United were forced into changes with Paul Arnison suspended and Matty Fryatt recalled by Walsall. In came Brian Shelley to the right back slot with Craig Farrell starting up front alongside Andy Preece. Brendan McGill was passed fit to play after having struggled with a knee injury in the week. It was player-manager Paul Simpson who had the first sight of goal in the third minute when his free kick hit the wall and from the rebound the 37-year-old veteran drilled about a foot wide. But Torquay's first attack brought a goal within a minute of Simpson's effort. Kevin Gray was forced to concede a corner. From the kick taken by Alex Russell, Kevin Hill, unmarked was able to head home with comfort. United saw plenty of the ball and managed to take the game to the home side despite being a goal behind. Preece volleyed straight at Kevin Dearden when a half-chance presented itself. McGill collected a loose ball after some slack Torquay play to create a good chance for himself on 13 minutes but his left foot effort didn't really test Dearden. Then David Graham took the ball on his chest and turned sharply to bring a smart save out of Glennon. Hill's second was not long in coming. Shelley's poor headed clearance was collected by Hill who drilled a left foot shot into the top corner past a helpless Glennon. Preece went into the book for dissent after contesting an offside decision on 28 minutes. Tom Cowan produced a strong effort from distance but again Dearden was solidly behind it as United toiled to claw their way back into the game. Graham won a header at the near post from a home free kick but Glennon saved well. McGill tried his luck from over 30 yards with a shot that almost surprised Dearden who had to palm away to concede a corner as half-time approached. United resisted the temptation to make changes at the interval, and came quite close to pulling one back four minutes in. Farrell set up Simpson on the edge of the box but the player-manager's shot was saved. On 50 minutes a slight slip by Murphy allowed in Hockley but his shot was well pushed away by an athletic Glennon with the ball heading for the top corner. However United couldn't resist the in-form Graham who made it 3-0 on 53 minutes when he sprinted through on the right hand side and fired across Glennon to make the game safe. The goal was the belated signal for on-loan Kelvin Langmead to replace Billy. But the next significant action saw the Gulls add yet another goal. Graham raced through and Gray was adjudged to have pulled him down inside the box. Steve Woods stepped up and fired home the penalty off the underside of the cross-bar. The scoreline was perhaps a bit harsh on Carlisle but the home team had taken their chances well and handed out a lesson in finishing. Hill, looking for a hat-trick, tested Glennon again with a fierce shot that the burly stopper had to palm away and scramble across his box to grab. Murphy had two decent long-range efforts in quick succession that warmed the palms of Dearden. On 71 minutes Langmead made a good challenge to win the ball and set up McGill whose cross found Farrell's head but Dearden tipped over. United's breakthrough finally came two minutes later when Preece did well to reach the byline on the left and cross, Farrell flicked on to McGill who fired home high into the net. McGill tried to recover the ball, got involved in a fracas and was booked. Gritton had a header deflected wide for a corner. Then Preece did well to deliver a cross that Murphy was inches away from reaching with his head. Al's verdict: Poor defending put us out of the game and we couldn't get back into it. After four unbeaten games, this was a desperately disappointing result and leaves us with a mountain to climb to try and escape the drop. One thing we haven't managed this season is an away clean sheet and we never looked like getting one today. In terms of possession and territory, we might well have shaded it but that poor start put us in trouble and Torquay weren't going to let us pull it back. The need for a striker is evident and we still lack a game-breaker in midfield. A busy week ahead for Simmo I think as he tries to strengthen the squad. |
