Player-manager Paul Simpson kept faith with the side that defeated Mansfield Town 1-0 three days earlier as he looked to keep the confidence of the team going in this LDV Northern Section first round tie. The only change made being forced on him with Adam Murray laid low by a foot injury. Derek Holmes came in to take his place, meaning Raphael Nade was moved to the right-midfield slot in place of the unfit Murray.
Glenn Murray took the place of Derek Holmes on the bench and Simon Grand replaced Alan O’Brien who had requested not to take part in the game. The Newcastle winger wanted to be left out incase he was loaned out to another side later in the season and was cup-tied for that team in the LDV after turning out for the Blues.
United started the game at the kind of high tempo the Carlisle coaching team has been looking for. After only four minutes good work by Holmes and Chris Lumsdon led to the ball being fed to Hackney on the left-edge of the box but the youngster could only drill his effort just over the angle.
It only took the Blues only sixty seconds longer though to make the breakthrough. A long ball was hit over the top and as Guy Branston misjudged the bounce of the ball Karl Hawley nipped through to slot the ball under the body of the advancing Oldham keeper Chris Day.
Carlisle were still having the better of the game in the early stages and on 16 minutes they almost doubled their lead as Kevin Gray rose high to thump a header from a Lumsdon corner just over the bar.
The game though started to swing end-to-end and a minute later Latics winger Paul Warne played the ball into Andy Liddle from a David Eyres cross but his half-volley was well saved by Keiren Westwood in the United goal.
On 19 minutes good work by Peter Murphy from a United free-kick saw the ball fall again to Zigor Aranalde after his initial header was saved by Day but his effort was well pushed away once more by the keeper for a corner.
Four minutes later Chris Billy gave the ball away in the centre of the park to Warne but as the ball was fed through to Liddell the ex-Wigan frontman could only slice his shot high and wide of the target.
After 26 minutes the home side nearly found an equaliser when Holmes gave a free-kick away 35 yards out from the United goal. The evergreen David Eyres played the ball into Liddell but he could only watch in anguish as Westwood flung himself across goal to tip his header marginally over for the bar for a corner.
Just two minutes on from that Blues right-back David Beherall did well to clear after Liddell and Luke Beckett had dallied too long when the shooting opportunity was there.
Hawley nearly made it two for himself and the Blues just after the half-hour with an excellent individual effort. Taking a long ball down on his knee the ex-Walsall striker hit a lovely dipping half-volley from 22 yards out but it flew just wide.
The United striker was again in the thick of the action on the 37 minute mark when his left-foot shot from 18 yards out went marginally off target as the Blues looked to up the pressure.
Oldham came right back into it though and from an Eyres cross Beckett was unlucky to see his header fly straight into the grateful arms of Westwood.
Shortly before half-time the Cumbrians had a half-chance through Holmes. From an fluffed Oldham clearance the ball fell to the Lanark-born striker on the edge of the home box but he could only send a left-footed effort well wide of the Latics goal.
It was the last action of the first period and United went into the break holding a deserved 1-0 lead.
On 49 minutes Nade did well on the Oldham by-line and crossed a lovely low ball in across the face of goal but Hawley just failed to get a touch on it and the chance was gone.
It was the only bright spot at the start of the half though as Oldham began to put the United defence under a sustained spell of pressure. In the 54th minute Eyres had a curled free-kick deflected away for a corner and four minutes later Liddell blasted another set-piece straight through the Cumbrians honeycomb wall. Westwood did well to parry the rocket but he was grateful to Gray who managed to smuggle the ball away for a corner.
United wasted a free-kick on the edge of the Latics box on the hour-mark, Oldham keeper Day receiving a booking for dissent for protesting about the decision too strongly to referee Kevin Wright.
Blues midfielder Billy was the next in the book five minutes later when he was pulled up for a late lunge on Oldham midfielder Mark Hughes.
United’s luckiest escape of the night came in the 67th minute as Oldham scored a goal that wasn’t. Eyres swung in a corner under the United bar which Westwood could only punch up in the air for Beckett to steal in on from three yards out and head goalwards. Gray managed to boot the ball away but it did look to have crossed the line with only assistant referee John Stokes able to explain how he thought the ball had not gone in.
Oldham were really hammering at the Blues rearguard now and wasted a couple of good chances in the space of two minutes shortly afterwards. Firstly, Rob Scott shot well over after a poor clearance from Nade then Beckett was sent by clear by Richie Wellens after a weak Murphy header but the ex-Chesterfield striker could only shoot meekly wide.
There was bad news for United in the 75th minute when skipper Kevin Gray hobbled off in a lot of pain with an ankle injury. Gray must be rated doubtful at best for the league trip to Notts County on Saturday.
Things just got worse for the Blues from then on, Simon Grand replaced Gray and with his first work of the game Grand gave away a penalty. As Wellens ran into the box Grand stumbled over and left the referee no choice but to the point to the spot as he took the Oldham midfielder with him on his way to the turf.
Liddell stepped up to dispatch the spot-kick easily past Westwood to level the scores but it didn’t turn out to be the last penalty of the match by a long way.
Almost directly after the Oldham equaliser Glenn Murray replaced the tiring Holmes as United looked to start defending better from the front again.
On 84 minutes the otherwise impressive Oldham substitute Chris Hall mishit a good opportunity inside the box and only succeeded in blasting the ball wide of the goal.
A minute later Eyres, belying his 41 years, crossed a good ball in from the left and Westwood did well to hold onto Hall’s header as he ran onto the ball in.
Extra-time was looming now and United couldn’t change that two minutes from the end when Glenn Murray made a run to the by-line and hooked a good ball back into the box but the onrushing Nade blazed well over after taking the ball down on his chest.
The Blues made their final substitution shortly before the 90 minutes elapsed bringing on Jamie McClen for Simon Hackney.
Both sides seemed to tire as extra-time wore on and the last minutes felt like kickabout stuff as neither team looked too disheartened at the prospect of penalties.
In the 99th minute Glenn Murray headed narrowly wide from a McClen cross then two minutes later United were desperately unlucky not to score. Lumsdon hit a free-kick into the Oldham box which somehow found it’s way to the goal-line only to seemingly impart backspin and fall straight into the hands of Day.
Four minutes later Billy gave the ball away in midfield to Eyres who cut in from the left beating three players as he ran across the edge of the United box. He should have had a shot on goal but instead laid the ball off to Liddell who only managed to blast the ball well over the Cumbrians bar.
With almost the last action of the first period of extra-time Grand went close when his header from a Lumsdon corner was caught just underneath the crossbar by Day who was having a steady game in the Oldham goal.
The second period really saw the pace slow down and the only real action saw McClen go into the book following a late lunge on Wellens.
So it was on to penalties which were taken as follows :
United - Chris Lumsdon scores 1-0
Oldham - Andy Liddell scores 1-1
United - Karl Hawley scores 2-1
Oldham - Paul Warne scores 2-2
United - Peter Murphy scores 3-2
Oldham - David Eyres scores 3-3
United - Simon Grand scores 4-3
Oldham - Chris Hall scores 4-4
United - Zigor Aranalde scores 5-4
Oldham - Chris Porter scores 5-5
United - Jamie McClen scores 6-5
Oldham - Mark Hughes misses (saved Westwood) 6-5
United win 6-5 on penalties
Westwood's excellent save resulted in a rather subdued celebration from the 216 travelling United fans compared to the penalty shoot-out against Aldershot as United went through to the second round of the competition.
It was a good performance against higher league opposition although lets hope the extra 30 minutes doesn't take it's toll in the more important league encounter at Notts County on Saturday. A game which United will go into with renewed confidence against a Magpies outfit who haven't won in nine games and have shipped 14 goals in their last five matches.
One worrying thing to come out of the game was the injury to Kevin Gray, he seemed to be in a lot of pain so it remains to be seen how long he will be out injured for. Luckily centre-half is a position in which United have a lot cover this season so it shouldn't cause the dip in form that it did in the last campaign.