On Saturday, Mark Hughes and his Carlisle United side make the long trip to the south coast to take on Kevin Maher’s Southend United.
Both sides have been in excellent form as of late and this game promises to be a really good game of football.
How Have Both Teams Been Performing?
The Shrimpers won every game in October in all competitions and only conceded one goal. Those games included comfortable wins over Aldershot, Morecambe and Brackley as well as a cup win over Folkestone. Their winning run did come to an end at the hands of Wealdstone in the FA Cup though.
Last time out, Southend United earned a last gasp 1-1 draw at Woking.
The Cumbrians are unbeaten in their last seven games in all competitions. Those seven games include wins over Hartlepool, Scunthorpe and Forest Green in the National League, a draw away to Yeovil and two FA Cup victories over Boston and Reading.
Last time out, Carlisle United comfortably beat Halifax Town 2-0 at Brunton Park.
Players To Watch
Gus Scott-Morriss
The 28-year-old wing back has been and is one of the Southend’s biggest threats going forward. Southend play with two fantastic wing backs and they get up and down both flanks incredibly well and will create chances and score goals.
Last season in the National League Scott-Morris scored 17 goals and so far this season he has 3 goals and 2 assists to his name.
Harry Boyes
The 24-year-old wing back has all the same qualities as his fellow wing back and will cause Carlisle problems with his deliveries from set pieces as well. Boyes joined from Sheffield United in the summer and has had a great season so far. His ability to create for the Southend attacking players has been something of a standout for him so far this season.
Harry Boyes has 4 assists so far this season and is always a threat down the left wing given the Southend system.
Andrew Dallas
The 26-year-old striker has been Southend’s top goalscorer this season since joining on loan in the summer. His movement in the box and runs to stretch defence make him a nightmare for defenders to contest with. With the service from the wing backs and the creative midfielders Dallas will be a handful for the Carlisle defence and if the Cumbrians are to get a result they will need to keep Dallas quiet.
Andrew Dallas has 7 goals to his name so far this season in the National League.
Slavi Spasov
The 23-year-old striker has somewhat played second fiddle to Dallas this season but has found form in recent weeks. He will drop deep and pick up the ball and look to link up with the other Southend forwards, he will look to stretch the defence with intelligent runs as well.
He may not start the game but he will certainly be a player to watch out for off the bench. Spasov has 3 goals and 1 assist in the National League so far this season.
Another player to look out for is former Carlisle United player Jack Bridge, he scored the equaliser after coming off the bench against Woking
Why change a winning team? The only change I can see Mark Hughes making is enforced with injuries to Hayden and Thomas so I think Ellis will start after impressing against Halifax.
My Score Prediction
Southend United 2-2 Carlisle United
Two in form sides that will cause each other problems in defence so I think there will be goals in this one. Southend are strong at home and don’t concede many and Carlisle haven’t been as convincing on the road as they are at home so I think this could be close.
I’m going for a draw but an entertaining one between two good sides.
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Thank you everyone for reading Paddock Perception, your support means everything! Please don’t forget you can follow Dan and Craig on X for more football content:
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Carlisle United extended their unbeaten run in the National League to 5 games and moved to the top of the National League as Junior Luamba’s first two goals for the club gave them a comfortable win over a hard working Halifax side.
United, who were looking to continue their momentum after their thrilling comeback victory over Reading in the FA Cup, were unsettled before the game kicked off after an injury to Aaron Hayden in the pre match warm up forced Mark Hughes to introduce the only recently fit Terrell Thomas back into the starting XI for the first time since the 3-1 win over Hartlepool on October 1.
Carlisle were then struck another blow in the opening minutes of the game after Thomas was forced off with an injury which saw him leave the field on a stretcher meaning Jack Ellis, who originally wasn’t even in the matchday squad, was introduced at centre back after just 6 minutes of the game. This seemed to unsettle the hosts a little and Halifax had a great chance not long after as a great low cross from Owen Bray found Jamie Cooke, but the ex Colne man could only curl his effort wide of the right hand post.
The Blues started to find their rhythm after this chance and opened te scoring in the 15th minute as a pass round the corner by Chris Conn-Clarke found Regan Linney who drove infield from the left before feeding Junior Luamba just inside the area on the right, and his deflected shot found its way past Sam Johnson to give the ex Salford man his first goal in a United shirt.
Hughes’ side really ramped up the pressure on the Shaymen following the opening goal and Luamba had another chance in the 20th minute as Conn-Clarke broke through the middle of the pitch before slipping the ball to him, but his shot was palmed out by Johnson before being cleared. Top scorer Linney would threaten 15 minutes later as he received a throw from Cameron Harper on the left before coming inside and unleashing a 25 yard strike which just found its way past the far post.
The rest of the half saw a lot of stoppages through minor injuries which disrupted United’s momentum, Adam Lakeland’s side found some ground with some dangerous counter attacks but Carlisle kept them at arm’s length to take a 1-0 lead into the half time interval.
HALF TIME: Carlisle 1 – 0 Halifax
The second half began largely as the first half ended with quite a lot of gritty long ball football and some niggly fouls from both sides before Halifax found the first half chance as a great passing move from the visitors led to a long range effort from Bray comfortably finding its way into the hands of Gabe Breeze, United responded quickly moments later as Linney slipped the ball into Luamba who blazed well over the bar from a tricky angle.
The hosts ramped up the pressure in the 60th minute as a Harper corner was flicked towards goal by Georgie Kelly, but his effort went wide of the left hand post. United’s corners were causing Halifax plenty of problems and deliveries from both sides were met by Kelly and Feeney before Linney fired an effort over the bar from just outside the area, Conn-Clarke then had an effort easily saved by Johnson after driving from deep to the edge of the 18 yard box.
After Rochdale’s match against Scunthorpe was called off, Hughes’ side knew that a win would take them to the top of the National League, and they made that a real probability in the 68th minute as another low corner from Harper was diverted towards goal by Feeney and eventually turned in by Luamba for the winger’s second goal of the evening. Kelly thought he’d put the game beyond any reasonable doubt 5 minutes later as yet another corner fell to him 12 yards out but his thumping effort was stopped by an incredible save from Johnson in the Halifax goal.
After their heroics on the weekend, United knew there was no room for complacency and continued to look to extend their lead as a low cross from Luamba was only cleared as far as substitute Stephen Wearne just inside the area, but his volley was hit straight at Johnson and well saved by the Halifax veteran.
Luamba had been a threat to the visitors’ defence all evening and came close to bagging his hat trick in the last minute of normal time as he dribbled through the middle of two defenders from the left flank, but another great save from Johnson kept the score at 2-0. The Shaymen had a late flourish in the game and Archie Davies had to be sharp to block a goalbound effort from Will Hugill, but it wasn’t enough to properly trouble Carlisle, who secured the three points and a spot atop the National League table.
FULL TIME: Carlisle 2 – 0 Halifax: Luamba (15′, 68′)
Carlisle haven’t had too many unremarkable, no dramas, no frills wins this season but this was certainly one of those games as we largely looked comfortable against a Halifax side that, while poor on the night, have taken a couple of great results from big sides this season so far. Luamba’s two goals capped off a fantastic performance from him, Macadam was excellent in the midfield and Ellis put in a great shift at the back considering he wasn’t even meant to be in the squad to begin with.
Breeze didn’t have any saves of note to make in the game and, while our play could certainly have been a bit more fluid at points especially in the first half, we played a lot of good stuff at points and we saw an overall very good team performance which keeps our momentum going into another tricky game on the weekend against an in form Southend side.
Carlisle Player Ratings
Breeze – 6: Largely untroubled, commanded his area well on crosses and set pieces.
Davies – 7: Very lively going forward, linked up with Luamba well and did his defensive duties effectively
Feeney – 7: Good commanding performance from him, a constant threat from set pieces.
Thomas – N/A: Off injured early, hopefully his injury isn’t too a serious one.
Harper – 7: Similar to Davies, worked well with Linney on the left, set piece delivery was excellent and defended well too.
Gilliead – 7: Another good performance from arguably the most consistent player in the side, made some great recovery challenges especially in the first half.
Macadam – 8: One of his best performances in a United shirt, used the ball exceptionally well and his physicality in the midfield made it very hard for Halifax, gave the ball away poorly once in the first half but recovered it well.
Conn-Clarke – 7: Started off superbly and picked up some dangerous positions, faded a little after the half an hour mark but always looked like he was going to make something happen
Linney – 7: One of his quieter nights in a Carlisle shirt but still looked dangerous whenever he got on the ball, had Halifax on edge with his running and got the assist for Luamba’s opener.
Luamba – 9 (MoTM): Immense performance from him tonight, as well as his two goals his dribbling was superb and he looked full of confidence, also tracked back very well and made a couple of excellent challenges in the first half.
Kelly – 7: Good selfless hold up play as usual from the big man, very unlucky not to score in the second half.
Subs:
Ellis – 7: Really solid performance after his unexpected appearance early in in an unusual centre half position
Wearne – 6: Looked lively when he came on and could have scored, a great asset to come off the bench.
Armstrong – N/A: Not on long enough to judge.
Please note these are Craig’s opinions and nothing official!
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Thank you everyone for reading Paddock Perception, your support means everything! Please don’t forget you can follow Dan and Craig on X for more football content:
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On Tuesday, Adam Lakeland brings his Halifax Town side to Brunton Park to take on Mark Hughes’ Carlisle United in the National League
Both teams have been in good form in the league as of late and both teams can score goals so this promises to be an excellent game of football.
How Have Both Teams Been Performing?
The Cumbrians last five National League games include a defeat to Rochdale, three wins against Hartlepool, Scunthorpe and Forest Green and a draw against Yeovil. Last time out Carlisle beat League One side Reading 3-2 after extra time in an FA Cup classic.
Carlisle United are currently in third place in the National League and are one point behind league leaders Rochdale
The Shaymen have also been in good form and in their last five National League fixtures they have wins of Aldershot, Rochdale and Brackley, they have a draw against York but they did also lose to struggling Truro. Last time out Halifax lost 2-0 at home to League One side Exeter City in the FA Cup
Halifax Town are currently in eighth place and are just two points outside the play off places in the National League.
Players To Watch
Owen Bray
The 22-year-old midfielder has had a great start to the season with Halifax and has shown a real eye for goal and has creativity that helps the attackers as well. He will be a live wire in the midfield and will look to get forward so the Carlisle midfield will have to keep track of his runs from there.
Bray has four goals and three assists so far this season and his goal count is already double of what he achieved last season.
Jamie Cooke
The 23-year-old midfielder has been a constant in recent years for the Shaymen, his creativity, football IQ and ability to thread a pass for the forwards is something that Halifax like to use a lot. He likes to keep the ball ticking over and tries to be the starting point of attacks for Adam Lakeland’s side.
Cooke has three goals and one assist so far this season in all competitions.
Will Harris
The 25-year-old striker is another of the in form Halifax forwards that will cause the Cumbrians problems here. He and David Kawa have linked up well this season and their goals have been integral in Halifax’s turnaround in fortunes since their poor start.
Harris has six goals and two assists in all competitions so far this season and has three goals and an assist in his last six games.
Josh Hmami
The 25-year-old midfielder is arguably Halifax’s most in form player right now, he has four goals in his last six games for the Shaymen. Very much like Bray mentioned earlier his runs from midfield and ability to find space to create and score goals will be something the Carlisle defensive players will have to keep a close eye on in this one.
Hmami has seven goals and one assist so far this season in all competitions.
At this point of the season is become obvious which system and which players work for Mark Hughes so as always the keeper and back four pick themselves, Williams seems to be first choice down the right at the moment, Gilliead is a sure fire starter every week and Conn-Clarke, Linney and Kelly create so many chances and score goals I can’t see them dropping out either.
With the Cumbrians playing 120 minutes at the weekend there may be more rotation that Hughes may have initially planned on.
The only position that seems up for grabs is the defensive midfield place and that’s between Ellis and Grant, both can do a job but I prefer Ellis there personally.
My Score Prediction
Carlisle United 3-1 Halifax Town
Adam Lakeland’s side will be a tough game, they have already won at Rochdale so they aren’t shy of big results away from home this season but that being said I think the fire power Mark Hughes’ side has will be too much for their defence that has leaked goals at times this season.
I think the game will be tight and maybe only settled by the odd goal but maybe a late goal to make the scoreline look more comfortable than game actually was is my prediction.
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Thank you everyone for reading Paddock Perception, your support means everything! Please don’t forget you can follow Dan and Craig on X for more football content:
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On Saturday, Mark Hughes takes his Carlisle United side to Berkshire to take on League One side Reading in the first round of the FA Cup.
Reading have just parted ways with manager Noel Hunt after a disappointing start to the season and appointed Leam Richardson as his replacement.
Carlisle have enjoyed a very good start to life in the National League. Could there be a classic FA Cup shock on the cards here?
How Have Both Teams Been Playing?
Reading despite sacking their manager this week have two wins, two draws and one defeat in their last five games in all competitions. Reading have beaten MK Dons the EFL trophy and Northampton in the league, they have drawn with Exeter and Reading and they lost to Cardiff also in the league.
The Royals are currently in 19th place in League One and are two points above the relegation places.
The Cumbrian’s recent form has been nearly perfect. Mark Hughes side have won four and drawn one of their last five games in all competitions. Carlisle have beaten Boston in the FA Cup, beaten Hartlepool, Scunthorpe and Forest Green in the league and last time out drew away to Yeovil Town.
Carlisle United are currently in 3rd place in the National League and are one point behind the leaders Rochdale.
Players To Watch
Lewis Wing
The 30-year-old midfielder is the talisman for this Reading side, his quality in midfield, runs from midfield and goal contributions have been a constant in a turbulent time for the club since he joined from Wycombe Wanderers in 2023. If Reading are to win this game I think Wing will have a major part to play in that.
Lewis Wing has three goals and three assists so far this season for Reading despite their poor start to the season.
Jack Marriott
The 31-year-old experience striker has scored goals at every club he’s played for in the EFL. He is a fox in the box and knows how to finish but his movement off the ball could cause the blues’ back line some problems here. Marriott has been injured in recent works but could be back for this game so he may not start but could be a danger off the bench.
Jack Marriott has six goals and one assist to his name so far this season.
Charlie Savage
The 22-year-old has been one of the more consistent performers so far this season in a struggling team. His ability to get on the ball and thread passes in to the attackers and keep attacks flowing is something in particular Carlisle will have to pay attention to.
I’m sure his dad will have had a word with his son to get one over on the Cumbrians here.
Daniel Kyerewaa
The 24-year-old will play out wide and his pace and ability to whip balls in to dangerous areas will cause Carlisle problems. The winger came through the youth system at German side Schalke before his move to Reading and is still finding his feet but he could cause the Carlisle full backs some problems if he’s playing well.
Kyerewaa has one goal and one assist so far this season and will be looking to improve those statistics here.
I think Hughes will rotate in certain areas but will want his side to have the best chance to get a result so will still go relatively strong.
After playing in the previous round, Lewis may start again. The back four picks itself right now due to form and injuries. I think Ellis may come in to the midfield ahead of Grant, Macadam has earned a start after his last two games off the bench. Up front Conn-Clarke and Linney should play and if Luamba is fully fit it’s between him and Williams for the right wing position and Kelly has played a lot in the league so I think Armstrong may get the nod in this one.
My Score Prediction
Reading 2-1 Carlisle United
This game is a bit of a free hit for the blues, it wasn’t so long ago we were playing teams like Reading in League One but I think with the new manager bounce and their superior quality they will just have too much for us.
Reading have lots of players that can hurt us defensively as mentioned above and Carlisle will have to be on top form to get a result here.
All that being said, the FA Cup can spring surprises and if Carlisle get an early goal anything could happen on any given day.
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Thank you everyone for reading Paddock Perception, your support means everything! Please don’t forget you can follow Dan and Craig on X for more football content:
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You can also watch Dan every week hosting on The National League Lowdown podcast on YouTube or you can listen to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Carlisle United came away from Huish Park frustrated after being held to a 1-1 draw by a dogged Yeovil Town side. A great strike from substitute Harvey Macadam cancelled out an own goal from captain Morgan Feeney.
The Blues came into this away trip full of confidence after a thrilling home win last week over fellow high fliers Forest Green but struggled to get into the game in the early goings, with their only chance in the opening 10 minutes coming as Chris Conn-Clarke found himself just inside the area before cutting inside and curling an effort half a yard wide of the far right hand post.
Conn-Clarke was getting a lot of the ball in the opening minutes and received the ball from Josh Williams moments later just outside the area before turning onto his right foot and hitting a low shot just past the left hand post of the Yeovil goal.
The Glovers were looking to arrest their recent slump in front of their own fans following heavy defeats against Boreham Wood and Rochdale and found themselves in front 15 minutes in as George Nurse, who joined on loan from Shrewsbury Town this month, hit an inswining corner to the near post which struck the head of Carlisle captain Morgan Feeney under pressure from Tahvon Campbell and flew into the corner of Gabe Breeze’s goal to put the hosts ahead.
Mark Hughes, serving a touchline ban for this game after incurring three yellow cards, watched his side struggle to really trouble the hosts’ defence after going behind with their only real efforts coming from long range and being comfortably dealt with by Town keeper Jed Ward.
In fact it was Richard Dryden’s side that came closest to finding their second goal after Andrew Oluwabori nicked the ball from Feeney before driving at the Carlisle defence, but he ultimately hit his shot well wide of the goal.
HALF TIME: Yeovil 1 – 0 Carlisle
The second half started largely evenly matched with Carlisle firing a few warning shots towards the Glovers but the hosts’ pressing was largely stopping United from settling on the ball. Carlisle did have the best opportunity of the opening 15 minutes of the half however as Josh Williams got in behind Nurse down the right flank, but his attempt to find Georgie Kelly in the middle was easily cut out.
Yeovil were looking to surge into the top half of the table with a win here and came somewhat close to doubling their advantage moments later as a free kick was only cleared as far as Jake Wannell on the edge of the area, whose low effort was clawed away by Breeze before the United keeper pounced on the ball just before the onrushing Campbell could get there.
United meanwhile knew that a win here could potentially see them move to the top of the National League and they found an equaliser in the 68th minute as talisman Regan Linney superbly jinked past a couple of defenders on the left wing before finding Conn-Clarke inside, who slipped the ball to substitute Harvey Macdam before the ex Morecambe man lashed a left footed shot straight into the top right corner to give the Cumbrians an equaliser.
Carlisle looked to keep their momentum going and could have found themselves in front moment later when Archie Davies nicked the ball from Aaron Jarvis before Linney ran 60 yards to the Yeovil area before opting to shoot, but his low effort was easily saved by Ward in the Glovers’ goal.
Linney saw another opportunity to take the lead moments later as a Junior Luamba low cross was cleared only as far as the ex Altrincham man and he hit a beautiful volley towards the top left corner, but his effort fizzed just past the woodwork much to the relief of the Yeovil faithful.
The hosts had a great chance of their own to take the lead 5 minutes later as Campbell stole in ahead of Aaron Hayden to meet a low cross from Luke McCormick, but his effort was hit well over the bar from close range. Moments later, Jarvis met another great corner by Nurse inside the 6 yard box, but his header also had too much elevation on it.
Both sides tried to find a winner in the last few minutes of the game but defences ultimately prevailed and saw the encounter end in what was probably a deserved draw.
This was far from a vintage performance by Carlisle today as they really struggled overall to maintain control in the game as Yeovil’s tenacity and energy made it hard for us to properly assert ourselves as we have in recent weeks. Linney always looked threatening when he got on the ball as he usually does and Williams troubled Yeovil with his positive running but we struggled especially in the midfield area to properly give them the support they needed, and the full backs again found it hard to deal with Yeovil’s wide men.
Four games unbeaten is a good run however and if we can step it up again in the next couple of league games we might look back on this as a decent point gained.
Carlisle Player Ratings
Breeze: 5 – Couldn’t do much about Yeovil’s goal but distribution was off at points and almost presented Campbell with a chance in the second half as he clawed a shot away.
Davies: 5 – Struggled at points defensively and his deliveries into the area were poor.
Hayden: 7 – Had a good game despite his yellow card, had superiority in the air and dealt with crosses into the area well.
Feeney: 5 – Unusually off game for him, didn’t deal with the corner for Yeovil’s goal and was robbed of the ball to present them with an opportunity later in the half too, did improve in the second period though.
Harper: 5 – Didn’t offer a lot going forward and didn’t look all that comfortable going the other way either.
Gilliead: 6 – Another quiet game for him but he made a few good challenges in the midfield before being withdrawn.
Grant: 5 – Never really got into the game and i’m quite surprised he lasted the full 90.
Conn-Clarke: 6 – Got a lot of the ball in the first half and looked threatening but often struggled to find the right pass, but did get the assist for Macadam’s equaliser.
Linney: 7 – Massive part to play in United’s goal with some great feet before he found Conn-Clarke and had a couple of decent attempts on goal.
Williams: 7 – Looked positive with his running in the first half, stole in behind Nurse early on in the second and i was surprised he came off when he did.
Kelly: 5 – Never really got into the game and struggled to link up play like he’s normally so good, rarely got a sniff of goal.
Subs
Macadam – 7: Offered great energy going forward and took his goal superbly, especially on his weaker foot.
Luamba – 6: Did okay but never really looked like causing Yeovil any real problems.
Jones – 6: On late but did have Yeovil on edge when he drove forward with the ball at his feet.
Please note these are Craig’s opinions and nothing official!
A Message From Paddock Perception
Thank you everyone for reading Paddock Perception, your support means everything! Please don’t forget you can follow Dan and Craig on X for more football content:
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You can also watch Dan every week hosting on The National League Lowdown podcast on YouTube or you can listen to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
On Saturday, Mark Hughes takes his in form Carlisle United side to Huish Park to take on Yeovil Town.
Yeovil will be looking to get back to winning ways having won three games in a row in September but followed it up by losing three in a row in October. Carlisle United will be looking for a fifth win in a row in all competitions and to try and overtake Rochdale at the top of the National League.
How Have Both Teams Been Performing?
Yeovil have had a mixed start to the season and have change their manager so their inconsistency is understandable. In their last five games they have beaten Altrincham and Sutton before losing to Boreham Wood, Hemel Hempstead in the FA Cup and last time to our lost comfortably to Rochdale away from home.
Richard Dryden’s side at currently in mid table in 12th place with 19 points from their first 15 games.
The Cumbrians have recovered well from a minor blip and their defeats to York and Rochdale with three straight wins in the league and a cup win as well. In their last five games Mark Hughes’ side has lost to Rochdale but beat Hartlepool, Scunthorpe, Boston in the FA Cup and last time out they beat Forest Green at Brunton Park.
The blues are currently 2nd in the National League with 32 points from their first 15 games.
Players To Watch
Junior Morias
The 30-year-old striker is the Glovers’ top scorer so far this season with four goals and one assist to his name. His eye for goal and movement int he final third will keep the Carlisle United defence guessing. If the home side do get chances they will want them to fall to Morias.
Tahvon Campbell
The 28-year-old forward may not start the game but could make an impact of the bench. Campbell’s pace will cause the blues’ defence some issues and his ability to get by his man will be something the full backs in particular will have to be wary of. Campbell has two goals and one assist to his name so far this season.
Josh Sims
The 28-year-old winger has heaps of experience having playing for Southampton in the Premier League, New York Red Bulls in the MLS and Ross County in the SPFL. Sims’ ability to get up and down the pitch and create chances for the attackers are his biggest attributes but he also has an eye for goal as well. Sims has two goals and one assist to his name so far this season.
Luke McCormick
The 26-year-old midfielder will look to get his foot on the ball and dictate the pace of the game. McCormick came through the well respected Chelsea academy before playing for Bristol Rovers, Shrewsbury and Forest Green. If Carlisle are to win this game they will have to stop this man in the midfield battle. McCormick has three goals and one assist to his name so far this season
I think the keeper and back four pick themselves right now. Grant struggled in midfield against Forest Green so I think Ellis will come back in to that holding midfield role but other than that why would Mark Hughes change a winning side?!
The pace of Williams could be vital on the break in an away game where the home side may have a lot of the ball.
I’m eager to see more of Conn-Clarke and Linney linking up and Kelly leading the line brilliantly like he has in recent weeks as well.
My Score Prediction
Yeovil Town 1-2 Carlisle United
Yeovil are a side that can perform well at times and especially at home so this will not be easy for the Cumbrians but I think with the pace and clinical edge in the final third Carlisle should have too much quality for Yeovil.
Yeovil are in poor form and Carlisle are in great form so on paper it looks a forgone conclusion but as we all know football isn’t played on paper. Yeovil will pose a threat and Carlisle can’t take anything for granted here.
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Thank you everyone for reading Paddock Perception, your support means everything! Please don’t forget you can follow Dan and Craig on X for more football content:
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You can also watch Dan every week hosting on The National League Lowdown podcast on YouTube or you can listen to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
In any good team that a pushing for promotion you will have the star players who get a lot of the headlines but you also need players that are consistent.
I’m going to be looking three players that have been consistent so far this season and are just as important to Mark Hughes’ side’s great start to the season.
Regan Linney
The 28-year-old forward has been a revelation since joining from Altrincham in the summer. Linney falls in the category of being consistent and a star player and that is a rarity. Linney has scored a variety of goals, lead from the front and his goals have won the blues some huge games so far this season.
Linney has 11 goals and 3 assists in 15 games this season and along with Georgie Kelly and Luke Armstrong is our main goal threat every week.
Archie Davies
The 27-year-old full back is something of an unsung hero in my opinion. Defensively he’s solid and rarely puts a foot wrong but along with that he offers an outlet with his runs forward and creates chances for the attackers as well.
You will always get a solid performance from Davies and rarely makes a defensive mistake but he maybe still needs to work on his final product in the final third.
Alex Gilliead
The 29-year-old midfielder only joined the club in September but his work in midfield hasn’t gone unnoticed. He breaks down attacks from the oppositions, recycles the ball well, he remains calm in the midfield even when under pressure and he makes the other midfielders around him better. Jack Ellis in particular looks a lot more comfortable in midfield alongside Gilliead.
Hopefully Mark Hughes will be able to extend Alex Gilliead’s deal because his consistency in midfield could be key to Carlisle United’s promotion hopes.
Honourable Mentions
I have already written an article praising Morgan Feeney in recent weeks but I wanted to quickly highlight how good he has been since he came in to the side and how he has improved the defenders around him.
Gabe Breeze in goal has been solid all season and has installed faith in to his defence by commanding his area and he’s growing in confidence with every passing week.
A Message From Paddock Perception
Thank you everyone for reading Paddock Perception, your support means everything! Please don’t forget you can follow Dan and Craig on X for more football content:
@dan_batemannn
@CraigWL1997
You can also watch Dan every week hosting on The National League Lowdown podcast on YouTube or you can listen to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Carlisle United moved into second place in the National League after an exhilarating 4-2 win over fellow promotion contenders Forest Green thanks to goals from Harvey Macadam and Georgie Kelly and a brace from top scorer Regan Linney.
There was an intense atmosphere at Brunton Park from the off as Forest Green manager Robbie Savage was immediately drawing some flak from the home support, this was underlined by some heated reactions to some questionable bookings received by a couple of United players in the early goings of the match.
The Blues fired the first warning shot however as Chris Conn-Clarke, making his league debut for the club, tried to catch the visitors’ defence out, playing a deep free kick into the inside right channel of the box and finding the run of Regan Linney, but the chance was quickly snuffed out by the Forest Green defence.
Savage’s side had hit a rough patch of form coming into this game taking just one point from the previous three matches, but looked to find the opener in the 9th minute as an in swinging corner from Jayden Clarke was flicked across goal by the boot of Ryan Inniss before the resulting scramble was somehow eventually cleared.
Mark Hughes’ side were coming into this game with a lot of confidence in their attack following last weekend’s 5-2 win against Boston in the FA Cup and found the opener in the 18th minute as Josh Williams seized upon a poor pass before breaking down the left flank and playing infield to Conn-Clarke, who slipped in Linney for Carlisle’s number 10 to fire into the bottom left corner to give the hosts the lead.
A pivotal point in the game came in the 25th minute as Linney was again causing problems for Rovers, finding Georgie Kelly with a fantastic ball from the left but his first time left footed shot was superbly saved by Luke McNicholas when he really should have found the back of the net. The visitors broke away on the counter and Jili Buyabu got the better of Cameron Harper chasing down a long ball over the top before cutting the ball back to Clarke, who found a first time strike into the bottom right corner of Gabe Breeze’s goal.
Forest Green were really spurred on by this goal and largely had the better of the rest of the half, with Buyabu especially causing havoc for Harper down United’s left side. They almost went ahead in the game in the 34th minute as a great free kick from Clarke from the edge of the area whistled past the top left corner following a foul by Archie Davies.
Despite the visitors’ dominance however, it was Carlisle that took the lead just before half time as Linney seized on a poor pass out by the Forest Green defence before driving forward and slotting into the bottom left corner after feigning to slip the ball across to Kelly and giving United a 2-1 lead.
HALF TIME: Carlisle 2 – 1 Forest Green
Unfortunately for United, the second half started largely how the first finished and they found themselves pegged back in the 53rd minute as a poor header by Harper gave the ball to Forest Green in a dangerous area and allowed Isaac Moore to tee up Harvey Bunker, who got in ahead of Josh Grant to fire the ball under Breeze to notch his second goal in as many games and give Forest Green the equaliser.
The real turning point of the game came 10 minutes later when Kelly nicked the ball from Laurent Mendy just inside the visitors’ half before the defender brought down Linney to stop the counter attack, receiving his second yellow card and saw Savage’s side reduced to 10 men.
Forest Green looked to take the sting out of the game in the following minutes and a couple of injuries halted Carlisle’s momentum before they had a fantastic chance to take the lead as Williams got in behind Neil Kengni before driving down the byline, his cross was initially blocked and fell to Harvey Macadam, who teed up fellow substitute Jack Ellis, but he fired his shot well over the bar from 15 yards out.
Carlisle were looking for their third league win in as many games and amped up the pressure on the visitors in the final 10 minutes as Davies made a powerful run inside from the right flank, but his effort was blasted well over from just inside the area.
Just when it was looking like Rovers might be able to keep the hosts out, United’s talisman Linney popped up again on the left flank and found Macadam on the edge of the area with a superb pass, and the ex Morecambe man hit a fantastic first time shot that flew past McNicholas to bag his first goal for The Blues and give them the lead with just 4 minutes of normal time remaining.
The game was put beyond all doubt in stoppage time as an Aaron Hayden free kick from just inside the Forest Green half was hit long and found Kelly, who superbly brought the ball down on his chest in the area before being dragged down by substitute Jordan Moore-Taylor. United’s number 9 dusted himself off and fired his spot kick straight down the middle to notch his fourth goal of the season
It could have been 5-2 deep into stoppage time as substitute Jordan Jones slipped the ball across to Ellis who jinked round a couple of defenders before squeezing the ball through McNicholas’ legs, but the Rovers keeper got just enough on the ball to slow it down and allow it to be cleared away by his defence. Carlisle walked away with the three points however and moved up to second, while Forest Green ended the day in fifth.
FULL TIME: Carlisle 4 – 2 Forest Green: Linney (18,45′), Macadam (85′), Kelly (90+2′ pen) – Clarke (26′), Bunker (53′)
I had no idea what to expect going into this match as i wasn’t sure whether we’d see the Carlisle that got such a massive 3 points against Scunthorpe, or the Carlisle that were well and truly outplayed by both York and Rochdale. The performance wasn’t vintage by any stretch but we really dug in, gritted our teeth and used the tension in the game to our advantage.
I’d say Forest Green were probably the better of the two sides when they both had 11 men, but our players held their nerve and didn’t make any silly challenges after we picked up a few questionable early bookings in the match. Feeney and Hayden were very good together again but we got caught out down the flanks more often than not.
Going forward we always looked a threat however and Linney came up with the goods as he so often has done this season while Kelly led the line very well again and kept a cool head being one of those players on a yellow card. Overall this is a massive win for us against another big side in the league and we go into next week against a Yeovil side who will hopefully be licking their wounds after they suffered a heavy defeat to Rochdale today.
Carlisle Player Ratings
Breeze – 5: Potentially a harsh rating here as he commanded his area well and his distribution was solid but he didn’t cover himself in glory for Forest Green’s second goal.
Davies – 7: Caught out a couple of times at the back but going forward made a real difference especially in the second half.
Hayden – 7: One or two iffy balls out of defence but battled really well and kept control of a couple of tough situations.
Feeney – 8: Superb tonight again, won the majority of his battles against a tough opponent in Babalola and is a big voice in that backline.
Harper – 4: A really poor game by him tonight, didn’t deal with the ball over the top for their first goal and a poor header contributed to their second goal as well, had a tough time with Buyabu for most of the game.
Gilliead – 6: Did okay but was largely hampered by the early booking which saw him play more tentatively than usual.
Grant – 5: Not at the races tonight, weak in the tackle on a couple of occasions and should have been quicker to the ball for their second too.
Conn-Clarke – 6: Struggled to get into the game for parts of it but is still working his way back to full fitness and got himself an assist for Linney’s first with a clever pass.
Williams – 7: Had a a good game but lost in the physical battles quite often, worked hard both forwards and backwards and caused problems down their left with his pace.
Linney – 9 (MOTM): Two goals and an assist marked another excellent performance from him and he constantly shows why he’s our main man, always capable of coming up with something special when we need it.
Kelly – 7: Led the line very well again today against a couple of tough centre halves, showed great strength to win the penalty and converted it well.
Subs:
Ellis – 7: Made a big difference in the midfield with his energy and composure, unlucky not to score late on.
Macadam – 7: Same as Ellis, worked hard when he came on and disrupted Forest Green’s play, took his goal fantastically.
Jones – 7: Made a difference when introduced, really struggled in a United shirt so far but there’s a clever player in there and he just needs to show it more consistently.
Armstrong – N/A (Not on long enough)
Please note these are Craig’s opinions and nothing official!
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Thank you everyone for reading Paddock Perception, your support means everything! Please don’t forget you can follow Dan and Craig on X for more football content:
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On Saturday, Mark Hughes’ Carlisle United welcome Robbie Savage’s Forest Green Rovers to Brunton Park in a game that sees the second and third place sides in the National League go head-to-head.
Both teams have had good starts to the season and have 29 points from their first 14 games so this promises to be a very tight game with two evenly matched sides.
How Have Both Teams Been Performing?
In their last five National League games the Cumbrians have had a run of tough fixtures and have won three and lost two in that time. The blues have beaten Altrincham, Hartlepool and Scunthorpe but lost to York and Rochdale. Last time out in the FA Cup, Carlisle United beat fellow National League side Boston United 5-2 at Brunton Park.
In their last five National League games Forest Green have won two, drawn two and lost one in that time. Robbie Savage’s side beat Woking and Altrincham before drawing with York and Boston and then losing their unbeaten run at home to Rochdale. Last time out in the FA Cup, Forest Green Rovers beat Worthing 4-1 away from home.
Players To Watch
Kairo Mitchell
The 27-year-old Grenada international is one of Forest Green’s main attacking threats and his movement up top with cause the Carlisle defence a lot of problems I’m sure. The striker will lead the line for Forest Green but will interchange with the other attackers to keep the defence guessing. Mitchell has four goals and two assists to his name so far this season.
Nick Haughton
The 31-year-old attacking midfielder is and has been one of the best players in the National League in recent years. Haughton’s time at AFC Fylde and the goals he scored there meant he was highly touted after their relation and he joined Forest Green in the summer. Haughton can score a variety of goals and can make that defence splitting pass if given the opportunity. The midfielder may not start and has been coming off the bench a lot this season but what an option to have for Robbie Savage.
Tom Knowles
The 27-year-old can play up top, out wide or even in midfield for Forest Green and has been one of the standout performers so far this season. His versatility will see him interchange with players like Mitchell regularly to keep the Carlisle defence guessing. Knowles has lots of experience having played for Yeovil and Walsall and has an eye for goal, he had five goals and two assists to his name so far this season.
Laurent Mendy
The 28-year-old defensive midfielder has been a mainstay in Robbie Savage’s teams, Mendy played an integral role at Macclesfield before joining Savage at Forest Green in the summer and he has played every minute of every National League game so far this season. Mendy will look to dictate the game from midfield, he will look to break up Carlisle attacks and distribute to their more creative players. Whoever wins the midfield battle between Laurent Mendy and Jack Ellis could be the difference on the day.
At this point the Carlisle United team picks itself when everyone is fit, there’s a couple of areas on the pitch that you could argue isn’t set in stone and one is in central defence and the other is up front.
At the back it will depend on fitness but I think Hughes will go with stick with Morgan Feeney and Aaron Hayden who have played well together in recent weeks. Up front it always depends on if Georgie Kelly can remain fit but if he’s fit and firing I think he starts just ahead of Luke Armstrong.
My Score Prediction
Carlisle United 2-2 Forest Green Rovers
I’m expecting a close game here with two sides that score goals and try to play good football. Both sides will want to attack and that could leave space in midfield and at the back for both teams to exploit so I think there will be goals.
Forest Green have had a habit of late goals this season so Carlisle will have to be on guard from minute one to minute ninety with no lapses in concentration like we have seen this season.
Both teams have such strength in depth especially in the attacking areas I think it’s going to be an entertaining high quality, high scoring draw between two good teams.
A Message From Paddock Perception
Thank you everyone for reading Paddock Perception, your support means everything! Please don’t forget you can follow Dan and Craig on X for more football content:
@dan_batemannn
@CraigWL1997
You can also watch Dan every week hosting on The National League Lowdown podcast on YouTube or you can listen to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Carlisle United bested a resilient Boston United side at Brunton Park this afternoon and booked their place in the first round proper of the FA Cup thanks to goals from David Ajiboye, Josh Grant, Luke Armstrong and a brace from debutant Chris Conn-Clarke.
Mark Hughes’ side had regained their mojo in the league in recent weeks and were coming into this cup tie full of confidence after a hard fought win last week over fellow promotion chasers Scunthorpe. They were almost caught out very early on however as Harry Lewis was forced to deny an effort from distance by Matty Carson within the opening 30 seconds of the game.
It didn’t take long for the hosts to take full control of the match however as Josh Williams chipped the ball down the right flank and found David Ajiboye who cut inside and curled a low left footed shot into the bottom left corner of the net to bag his first goal for the club and give United an early 1-0 lead. Carlisle were looking to keep their momentum going into next week’s clash against 2nd place Forest Green and almost doubled their lead mere moments later after Morgan Feeney met a Chris Conn-Clarke corner but his header was tipped over the bar by Rhys Lovett in the Boston goal.
The pressure on Boston was absolutely relentless and the Blues doubled their lead in the 14th minute after Feeney initially forced Lovett into a good save after flicking on a Conn-Clarke corner with his foot, and the resulting corner was hit low again by Conn-Clarke into Josh Grant, who found the net to also bag his first United goal and give his side a 2-0 lead on his 27th birthday.
The Pilgrims were struggling to find any real kind of form in the league this season and found themselves even further behind just a minute later when Williams nutmegged Carson on the right flank before driving a hard ball into the area which was met by the toe of the onrushing Luke Armstrong, who poked the ball past Lovett to give Carlisle a 3-0 advantage.
The Cumbrians noticeably took their foot off the gas after their third goal and both sides traded possession for the next 15 minutes or so before Ajiboye hit a half chance well over after a cross from Sam Murray fell to him after grazing the head of Carson. Graham Coughlan’s side were keen to let Carlisle know they weren’t down and out and forged a chance moments later as a well worked short corner routine ended at the feet of Carson, but his long ranged effort was hit well wide by the ex Grimsby man.
Carlisle weren’t shying away from looking for a 4th goal either and had a few chances towards the end of the first half as Callum Whelan attempted an audacious chip from 35 yards and had Lovett scrambling, but the ball dropped just onto the roof of the net. The Blues dominated the rest of the first half and largely limited the opposition to half chances and took a well deserved 3-0 lead into the half time interval.
Half Time: Carlisle 3 – 0 Boston
Carlisle had a tendency this season to switch off in the opening stages of halves and continued this trend in this game as Boston scored a quick goal after a Marcel Lavinier cross found the head of half time substitute Kieren Donnelly and the former Halesowen hot shot found the goal from close range.
The hosts hadn’t gotten out of the blocks at all in the second half and found their lead slashed to one just a minute later as experienced frontman Lenell John-Lewis was found unmarked by a Carson corner and he headed in from 6 yards to peg Carlisle back to 3-2. Coughlan had clearly sparked new life into his side in this second half and they came so close to an equaliser as a glancing header from Connor Teale was clawed away down low by the outstretched hand of Harry Lewis.
Boston had another decent chance to find an equaliser in the 56th minute as a chipped through ball found Donnelly, but his volley from a narrow angle was easily pushed away by Lewis. They were presented with another opportunity moments later as an Aaron Hayden back pass across the box left Lewis scrambling, his sliding clearnace only found a Boston man but his effort was superbly blocked by Feeney. The Pilgrims were made to regret the missed opportunity as Carlisle broke away on the counter attack with Williams, who found Ajiboye on the edge of the area before the ex Newport man slid the ball over to Whelan, who slipped the ball left to Conn-Clarke and the debutant slotted the ball into the bottom right corner to restore United’s two goal advantage.
Conn-Clarke, who signed for Carlisle on loan from Peterborough after weeks of speculation, notched his second in the 78th minute as a looping ball by Williams was latched onto by substitute Georgie Kelly, who laid the ball off to the ex Altrincham man who steadied himself before firing a long range shot from distance which Lovett got a big hand to, but he couldn’t stop the ball from dipping just under the bar to make it 5-2 to the hosts.
United came close to a sixth in the dying minutes as a 1-2 by youngster Sam Hetherington and Williams found the ex Gateshead man on the byline and his cut back was met by Kelly, but his first time effort rattled the crossbar. It didn’t matter ultimately however, and Carlisle secured their name in the hat for Monday’s first round draw.
Carlisle: Lewis, Murray, Feeney, Hayden, Williams, Whelan ( J. Jones 72′), Ellis (Hetherington 84′), Conn-Clarke (Davies 84′), Grant, Ajiboye (Gilliead 84′), Armstrong (G. Kelly 72′) Subs Not Used: Breeze, Linney,
Boston: Lovett, Teale, Mills, Sloggett (Coyle 76′), Hill, Maguire, Carson, Lankshear (M.Kelly 86′), Waldock (Donnelly 46′), Lavinier (Grist 86′), John-Lewis (Hiwula 76′). Subs Not Used: B. Jones, Hampson
How Did United Perform?
This was certainly always going to be an interesting affair after Hughes had named so many changes to the lineup, likely with one eye on next week’s big clash with Forest Green, but i don’t think people were expecting to see seven goals scored in this game.
Carlisle were like lightning in the first half and some of the play down the right hand side especially from Ajiboye and Williams was superb, they controlled the game and never really looked under any threat. Fair play to Boston though, they came out fighting in the second half and showed that they weren’t as down and out as they looked.
We’ve made a tendency of it to start both halves extremely slowly in games, even most recently against Hartlepool, despite it being a largely comfortable game for us, they almost scored in the opening minute of the first half and actually did score in the early stages of the second. This was evident again in this game and is something we need to work on.
That said however, overall it was a good performance and a superb debut by Conn-Clarke especially, and the performance of some of the players introduced into this game might give Hughes some food for thought going into next week’s massive fixture.
Carlisle Player Ratings:
Lewis – 6: Made a couple of decent saves but he almost made a hash of a couple as well, distribution not great at times, think Breeze still remains the better option.
Murray – 6: A bit better than his last two outings and showed good strength on occasion but still lacks confidence with the ball at his feet and he has a tendency to turn back a bit too often.
Hayden – 6: Had a good first half but looked extremely ropey in the second with a couple of questionable clearances and a poor back pass which almost led to a Boston equaliser, did make a couple of good challenges though in the early stages of that second half.
Feeney – 7: Didn’t do much wrong and was a threat from set pieces again, distribution from the back down the right hand side was excellent.
Williams – 9: Were it not for Conn-Clarke, would probably have been man of the match, electric all game and was a big part of three of United’s goals including the assist for Armstrong, didn’t have too much to do defending wise and will face sterner tests as a full back but was superb going forward.
Ellis – 7: Solid performance from him again, used the ball well and made plenty of positive runs from deep to keep Boston on their toes.
Grant – 8: Shielded the backline very well for the majority of the game and made some great tackles and interceptions, really starting to show his quality now after a slow start to his Carlisle career.
Whelan – 7: Looked closer to the Whelan we know from last season, found good amounts of space and spread the play around well.
Ajiboye – 8: Took his goal very well and looked more like the player we thought we were going to get, Boston really struggled to defend against his dribbling ability.
Conn-Clarke – 9 (MOTM): Two goals and an assist on your debut is a dream for most players and he got that today, still needs more minutes in his legs after a long spell away from playing but despite a lack of sharpness he still came up with two excellent goals.
Armstrong – 7: Took his goal well and linked up well with Ajiboye and Conn-Clarke when needed too, does still go missing for periods in games but overall a good performance from him.
Subs:
Jones – 6: Came on when the game had the sting taken out of it but used the ball well when he had it
Kelly – 6: Unlucky to hit the bar with his effort.
Hetherington, Davies, Gilliead – N/A (Not on long enough)
Please note these are Craig’s opinions and nothing official!
A Message From Paddock Perception
Thank you everyone for reading Paddock Perception, your support means everything! Please don’t forget you can follow Dan and Craig on X for more football content:
@dan_batemannn
@CraigWL1997
You can also watch Dan every week hosting on The National League Lowdown podcast on YouTube or you can listen to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
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