Carlisle United took home all three points after beating 10 man Scunthorpe United 1-0 thanks to a volley from Aaron Hayden in what was a very gritty affair at the Attis Arena.
Scunthorpe United were unbeaten in the National League coming into this game and a win today could have seen them climb as far as third in the table whereas Carlisle were looking to rebuild some momentum following their 3-1 victory over Hartlepool on Wednesday.
The game started off tentatively with both sides struggling to really trouble the opposition defence, the only real opportunity in the opening 10 coming for Scunthorpe as Oli Ewing was brought down by Jack Ellis near the edge of the United box, but the free kick was hit well over by Callum Roberts. The hosts upped the ante in the following five minutes or so and forced a couple of good blocks from Archie Davies and Morgan Feeney.
Davies was involved at the other end of the field moments later as his whipped corner from the left side met the head of Aaron Hayden just inside the six yard area but he couldn’t get enough contact as the ball slipped off his head and past Rory Watson’s left hand post.
The visitors started to gain a good level of control of the game after this chance and got their reward in the 20th minute as Davies fired another corner into the area and Hayden, brought into the side following injuries to Terrell Thomas and Bevis Mugabi, squeezed in between two Scunthorpe defenders to volley home from close range and give Carlisle an early lead.
The game entered a gritty period following the goal with refeee Greg Rollason dishing out five yellow cards in the first half for a few arguably soft offences from both sides. Scunthorpe, whose last league defeat came against King’s Lynn in the National League North last season, looked to get back into the game and came close to an opportunity as Tyrell Sellars-Fleming brought down a cross in the area before being quickly snuffed out by the goalscorer Hayden.
The sticky nature of the game came to a real head in the 40th minute as Scunthorpe captain Andrew Boyce, already on a yellow card, was shown a straight red for a nasty challenge on Georgie Kelly, catching Carlisle’s number 9 high on his leg as they both went for the ball, this led to the Iron sacrificing Joey Dawson to bring on Jean Belehouan to plug the gap at the back.
Mark Hughes’ side almost doubled their advantage from the resulting free kick, as Feeney met Cameron Harper’s cross but his header rattled the inside of the right hand post before rolling agonizingly across the goal line and being cleared. Carlisle looked to make their man advantage count before half time as Kelly beat Will Evans to a long ball forward and broke into the area, but his initial left footed shot and the rebound were both saved by Watson as Kelly struggled to keep his balance.
Andy Butler’s side were extremely lucky not to be reduced to 9 men just before half time as Evans caught Junior Luamba with a flying elbow as they both jumped for the ball but somehow only received a yellow card. Luamba was taken down the tunnel following extensive treatment on the pitch and reportedly passed out in the dressing room afterwards, we at Paddock Perception wish Junior a quick recovery from what was a really shocking challenge by Scunthorpe’s number 5.
HALF TIME: Scunthorpe 0 – 1 Carlisle
United came out in the second half unfazed by the injury to Luamba and looked to press the advantage, as Harper hit a right footed shot from distance which was comfortably palmed away by Watson. Scunthorpe were especially struggling to deal with United’s set pieces in this game, and the visitors got a fourth chance from one moments afterwards as substitute Josh Grant headed over a Davies corner from close range.
The Iron had one of the best records in the division coming into this game and looked to justify that fact even with 10 men, enjoying a good spell of posession in the early stages of the first half and creating a good chance in the 64th minute as Zain Westbrooke cut in from the left hand side and slipped the ball right to Ewing, but the ex Buxton man fired his shot well over the bar from just inside the area.
Carlisle knew a win in the game would take them back up to third in the table and looked to increase their advantage minutes later as a positive run from top scorer Regan Linney led to him finding Alex Gilliead on the right flank, his cut back found Stephen Wearne around the penalty spot but his first time effort struck his team mate Kelly on the way to goal and deflected out for a goal kick.
The hosts pushed forward in an attempt to find an equaliser in the later stages of the half and applied a good spell of pressure but were being kept at arm’s length by a stout Carlisle backline, before Carlisle fired back themselves with a couple of efforts from Wearne and Kelly being blocked by Scunthorpe defenders.
The Blues were well and truly on the back foot in the closing stages however and Scunthorpe had a half chance in the early stages of stoppage time as a corner fell to Belehouan but his snapshot flew well over Gabe Breeze’s goal. The hosts weren’t done there however and struck the United woodwork in the 92nd minute as Roberts found substitute Declan Howe with an excellent cross and his header bounced off the right hand post before being hacked away.
Carlisle had a massive chance to put the game beyond all doubt moments later as Kelly broke clear of the Scunthorpe defence before sliding the ball left to Wearne, but his left footed strike from 12 yards flew well over the crossbar. Carlisle stood firm for the remaining minutes however to take home a massive victory and climb back up to 3rd and level with Forest Green after their defeat to York earlier today.
FULL TIME: Scunthorpe 0 – 1 Carlisle: Hayden (20′)
Scunthorpe: Watson, Denton, Evans, Boyce (red 40′), Starbuck, Westbrooke (Howe 76′), Ewing, Beestin, Roberts, Sellars-Fleming (Whitehall 46′), Dawson (Belehouan 42′) Subs Not Used: Chadwick, Horton, Scales, Ubaezounou
Carlisle: Breeze, Davies, Feeney, Hayden, Harper, Ellis, Gilliead (Armstrong 77′), Wearne (Whelan 90+4′), Luamba (Grant 45+9′), Linney (Williams 78′), Kelly. Subs Not Used: Lewis, Ajiboye, Murray
How Did United Perform?
Without trying to sound too negative, i feared this game might have seen a repeat of either the York or Rochdale game for us, as Scunthorpe are one of the real heavy hitters of this division and hadn’t lost up until today, with that said, Carlisle played very well indeed today and fully deserved the 3 points.
Scunthorpe going down to 10 men definitely helped us, but even up to that point we were leading and arguably should have been further in front with the chances we had created. We rode out periods of pressure when we needed to and the entire backline was very solid when called upon, something that you’d have struggled to say about us in recent weeks.
We arguably should have controlled the game a bit better in the second half with a man advantage as our midfield struggled to really keep a firm grasp of the match, but against a side as good as Scunthorpe, you absolutely take a result like today. Once again i send my best wishes to Luamba after the nasty challenge on him which i’m still flabbergasted as to how it wasn’t a red card.
Carlisle Player Ratings:
Breeze: 6 – Don’t think he made a single meaningful save in the game but commanded his area well, distribution questionable once or twice but overall a decent game.
Davies – 8: Fantastic set piece deliveries throughout which caused Scunthorpe problems and defended very well down the right hande side too.
Feeney – 8: Led the backline superbly, made a couple of excellent blocks and was a big voice all the way throughout the match.
Hayden – 9 (MOTM): My personal man of the match, should have scored moments before he actually did but took his goal like a forward and won absolutely everything at the back, looks much more comfortable playing next to Feeney.
Harper – 7: Lost out on a couple of physical battles with his man in dangerous areas but generally defended well and threatened going forward too, almost got an assist when Feeney hit the post.
Ellis – 6: A standard Ellis midfield performance, struggled for control at times but worked hard consistently.
Gilliead – 6: Struggled to impact the game at times but used the ball well when he had it and created a big chance for Wearne.
Wearne – 6: Picked up some great pockets of space and the ball well but really should have had a goal to his name, especially with his second half chance.
Linney – 6: Didn’t impact the game as he usually does but was positive with his running as usual.
Luamba – 6: More direct running which i always like to see and worked hard, shame about the injury he suffered as appeared to be growing into the team.
Kelly – 8: Excellent centre forward performance, couple of slack touches in the first half but grew into it as the game went on, held the ball up superbly and should have had an assist to his name when he set up Wearne.
Subs:
Grant – 8: After a poor debut against Solihull he’s been much improved since then, put in some excellent challenges in the second half to break up Scunthorpe’s attacks
Williams – 7: More positive running kept Scunthorpe on their toes as they pushed for an equaliser, looks much better as a winger than a full back.
Armstrong – 6: Worked hard when he came on but didn’t impact the game much in an unfamiliar left wing role.
Whelan – N/A: Not on long enough.
Please note these are Craig’s opinions and nothing official!
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