seeing the Millwall keeper booked for timewasting as he took an eternity to restart play, that yellow card should have been the one to see him sent off as well after the penalty shenanigans in the opening period. That's two more bookings and two sending-offs Millwall should have had then.
If you thought that was grim though then things got nothing short of farcical in the 73rd minute when the Blues were denied one of the most blatant penalties you will ever see. A deep pass up by Paul Thirlwell being well flicked-on by Holmes into the path of Gall 20 yards out just to the right of the 'D'. The ball sat up nicely for a half-volley and Gall hammered it in with his right-foot only for Craig to come charging at it with both hands in the air to make an excellent two-handed save in the Lions penalty area. The first thing that Craig did himself was look across to Mr Laws as he expected the spot-kick to be given, astonishingly though no whistle was coming and play was waved on with United coaching staff, players and fans absolutely incredulous with the diabolical decision.
That seemed to really deflate the Cumbrians as you got the feeling that it really wasn't going to be their day and that their unbeaten home run was going to come to an end. On 74 minutes the visitors used their second replacement of the afternoon when Scottish midfielder Derek McInnes came in place of Mawene. Using the electronic board being about the only thing the extremely weak fourth official got right as well, as he continually allowed the Millwall coaching staff to encroach into the Carlisle technical area, come out of their own technical area as well as often having two people in it. Dreadful stuff from the officials all round.
In the 77th minute Gall had a shot blocked, this time by his legs, by Craig from a Hackney cross in but it was the visitors who were looking to use their pace on the break to nab a third goal in the closing stages. Chris Zebroski, sacked by Plymouth for gross misconduct following a training camp fight, and then signed by Millwall - which tells you pretty much all you need to know - came on for Hubertz in the 80th minute for the visitors and he was involved in the action straight away.
Zebroski and Hackett combining on 82 minutes as Haynes' 12-yard header from Hackett's right-wing cross in flew narrowly of Westwood's far-post. Then two minutes later Zebroski tried his luck from range, his shot from at least 25 yards out lacked real power though and Westwood was able to gather it on comfortably on the bounce in the middle of his goalmouth. United were showing little sign of grabbing a late equaliser though to be honest as they huffed and puffed at a Lions outfit that unsurprisingly played with ten men behind the ball most of the time at the death.
The Blues almost did sneak a late, late leveller though as the clock ticked into the fifth and final minute of time added on. Gall thumping a 22-yard right-footed half-volley which looked to be zooming in under the crossbar all the way only for Pidgeley to somehow stretch up and fingertip the ball over the top. The final whistle coming just seconds after Shaw had headed away the resultant Lumsdon corner in to signal a 2-1 defeat for Carlisle on the ultimate "one of those days."
Post-match quotes :
Millwall caretaker-manager Willie Donachie said :
"I am delighted with the win and the players worked hard. The lads showed a lot of bravery and character especially in the second half and overall we got a few lucky breaks.