Paddock Perception

Tag: manchester-united

  • Scunthorpe United 0-1 Carlisle United Match Review

    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!

    A Message From Paddock Perception

    We are working alongside Liam and his YouTube channel Blue Army TV this season to make sure we bring you the best Carlisle United content we possibly can. You can subscribe to his channel and follow him on X, his handles are below:

    X – @blue_army_tv

    YouTube – @BlueArmyTVchannel

    Another partnership Paddock Perception has is with Carlisle United YouTube channel CU04, they have amazing content on their channel and we are looking forward to working with them this season. You can follow them here:

    X – @CU04_YOUTUBE

    YouTube – @CU04

    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

  • Carlisle United 2-0 Aldershot Town Match Review

    Carlisle United made it five wins from their last six games after securing an entertaining 2-0 victory over high-scoring Aldershot Town thanks to second half strikes from Regan Linney and Bevis Mugabi.

    Mark Hughes’ side were looking to build on recent positive performances and almost made the perfect start to the game as talisman Regan Linney found space down the left flank in the 2nd minute and squared across the box to Junior Luamba, but his effort was well blocked by Brighton loanee Charlie Penman.

    Carlisle continued to press Aldershot high up the pitch and almost got their reward in the 15th minute as Stephen Wearne pinched the ball from Dejan Tetek deep inside the Shots half but his shot was deflected on the way through and easily saved by former Carlisle loanee Marcus Dewhurst. Luamba was involved again moments later as his effort was acrobatically hit by Linney, but the ball sailed well wide of Dewhurst’s right hand post.

    The visitors’ shot stopper was properly called into action a few minutes later as Linney received the ball on the left flank before nutmegging Archy Taylor and firing an effort towards the far post but Dewhurst stuck out an arm and managed to superbly tip the ball over the bar to deny the league’s top scorer his seventh goal of the campaign. The Cumbrians really had control of the first half an hour of the game and could have had a couple more goals but the final ball was really letting them down at times, through poor decision making and just a lack of quality.

    One man not lacking in quality is Linney and he was a continous threat to Tommy Widdrington’s side, having a couple of good chances just after the half hour mark as Tetek again gave the ball away cheaply before Wearne again played in Linney, who saw his left footed shot saved down low by Dewhurst, the resulting corner again fell to the former Altrincham man inside the area but his stabbed effort was once again saved by the feet of Dewhurst.

    Despite the home side’s dominance, Aldershot were looking to prove why they’re the league’s leading scorers and almost caught Carlisle napping as the dangerous Josh Barrett found space on the left and whipped an excellent cross onto the head of Ryan Hill, but the midfielder saw his header loop onto Gabe Breeze’s crossbar before being eventually dealt with by the Carlisle defence.

    United looked to threaten in wide areas themselves and full back Archie Davies fired in a cross from deep which met the head of Wearne, but his header sailed comfortably over the goal. The home side had yet anohther couple of good chances to find the breakthrough in first half stoppage time as a cut back from Luamba was scuffed by Linney, before the resulting ball fell to Alex Gilliead who slipped in Cameron Harper down the left hand side of the area but his first time effort flew well over the bar, leaving Carlisle frustratingly stuck at 0-0 going into the break.

    HALF TIME: Carlisle 0 – 0 Aldershot

    Despite their first half profligacy, Carlisle wasted no time at all and took the lead just moments after the restart as Wearne brought down a Harper ball over the top before finding Linney down the inside left channel and this time United’s number 10 made no mistake, firing low and hard past Dewhurst to give Mark Hughes’ side the lead.

    The goal seemed to spark some life into Aldershot, who had a good spell of pressure in the following minutes with Josh Barrett and Archy Taylor finding good bits of space to threaten the Blues’ defence. United weren’t taking their foot off the gas either however as they broke away from the Aldershot press before Linney fed the ball through to the onrushing Harper, but the ex Inverness man again fired well over the bar. Carlisle had a chance down the other flank moments later as some great pressing from Luamba and Luke Armstrong saw the ball fall into the path of Luamba who ran through against Dewhurst, but the angle was against him and he could only shoot straight at the former Sheffield United youngster.

    Carlisle were almost made to regret their missed chances on a couple of occasions just after the hour mark as ex Blue Tristan Abrahams latched onto a cross from James Clarridge which saw the ball ricochet around the area, but his close range effort was well saved by the feet of Breeze, Aldershot were keen to avoid drawing their first blank of the season and had another great chance minutes later as a ball from the right flank found its way to the back post to former Carlisle trialist Kwame Thomas, but Breeze again down low to maintain United’s 1-0 lead.

    United weren’t keen on sitting on the one goal advantage however, continuing to pile the pressure on and in the 65th minute they capitalised on a poor clearance from a corner which fell at the feet of Harper, who played the ball low into the feet of Armstrong, who spun his man superbly to fire a shot towards goal which was superbly hooked off the line by the outstretched leg of Penman. Carlisle weren’t to be denied for long however as another corner was only cleared as far as substitute Harvey Macadam, whose cross found the feet of Bevis Mugabi, and the big centre back looked like a centre forward, showing excellent composure to slot the ball in the bottom right hand corner to double the home side’s advantage.

    Aldershot looked to find a way back into the game in the remaining minutes and left themselves open at the back, and an incisive pass through the midfield by Ellis found Wearne on the centre circle before the ex MK Dons man spun and played in Armstrong down the right hand side, but his 20 yard effort was well saved again down low by Dewhurst.

    The Shots toiled to try and find a way through the United backline but Mugabi and captain Terrell Thomas stood firm and saw United to become the only side so far this season to prevent Aldershot from finding the back of the net in a game.

    FULL TIME: Carlisle 2 – 0 Aldershot – Linney (46′), Mugabi (69′)

    Carlisle: Breeze, Davies (Macadam 68′), Thomas, Mugabi, Harper, Gilliead (Grant 85′), Ellis, Wearne (Whelan 85′), Luamba (Kelly 68′), Linney (Ajiboye 90′), Armstrong. Subs Not Used: Lewis, Feeney.

    Aldershot: Dewhurst, Penman (Jones 73′), Meerholz, Clarridge, Taylor, Hill, Tetek (Henry 73′), Widdrington, Barrett (Rai 88′), Abrahams (Ghandour 60′), Thomas

    How Did United Perform?

    I think Carlisle can be thoroughly satisfied with their performance this afternoon, truth be told there could and should have been more goals in the game, with us really just lacking that finishing touch and final ball in key moments of the first half, combined with the fantastic performance of Dewhurst in the Aldershot goal.

    That said however, Aldershot did have chances of their own and had Ryan Hill’s header found the target in the first half it could have been a different game, and Gabe Breeze made a couple of great stops with the game at 1-0 to keep us on the front foot.

    The midfield and defence were a particularly pleasing point as Thomas and Mugabi both looked extremely solid and composed at the back, while Alex Gillead absolutely bossed and ran the game in midfield, the work ethic from the whole team was excellent too, with us picking up a lot of the second balls in key areas which we have failed to do in a few of the earlier games this season.

    We have a tough run of games coming up and confidence is absolutely key going into them, so hopefully taking what was ultimately a comfortable 3 points against a potent side will spur Mark Hughes and the team on to tackle the challenges still to come.

    Carlisle Player Ratings

    Breeze – 7: Couple of really good saves in the second half to keep Aldershot out, could have been a different game otherwise, distribution still leaving a tad to be desired but otherwise a very solid outing

    Davies – 7: Constant threat down the right hand side with some direct runs and a couple of dangerous crosses into the box, final ball was lacking on occasion however, never threatened too much on the defensive side of things.

    Thomas – 8: Really solid performance from the United captain, looked composed at the back and kept his concentration throughout in a couple of dangerous situations and distributed the ball well too.

    Mugabi – 8: Took his goal like a striker and along with Thomas, won nearly everything in the air and was composed with the ball at his feet too, especially after the confidence boost from finding the net. Was given the sponsors’ man of the match and i can understand why.

    Harper – 7: Similar to Davies, got into plenty of promising positions going forward and found some key passes but lacked composure in the finish when chances fell to him, also defended well as Aldershot targeted United’s left hand side.

    Ellis – 7: Has really start quietening the doubters over him playing in midfield, constant energy and hard work to break up play in the middle of the park and definitely has an eye for a pass too

    Gilliead – 9 (MOTM): His best performance of what’s been a very promising second spell at the club, dictated the game superbly in the middle, made some powerful drives through the midfield and was first to nigh on every second ball. Seems to be getting better with every game so far.

    Wearne – 7: Picked up some great pockets of space in midfield and was always looking to drive forward and threaten the Aldershot defence, let down at times by poor choice and quality of pass, however.

    Luamba – 6: Never really got going in the game despite a few flashes of danger, was muscled off the ball a little too easily at times but i applaud his directness and desire to get forward.

    Linney – 7: Looked a little sluggish at points in the first half but was still one of the most threatening players on the pitch, only denied by some great stops by Dewhurst, grew into the second half and took his goal very well.

    Armstrong – 7: Worked his socks off as he always does, linked up well with the attacking midfield trio well and won a lot of flick ons, maybe guilty of overcomplicating things at points with his lay offs but otherwise a good performance.

    Subs:

    Macadam – 7: Put himself about really well when he came on, got on the ball a lot and set up United’s second goal.

    Kelly – 7: Held the ball up well as usual, probably would have got a goal on a different day.

    Whelan, Grant, Ajiboye: N/A (Not on long enough)

    Please note these are Craig’s opinions and nothing official!

    A Message From Paddock Perception

    We are working alongside Liam and his YouTube channel Blue Army TV this season to make sure we bring you the best Carlisle United content we possibly can. You can subscribe to his channel and follow him on X, his handles are below:

    X – @blue_army_tv

    YouTube – @BlueArmyTVchannel

    Another partnership Paddock Perception has is with Carlisle United YouTube channel CU04, they have amazing content on their channel and we are looking forward to working with them this season. You can follow them here:

    X – @CU04_YOUTUBE

    YouTube – @CU04

    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