|
Blackpool meanwhile made one enforced change to their starting eleven as well, boss Simon Grayson bringing in ex-Manchester United trainee David Fox for Claus Jorgensen, the Faroe Island international missing the match after suffering a groin strain in training. One-time Accrington Stanley man Rory Prendergast coming in for Fox on the bench as the Seasiders set out looking for only their second win in their opening eleven games.
Similar to the Brighton game though, and in a complete reversal of United's early season form, the Blues played well in the opening period again only to fade badly in the second-half once more. The third minute saw Karl Hawley have a Simon Hackney cross nicked off his toes in the 'Pool box by Tangerines skipper Michael Jackson, but it was the visitors who had the opening shot of the game three minutes later. The impressive Simon Gillett, on loan from Southampton, firing a 20-yarder over the top of Keiren Westwood's crossbar following some neat build-up play involving Scott Vernon, Wes Hoolahan and Fox.
The Cumbrians soon came back though and sixty seconds later Hawley's clever chipped pass into the 'Pool box just evaded the run of Chris Lumsdon, visitors keeper Rhys Evans able to pounce on the loose ball. The Seasiders were more than willing to get shots off from distance all night, although more times than not their radar wasn't working, Keith Southern firing just over the top from fully 25 yards out after good work by 'Pool playmaker Hoolahan and Vernon had set up the opportunity.
Ex-Hull City man Ben Burgess was the next Seasider getting a shot in after 12 minutes, the burly frontman firing wide from 15 yards out as he got on the end of a knockdown from Vernon. Carlisle were certainly having the majority of the possession though with the visitors put ten men behind the ball for nearly all of the first-half as they looked to defend deep and catch the Blues out on the break, even when they went 1-0 down.
In the 15th minute an out-swinging corner from the Warwick/East Stand corner was sent in by Hackney, the ball eventually breaking to Kevin Gall 15 yards out at the back-post only for the ex-Yeovil man to hammer a half-volley wide of the target. The breakthrough soon came for United though as they took the lead three minutes later following a prolonged passing move, Hawley receiving a Lumsdon pass and getting past 'Pool left-back Danny Coid inside the right-hand channel before cutting a ball back for Lumsdon, who had continued his run into the Seasiders box, to latch onto just six yards out. The ex-Sunderland schemer celebrating his signing of a two-year contract extension at Brunton Park this week by side-footing the ball powerfully home into the roof of the Seasiders net.
That goal fired up the Cumbrians for by far their best spell in the match and in the 21st minute Evans had to be on-hand to catch a looping Kevin Gray header following a Lumsdon corner into the Blackpool box. Evans looked very dodgy on crosses but he certainly did nothing wrong on 24 minutes as twice he stopped Carlisle doubling their lead after Seasiders right-back Shaun Barker had given away a free-kick for a foul on Hawley. Lumsdon's ball in falling to Hackney 15 yards out on the right who hammered a left-footed volley across goal only for Evans to parry it away, Murphy picking up possession 12 yards out at the far-post only to see his shot fly straight at Evans. The ball pinging straight back to Murphy again, but this time his right-footed effort didn't look goalbound and 'Pool's QPR-loanee Ian Evatt was able to hack the ball away from danger.
Those missed chances for the Blues were the turning point in the game really as if one of them had gone in you could have seen United running out comfortable winners, they didn't though and the Cumbrians wouldn't be. Hoolahan missing a great chance to level matters two minutes later when a nice pass by Fox sent him clear 15 yards out, Arnison came across to close him down but it was still a bad miss by the Irishman as he could only toe-poke a left-footed effort straight at Westwood.
In similar vein to Saturday Hackney tried to head in a Hawley cross from the left moments later but his 12-yard attempt drifted well wide. Just after Lumsdon had fired a half-volley wide from a United corner the visitors had a free-kick appeal for a backpass turned down by referee Eddie Ilderton from Tyne and Wear bang on the half-hour mark, Murphy cutting out a Hoolahan cross with his foot straight into the arms of Westwood on the bounce 12 yards out from his goal-line. Once more the visitors were wasting chances in front of goal after 38 minutes when Burgess took a Hoolahan ball down well on his chest 22 yards out as he burst between Murphy and Gray, his left-footed half-volley certainly didn't match the control though as it flew well over the Carlisle crossbar.
The Seasiders were complaining to the official again on 42 minutes when Hoolahan smashed a left-wing cross-shot straight at the arm of Murphy from about two yards away, the potential penalty certainly looking a lot more like ball to hand than hand to ball as Mr Ilderton waved away the 'Pool protests. The half ended, following one minute of added-on time, with a visitors free-kick 22 yards out on the left-angle of the United box after Gall had brought down Hoolahan. The whistle for the interval soon coming after Gillett had wasted the dead-ball opportunity by firing a weak right-footed effort straight at Westwood.
If the first-half had been relatively comfortable for Carlisle then you certainly couldn't say that about the second period as the visitors had United on the rack for pretty much the whole of the 45 minutes. The Blues defending far too deep, giving the ball away too much upfront with too many long balls up to their small forward line, and more than anything else looking tired as the the exertions of the previous two weeks finally seemed like they were taking their toll.
Hoolahan, on a season-long loan from Livingston, was the man at the centre of everything for Blackpool throughout and it was he who was brought down by Lumsdon 25 yards out from the Blues goal in the 48th minute. Fox stepped up to take the free-kick right-footed but he could only blaze it well over the top. Hoolahan was trying to help the Cumbrians out though seven minutes later when his weak backpass almost let Hawley in, Evans having to race quickly off his line to hack the ball away.
Carlisle were attacking less and less as the game went on but shortly afterwards Gall got away down the right and sent in a good low centre to the Blackpool near-post. Hawley had got across his marker in Jackson but the United striker was unlucky to see his six-yard volley on his left-instep fly straight at Evans. The Seasiders were soon on the front foot again though when Coid stuck in a cross from the left which Barker, raiding down the right, could only head straight at Westwood from ten yards out at the back-post.
Sixty seconds later, as the match went through an end-to-end spell, Evatt conceded a free-kick for a foul on Hawley, Lumsdon sticking the ball in which Burgess headed behind for a United corner under pressure from Murphy. Lumsdon again was the set-piece taker but this time it was Carlisle's Zigor Aranalde first to the ball only for the Spaniard to send his 12-yard header wide of Evans' near-post. Then bang on the hour-mark Gillett sent a testing cross into the Cumbrians box from the left but Vernon wastefully headed it a long way wide of the back-stick.
After 63 minutes the visitors went as close to finding an equaliser as they would all night when they hit the United woodwork. Fox, Vernon and Hoolahan all combining nicely for the latter of the three players to race clear into the Carlisle penalty area down the right-hand channel, once again though Hoolahan's finish didn't match the move when his left-footed toe-poke from 12 yards out hit the outside-base of Westwood's near-post and rebounded away to safety.
Midway through the second period, as the clock seemed to be going backwards from a United perspective, Hoolahan had a long-range shot blocked by Murphy, Vernon picking up on the rebound only to see his powerful effort from 20 yards out held by Westwood at the second attempt at his near-post. Shortly afterwards, with the visitors pouring forward in wave after wave of attacks due to United's inability to hold on to the ball upfront, Fox sent Vernon racing clear down the right. Vernon's cross in seeing Southern have his mid-range shot well blocked out for a corner by Murphy.
The resultant flag-kick in by Fox came closer to being a Carlisle goal than a Blackpool one as Murphy cleared and the Blues broke away on the counter. Hawley picking up on the loose ball and holding play up nicely as he waited for Gall to go on the overlap down the right-hand channel. The pass from Hawley was perfect for the Welshman but his early-season shooting boots seem to have disappeared recently as he could only slice his right-footed effort high and wide from 18 yards out on the right-angle of the Seasiders penalty area.
Blackpool boss Grayson made the first change of the night to his personnel in the 73rd minute when ex-Wrexham hotshot Andy Morrell came on upfront in place of Vernon. Morrell wasted no time in getting involved in the game either when sixty seconds later he laid the ball back into the path of Burgess 25 yards out, the big striker, signed from Hull City for £100,000, was once more off target though as his left-footed curler flew well over the top.
Gillett tried his luck yet again with a 20-yard free-kick, after a run in from his right-wing spot was ended by a foul from Chris Billy on him, that went wide fifteen minutes from the end. Then two minutes later, from incessant Seasiders pressure, Evatt was the wasteful 'Pool player as his downward header from the penalty spot, after a corner in Fox, bounced well wide of the Cumbrians near-post.
United were defending for their lives and were looking desperately tired, although amazingly manager Neil McDonald chose not to bring any fresh legs on, the Seasiders did though as Keigan Parker came on for Fox with nine minutes left as Blackpool threw everyone forward. Parker almost scoring with his first touch as his well-hit 22-yard shot on the turn was parried away by Westwood, Barker was first to the loose ball only to add the glut of missed 'Pool opportunities by blazing well over the bar from the edge of the Cumbrians box.
The 84th minute saw another Seasiders corner come in, this time from Gillett, but once more Burgess was well off-target as he headed wide of the Carlisle near-post from six yards out. The second-half of the match had perhaps been one of the longest and most nerve-racking in recent times for United but all that tension exploded into joy in the 88th minute when the Blues went 2-0 up and put the match to bed. Hawley showing great strength as he bundled his way through Evatt and Jackson as the trio challenged for a long ball up from Paul Thirlwell, the Blues hotshot then showing excellent composure as he chipped his shot over the advancing Evans and into the back of the 'Pool net from the edge of the box to send the majority of Brunton Park into raptures.
You could see the Seasiders visibly slump now as they realised that all of their second-half efforts had come to nothing, the healthy following of 740 away fans, out of an excellent total attendance of 8,401 spectators, also choosing that moment as the time to make their way back down the M6. The last chance for either side coming bang on the 90 minute mark after Hawley had been fouled, yet again, by Evatt 20 yards out on the right-angle of the 'Pool box. Murphy couldn't make the final score a very flattering 3-0 though as his left-footed curler flew inches past Evans' far-post, the final whistle coming on a fingernail-munching 2-0 win after a quiet three minutes of stoppage time.
Post-match quotes :
After the game Carlisle boss Neil McDonald said:
"I felt a sense of relief when Karl Hawley scored, but the game is not all about scoring goals, it's about defending as well. The players worked their socks off tonight and to get a clean sheet and score two goals was brilliant.