Despite a flu bug sweeping Brunton Park, the Cumbrians fielded a fairly strong side, although injury deprived them of Paul Raven who had limped out of Saturday's defeat at Lincoln. Illness accounted for Kevin Henderson, so Craig Farrell and Brian Wake again started up front. Brian Shelley switched to unconventional left back, with Lee Andrews on the right and Will McDonagh coming as a makeshift centre half. The first 20 minutes were dominated by the home side who went two-up quickly. Home debutant Steve Schumacher wasted one great opening before striking the first blow on 3 minutes. Farrell found some space down the right, put in a great deep cross and the onrushing on-loan Evertonian met it with a deft header to beat Huddersfield keeper Ian Gray. 14 minutes into the game it was 2-0. Wake swept into space behind the Town defence to collect Farrell's through ball and drew out Gray before dinking the ball off his shoulder into the right corner of the net. It was finishing of a kind not seen in recent league matches. Lively Brendan McGill twisted and got in a good shot that flew just wide as Carlisle tried to add to their tally. Huddersfield didn't seem to settle until experienced Nigerian international defender Effe Sodje came on near half-time. Top scorer Jon Stead tested Matty Glennon a couple of times as the visitors began to threaten at last and they had the better of the opening exchanges in the second period, without forcing Glennon into any difficult saves. Wake came close on 65 minutes, bringing a save out of Gray after tricking Sodje down the left. Then Craig Russell, on as sub for his first action in over two months stole the ball 40 yards out and fired a stinging drive just over the top of the cross-bar. Glennon was called into action twice near the end, rushing off his line to grab a through ball despite falling over in the act, then making a great reflex palm away from Andy Booth. Al's verdict: Just 1,346 attended this game which should be a lesson to the club's commercial department. A gate of 2,000 could have been attracted had a discount been offered, and still they'd have taken more than they did last night. For those who turned up, £14 was still far too steep even for a much better United performance, although in the LDV we are the masters of winning games that more often than not don't matter. Billy, Farrell and McGill were in excellent form and a good word for Willie McDonagh who slotted in comfortably enough as a centre half. Simpson shows clear signs of being able to make do and mend, which is just as well considering our seemingly never-ending injury and disciplinary problems. Let's hope Wake and co can keep putting away chances like those when the league games return in 11 days time. At least last night should prove a confidence booster, if nothing else. |
