Carlisle grabbed their first league win of the season at Edgeley Park this evening to leave cash-strapped County still looking for their maiden victory. The difference between the sides off the pitch partly shown by a player for either team. Opening goalscorer Kevan Hurst, signed yesterday by the visitors for a fee of up to £145,000, featuring for Carlisle while Stockport were unable to field Liam Bridcutt, a loanee from Chelsea, due to stringent Football League rules on squad sizes while in administration.
Despite the handicap of being down to 19 players, some of which should really be in the youth team, with Matty Mainwaring sidelined due to a broken leg, the Hatters still were the better side in the first half. Carl Baker and Danny Pilkington both going close with shots very early on before Carlisle's Scott Dobie replied with a looping header easily caught by Owain Fon Williams in the County goal on eight minutes.
Graham Kavanagh and Baker then exchanging fruitless efforts on goal before that man Hurst did find the target after 13 minutes. The former Scunthorpe winger picking his spot after being fed in by the impressive Tom Taiwo to curl a lovely effort with the outside of his boot from the right across goal and into the far top corner from 15 yards out, Fon Williams left with no chance of stopping the exquisite finish.
Before Carlisle's 527 fans had stopped celebrating though the Hatters found an equaliser through an opposition player. Richard Keogh diving just inside his penalty area to try to head clear a Baker cross only to send his attempted clearance looping over the top of goalkeeper Lenny Pidgeley and into his own net.
James Vincent then wasted a good shooting opportunity for Stockport moments later when, clear in on goal, he foolishly tried to square the ball to Pilkington and lost possession, that coming after Pilkington himself had fired a 20-yarder over the top. The game then settling down with no clear chances created until the last minute of the half when a cross in saw Pidgeley flapping and David Poole unable to get the loose ball on target as he half-volleyed goalwards.
The game became to end-to-end in the second period and Pidgeley was forced to make a good tip over from a Michael Rose cross in the 48th minute before Matty Robson sent a curling ball in which landed on the roof of the County net with Fon Williams stranded. Dobie then failing with two half-chances for the visitors as he first hit a long-range effort straight at Fon Williams and then sent a header from a Hurst corner over the top.
Carlisle, who stepped up in the pace noticeably in the second period against the young Hatters, did though regain the lead just before the midway point in the half when Hurst's ball in found Joe Anyinsah with his back to goal ten yards out at the back-post. Anyinsah quickly turning his marker before firing a close-range shot under the body of Fon Williams, who could perhaps have done better in his efforts to block.
Fon Williams even more helpless after 71 minutes when a lovely sweeping move forward from the visitors on the break saw right-back David Raven raiding up only to somehow send a diving header from a Robson ball in across goal but inches wide of the target as everyone expected the net to bulge. Carlisle debutant Hurst then making a bit of space for himself before firing well over the County crossbar as the minutes began to tick by.
The game really moved up a gear as Stockport pressed forward for an equaliser and the visitors found room in behind with their pace upfront and on the flanks. Rose having a free-kick well held by Pidgeley with bodies in front of him and then seeing his corner hit the outside of the Carlisle near-post as Taiwo misjudged the flight of the ball in from the County left-back.
Michael Raynes then sending a header wide from an Oli Johnson cross before Anyinsah wasted a big chance to put the result beyond doubt for Carlisle as he shot straight into the legs of Fon Williams when one-on-one with the home keeper in the 90th minute. County's last half-chances to grab a late equaliser coming in injury time when Pidgeley easily saved Johnson's shot and then finally Greg Tansey hit a long-range effort, after good work from Rose and Baker, high into an emptying Cheadle End.