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  • Carlisle United 1 – 1 Eastleigh: Match Review

    A late equaliser from Kieron Evans denied Carlisle United a fifth consecutive home win in all competitions in front of a league season record 10,860 fans at Brunton Park.

    The hosts started the game in the ascendancy and enjoyed plenty of possession of the ball in the opening 10 minutes, almost finding an early breakthrough when Chris Conn-Clarke chipped the ball down the left and found Regan Linney, but a superb challenge by Richard Brindley stopped United’s top scorer from getting his effort away. The Spitfires had more joy after the 10 minute mark in the game but were struggling to create clear cut chances against a strong Carlisle backline.

    Mark Hughes’ side missed a series of opportunities in the following minutes, initially as a reverse ball from Linney played in Alex Gilliead down the left, his chipped ball to the back post found Junior Luamba whose volley from an awkward height was headed behind by Aaron Pierre. The resulting corner from Conn-Clarke was met by the head of Georgie Kelly but was well saved down low by Nick Townsend in the Eastleigh goal.

    United’s number 9 had another golden chance moments later as he lost his man in the area and brought down a ball in from Conn-Clarke and had all the time in the world to find the finish, but Townsend pulled off a superb save as the ex Rotherham striker tried to find the top right corner. Conn-Clarke was again involved soon after as he broke away on the counter and slipped the ball down the left to Linney, but his cross-shot was gathered down low by the resolute Townsend. Scott Bartlett’s side were under the cosh but kept Carlisle on their toes with the occasional skirmish forward, with the pace of Sam Pearson in particular always threatening on the counter.

    Georgie Kelly had two more sights of goal before the interval, as Conn-Clarke again drove through the middle of the pitch before slipping him the ball just inside the area, but his shot was poor and dragged well wide of the left hand post, before in the 39th minute a great ball in by Luamba found Kelly in between the Eastleigh centre backs, but United’s number 9 could only head onto the bar from just outside the 6 yard box, leaving the Carlisle faithful frustrated going into the half time breka.

    HALF TIME: Carlisle 0 – 0 Eastleigh

    The Blues had made a habit of starting halves slowly this season and despite their first half dominance, Eastleigh had a great chance to score in the opening minutes of the second half as a short corner was played to Josh Lundstram, whose chipped cross found the head of the onrushing Lloyd Humphries, but the ex Weston-super-Mare midfielder could only head wide of the goal.

    Eastleigh were made to rue this missed opportunity in the 50th minute as a great tackle in midfield by Harvey Macadam dispossessed Kieron Evans before Macadam slipped Luamba in down the right wing, before the ex Salford man played a 1-2 with Conn-Clarke and firing his resulting effort through a crowd of bodies and past the despairing Townsend to give Carlisle the lead.

    United were getting plenty of joy down the flanks after the goal, with Linney and Cameron Harper causing Eastleigh a good deal of problems down the left, but it was Luamba again who would have the next chance in the 63rd minute as he was again played in by Macadam, but his shot from a tricky angle was sliced well wide, Carlisle were applying heavy pressure to Eastleigh but were unable to find the second goal.

    United’s talisman Linney was in action again in the 76th minute when Harper slipped him in down the line, but his shot was well saved by Townsend before Conn-Clarke had a chance 8 minutes later when an attempted through ball rebounded back to him but his resulting effort was easily held by Townsend once again.

    In the dying minutes of normal time it was Carlisle who were then made to regret their missed opportunities as an excellent one two between Evans and Humphries played Eastleigh’s number 7 into the box, and he made no mistake, slotting the ball past Gabe Breeze to send the 80 Eastleigh away followers into raptures.

    The hosts looked rattled by this late equaliser and almost found themselves going behind as a bad pass by substitute Jack Ellis saw the ball find its way to substitute Ciaran McGuckin down the left flank before he squared across to Harvey Saunders, but his swivelling effort was just about blocked by Aaron Hayden.

    There was still time for more drama in added time as a direct through ball from Harper found the run of substitute Luke Armstrong, who slotted his left footed effort underneath Townsend before seeing it strike the foot of the right hand post and roll agonizingly across the goal line when the majority of Brunton Park thought it was in.

    FULL TIME: Carlisle 1 – 1 Eastleigh: Luamba (50′) – Evans (88′)

    Carlisle: Breeze, Williams, Feeney, Hayden, Harper, Gilliead, Macadam (Ellis 82′), Linney, Conn-Clarke (Wearne 85′), Luamba, Kelly (Armstrong 82′). Unused Subs: Lewis, Whelan, Grant, Davies

    Eastleigh: Townsend, Vokins, Pierre, Eweka, Brindley, Humphries, Saunders, Evans, Pearson (Fernandez 91′), Lundstram, McCallum (McGuckin 77′). Unused Subs: Davis, McNamara, Stone, Waruih, Whitehead.

    How Did United Perform?

    Unfortunately this can’t really be seen as anything except two points dropped. We had control of the vast majority of the game and created numerous chances especially for Kelly in the first half and we were made to regret missing the majority of them. Despite it being an overall pretty good team performance, the naivety and arrogance did feel like it shone through a little towards the end of the game as we were really poor in possession after the substitutions were made.

    The substitutions in particular were a big talking point as Macadam, who was excellent, was surprisingly withdrawn and his replacement Ellis, as well as fellow sub Wearne, both had absolute stinkers in the short time they were on. Eastleigh were dogged in their approach but only mustered the one shot on target all game and that was enough to get themselves a point so credit goes to them for their resilience and digging in against the pressure.

    The key thing for us now is being able to bounce back next week against Boston and get back to winning ways.

    Carlisle Player Ratings:

    Breeze: 6 – Commanded his area well but was beaten by Eastleigh’s only effort on target.

    Williams: 8 (MoTM) – Close run thing with Macadam but rarely put a foot wrong, used his pace superbly well to make some recovery challenges, linked up well with Luamba and stuck to his defensive tasks when needed too

    Feeney: 7 – Never really put a foot wrong, composed on the ball and looked a threat from corners again

    Hayden: 6 – Questionable decision making with the ball once or twice but overall had a decent enough game

    Harper: 7 – Thought he played well tonight, took up pockets of space infield when Linney moved out wide, good in the tackle and his passing almost led to another goal or two.

    Gilliead: 7 – Used the ball well as he normally does and made some good recovery tackles.

    Macadam: 8 – Ran the majority of the game in the middle, great bit of defending to win the ball in the lead up to our goal, questionable decision to take him off.

    Linney: 6 – Definitely one of his quieter games, got a couple of shots off but never really looked like his usual self.

    Conn-Clarke: 7 – An extremely hard player to mark as the majority of the play went through him and he created some good chances, but his decision making at points really let him down in the final third.

    Luamba: 7 – Worked hard at both ends of the pitch like he usually does, took his goal well and flashed some good balls across the box which were crying out for someone to get on the end of.

    Kelly: 5 – His link up play was good as usual but his finishing was appalling tonight, in particular towards the end of the first half when he could have had a hat trick.

    Subs:

    Ellis: 4 – Maybe harsh as he wasn’t on for long but his passing was dreadful in the few minutes he was on and he really let Eastleigh back into the game.

    Armstrong: 6 – Worked hard when he came on and unlucky not to score the last gasp winner.

    Wearne: 5 – Similarly to Ellis, really struggled when he came on but slightly less guilty when it came to his passing.

    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.

    https://youtube.com/@nllowdown?si=ewflhDiWZvXGV_eR

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  • Yeovil Town 1-1 Carlisle United Review

    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.

    FULL TIME: Yeovil 1 – 1 Carlisle: Feeney (15′ og) – Macadam (68′)

    Yeovil: Ward, Wannell, M.Williams, Efete, Nurse, McCormick, Jolliffe (Whittle 94′), Oluwabori (Daly 76′), Greenslade (Pendleton 81′), Campbell, Jarvis (Cousin-Dawson 81′). Unused Subs: Ellison, Ferguson, Gould.

    Carlisle: Breeze, Davies (Jones 81′), Hayden, Feeney, Harper, Gilliead (Macadam 61′), Grant, Conn-Clarke, Williams (Luamba 61′), Linney, Kelly. Unused Subs: Lewis, Armstrong, Wearne, Whelan.

    How Did United Perform?

    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:

    @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.

    https://youtube.com/@nllowdown?si=ewflhDiWZvXGV_eR

    https://open.spotify.com/show/0IfZPnOcMp5pnIYzMExQ1x?si=jZppV9jqQgq8pW3bBbjK1A

    https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/national-league-lowdown-the-football-deck/id1760793410

  • Carlisle United 4-2 Forest Green Rovers Match Review

    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′)

    Carlisle: Breeze, Davies, Hayden, Feeney, Harper, Gilliead (Macadam 59′), Grant (Ellis 59′), Conn-Clarke (Jones 60′), Williams, Linney (Armstrong 90′), Kelly. Subs Not Used: Lewis, Whelan, Ajiboye.

    Forest Green: McNicholas, Kengni, Mendy (red 63′), Inniss, Buyabu (Bamba 83′), Moore (Moore-Taylor 67′), Bunker, Clarke (Long 73′), Knowles, Whitwell, Babalola (Doidge 83′). Subs Not Used: Balagizi, Haughton, Pagel.

    How Did United Perform?

    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!

    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.

    https://youtube.com/@nllowdown?si=ewflhDiWZvXGV_eR

    https://open.spotify.com/show/0IfZPnOcMp5pnIYzMExQ1x?si=jZppV9jqQgq8pW3bBbjK1A

    https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/national-league-lowdown-the-football-deck/id1760793410

  • Carlisle United 5-2 Boston United Match Review

    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.

    Full Time: Carlisle 5 – 2 Boston: Ajiboye (6′), Grant (15′), Armstrong (16′), Conn-Clarke (60, 78′) – Donnelly (46′), John-Lewis (49′)

    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!

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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 3-1 Hartlepool United Match Review

    Carlisle United bounced back from consecutive defeats with a solid 3-1 win over a battling Hartlepool side, Jermaine Francis’ goal cancelled out Cameron Harper’s opener before goals from Georgie Kelly and Morgan Feeney gave the hosts all 3 points.

    Carlisle were coming into this game licking their wounds after being comfortably beaten by fellow heavy hitters York City and Rochdale and their woes almost resurfaced immediately as Hartlepool caught their hosts napping in the opening minute as a superb ball from Jay Benn cut United’s defence to ribbons and found Jermaine Francis through on goal, but Gabe Breeze was alert and was able to quickly smother the huge chance.

    The Pools came into this game on the back of a run of just one win in their previous eight outings and were fearing that run would be extended just moments later as Regan Linney pulled off a superb dummy to round Maxim Kouogun on the left flank before cutting the ball back to the onrushing Cameron Harper, who curled an excellent first time effort into the far side just past the glove of Harvey Cartwright in the Hartlepool goal to give Mark Hughes’ side an early lead and marking his 50th appearance for the club with a goal.

    Carlisle were looking to reaffirm themselves as challengers at the top end of the table and threatened the visitors moments later as Linney roamed inside before picking the ball up just outside the area and drove a low effort just past the left hand post.

    Simon Grayson’s side had struggled for goals in recent weeks but looked threatening going forward in the early stages and almost found another way in in the 10th minute as Luke Charman got in down the left flank but was quickly snuffed out by the retreating Bevis Mugabi, a challenge that left Mugabi with what looked like a pulled muscle, leading to an early change in the United defence as he was replaced by Morgan Feeney.

    Carlisle didn’t let this change disrupt them however and should have doubled their lead as the ever dangerous Linney fired in a cross from the left wing to the back post and found Georgie Kelly in an excellent position but he couldn’t get enough contact on the header and somehow glanced the ball wide of the post.

    The Cumbrians were well on top in the opening 25 minutes or so of the game, controlling possession while Linney remained a constant threat to Hartlepool with his direct running and passing. They came somewhat close to a second goal in this period as Feeney flicked a Harper corner onto the roof of the net at the near post. Balls into the box were causing Hartlepool problems for large periods of the first half and Kelly found himself in space again as Jack Ellis fired a cross in, but the ex Rotherham man couldn’t generate enough power on the header which sailed comfortably into Cartwright’s arms.

    Hartlepool were keen to let United know they weren’t out of the game and an excellent ball in from the right by Benn found Charman, but his effort was superbly charged down by the substitute Feeney.

    The visitors had been relatively tight at the back in recent weeks despite their poor form but took a hit to their defensive setup just before the 40th minute mark as Cartwright went down clutching his leg after taking a routine free kick in his own area leading to Adam Smith having to come on and take his place in between the sticks for Grayson’s side.

    Smith had little time to get set before he was almost called into action moments later as a reverse pass by Stephen Wearne found the run of Linney in the inside right channel, but his sliding effort went just wide of the post after he was well closed down by the onrushing Smith. Wearne threatened again moments later, breaking down the left flank and firing a low cross in which was turned over by ex Blue Tom Parkes, with the ball almost dropping in over Smith’s head.

    HALF TIME: Carlisle 1 – 0 Hartlepool

    Despite largely controlling the first half, Carlisle started the second half much like they did the first, and goalscorer Harper completely missed an interception in the middle of the park which led to Charman being played in down the right flank, his shot was initially blocked by a sliding Feeney but the resulting scramble on the 6 yard line eventually fell to Francis, and the Grenadan international made no mistake, slotting into the bottom left corner to level the scoring.

    Carlisle looked a bit shell shocked by this and Hartlepool threatened their left flank a couple more times before they had a massive chance themselves to regain the lead in the 54th minute as an Archie Davies corner found Terrell Thomas 6 yards out but he could only direct his header over the bar. The game saw a couple more delays after this as Thomas himself sustained an injury leading to him being replaced by Josh Grant as Ellis slotted in next to Feeney at the back, before referee Simon Mather pulled up with a strain himself, meaning he was forced to switch roles with fourth official Richard Holmes.

    This saw the match go into a little bit of a lull with the only sights of goal being a couple of long range efforts from Linney for the hosts that went comfortably wide. Carlisle were starting to get a firmer grip on the game again though and came close to a second goal as a Harper corner was flicked on at the near post by Feeney, but Linney couldn’t get enough on it at the far post to turn it in.

    There were still warning signs for the hosts however and Hartlepool almost made another good chance moments later as Charman found the run of Benn down the right flank but his deep cross went just over the head of Francis at the back post, much to the relief of the United faithful.

    Hartlepool were made to rue that missed chance in the 77th minute as a superb cross from deep by Harper found Kelly on the penalty spot, and he was able to superbly slot the ball low past Smith to regain the advantage for Carlisle.

    Kelly was a nuisance for Hartlepool all game and came close to netting his second moments later as Hartlepool left themselves open while pushing for an equaliser and a counter led to Carlisle’s number 9 picking up the ball 25 yards out, but his curling effort sailed just wide of the right hand post.

    Despite a good bit of pressure from the visitors, Carlisle put the game beyond doubt in the 89th minute as Linney picked up the ball about 40 yards from goal on the right flank before firing a lovely ball in which was flicked on by the head of Feeney to double United’s lead and notch his first goal since re-signing for the club in the summer. It could have been 4 in stoppage time as a cross from the byline by substitute Josh Williams found Kelly in the area, but he couldn’t keep the header down. Hartlepool fought to find some way back in but United secured the 3 points which saw them move back up to third in the National League table.

    FULL TIME: Carlisle 3 – 1 Hartlepool: Harper (4′), Kelly (77′), Feeney (89′) – Francis (46′)

    United: Breeze, Harper, Thomas (Grant 61′), Mugabi (Feeney 14′), Davies, Ellis, Gilliead, Wearne (Whelan 90′), Linney (Armstrong 90′), Luamba (Williams 90′), Kelly. Subs Not Used: Lewis, Ajiboye,

    Hartlepool: Cartwright (Smith 38′), Topalloj (Daly 46′), John, Kouogun, Benn, Parkes (Walker 67′), Miley, Sheron, Francis, Charman (Oliver 78′), Johnson (Ferguson 79′). Subs Not Used: Dacosta, Hunter

    How Did United Perform?

    This was the exact kind of result that Carlisle really needed after two really poor outings against York and Rochdale, and despite a couple of scares and lapses at the back they were well deserving of the 3 points tonight.

    The setup and balance looked a lot better from the off and while admittedly Hartlepool weren’t at the levels of the opposition we’ve faced in the last couple of games, they still had good bits of quality in their side and Carlisle largely controlled the game and kept them at arm’s length. The question marks still hang over their defence as some pooor moments of concentration led to an early scare as well as us conceding early in the second half as well.

    I think Feeney was excellent when coming on early for Mugabi and i feel more comfortable with the defence while he’s a part of a back two, Wearne returning to his most comfortable position at the tip of the midfield made a big difference too, and he found plenty of pockets of space to cause Hartlepool problems.

    We face a massive test against Scunthorpe on Saturday and will probably have to up our game once again from tonight, but if we keep doing the things we did right in this game and get our backline set, we’ll at least be well in the game against them.

    Carlisle Player Ratings:

    Breeze – 7: A couple of questionable bits of kicking aside, another good game for Breeze, commanding his area well, claiming crosses and making a vital save early on to stop what could have been a totally different game had Hartlepool gotten in front

    Harper – 7: A very funny game for Harper, taking his goal excellently and assisting Kelly’s but some erratic defensive work early in the second half let Hartlepool back into the match, still, overall a good game by him.

    Mugabi – 6: Did okay before he was withdrawn with injury, good tackle to stop a Hartlepool attack.

    Thomas – 5: Still makes me nervous watching him at the back at times, showed glimpses of the quality he has but his distribution was erratic and didn’t cover himself in glory for Hartlepool’s goal.

    Davies – 7: Didn’t get forward as much as he usually does in games but linked up with Luamba well at points and did his defensive work really well.

    Ellis – 6: Decent game in the midfield for Ellis, couple of sloppy passes but showed great intelligence going forward at times to launch a couple of attacks.

    Gilliead – 7: Another good solid display by him, rarely ever has a bad game and uses the ball very intelligently.

    Wearne – 7: Great to see him back in his more comfortable role, found some great space and his passing and quick feet kept Hartlepool on their toes all game.

    Luamba – 6: Worked hard and showed some glimpses of quality but never really threatened to make anything happen, still think having him in allows for a more balanced side and his positive thinking makes a difference.

    Linney – 7: Two great assists for him tonight and his work in the first half especially was superb, question marks over his defensive work however as he left Harper really exposed at points in the second half, not sure whether he was just exhausted but it’s something we need to be wary of especially when under pressure.

    Kelly – 8 (MotM): Great performance by him tonight, held the ball up superbly, linked up the play when he needed to and took his goal well. Should probably have had a hat trick if he had been clinical with his headers, but outside of that he was a nightmare for Hartlepoool to deal with

    SUBSTITUTES

    Feeney – 8: Couple of excellent blocks at crucial moments and dealt with one or two sticky situations very well, great to see him on the scoresheet too.

    Grant – 7: Put in a couple of very good challenges after coming on and looked comfortable in the midfield, much better than he was on his debut against Solihull.

    Armstrong, Whelan, Williams – N/A: Not on long enough.

    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:

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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:

    @dan_batemannn

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  • 10 Games In – 5 Players Who Have Impressed For United So Far

    With us being 10 games into the National League season, i thought i would take a look at who has impressed me the most in our opening couple of months of the campaign. Sitting second in the league obviously there’s a lot of candidates for a mention, but i’ve boiled it down to who i think deserves the most credit for where we are right now.

    Regan Linney

    Let’s not beat around the bush, we all knew who the main name was going to be on this list. Regan Linney has made a simply sensational start to the season, notching 9 goals in his opening 10 matches for the Blues, including a hat trick against Braintree Town. We all had high hopes for him when he was first announced and he has met those expectations and then some.

    Even in the games where he’s maybe quieter than usual, Linney always has it in his locker to make something out of nothing, showing on multiple occasions his capability to beat a man and find the net from close in and from range, with his goals against Boreham Wood, Truro and Altrincham being particular highlights for me.

    His energy and work ethic is commendable too, combined with a tenacity to win and retain the ball, Linney has shown himself to be United’s talisman this season, and we’re all hoping he can continute banging the goals in for the Blues.

    Jack Ellis

    Jack Ellis is a name that has had somewhat of a resurgence in the past 6 months or so and i think he deserves immense praise for getting himself back in the fold and nailing down his place in the side. After being largely phased out by Mike Williamson, Mark Hughes brought Ellis back into the side last season and after some solid performances in his usual right back position, Ellis has been almost exclusively deployed as a central midfielder this season.

    There were certainly question marks over Ellis’ capability to play this position especially from an attacking standpoint, but, despite a tough first couple of games, Ellis has grown into the role and it now feels like he’s one of the first names on the team sheet for United. Similarly to Linney his work ethic is fantastic and his defensive contributions have been very noticeable for Carlisle in the middle of the park.

    He may not be the flashiest of players but after working hard to get himself back into the side and reinventing himself in a different role, i think he deserves a lot of praise for his role in our successes so far this campaign.

    Luke Armstrong

    Another man who has worked hard to get himself back into contention in the side is Luke Armstrong. Armstrong has endured a tough couple of seasons for Carlisle and has had a largely thankless task, competing on his own against some very tough centre back pairings in League One before cutting an extremely isolated figure last season under Williamson.

    Especially after being loaned out to Motherwell towards the tail end of last season, it looked like Armstrong could potentially have been out the door this summer, but after openly admitting he wouldn’t have loaned Armstrong out, Mark Hughes has brought him back into the side and he looks a much more confident player.

    Notching 4 goals and 2 assists in 9 appearances, including one apperance off the bench, he has made some good contributions to the side so far and he’s still proving how energetic he is, still giving 100% after 90+ minutes in some games he’s played in.

    Him and Georgie Kelly will almost certainly continue to be in and out of the side as they compete for that striker position, but it’s great to see Armstrong looking more like the player we coveted a couple of seasons ago.

    Gabe Breeze

    Looking more at the defensive side of things now, and someone who has had both his fans and his doubters in the last 12 months is Gabe Breeze. Coming into the side after the struggles of Harry Lewis, Breeze really shone in his opening few appearances for United and has cemented his place in the side ever since.

    Gabe has came under a bit of criticism for his inconsistent distribution and perhaps occasionally failing to properly command his area, however i think in these opening 10 games of the season, Breeze has really shown how capable he is. Conceding just 7 goals in those opening 10 games, some of Breeze’s saves have been vital for Carlisle picking up points.

    He made crucial stops late on to seal the 3 points against Altrincham, and a couple of excellent saves with the score at 1-0 led to United picking up a very good 2-0 win against Aldershot recently as well. Not only that but Breeze has shown real confidence in coming and claiming corners and crosses which will give his defence a lot of confidence.

    It’s worth remembering too that Breeze is only 21 years old and with the right coaching and experience, he will only grow as a keeper and will hopefully be a big figure for United in the coming years.

    Bevis Mugabi

    Another one i think deserves a mention is Bevis Mugabi. After joining in the summer window, Mugabi had to work himself to fitness and was initially a backup to the duo of Terrell Thomas and Aaron Hayden, since coming in for Hayden however, Mugabi has proven his ability and not only has he been a very solid force at the back for United, Thomas looks a lot more assured playing alongside him as well.

    Vastly experienced and a hulking figure, he’s been immense in most of his aerial battles and has even popped up with a goal too, with an excellent finish against Aldershot. With Morgan Feeney coming back to fitness, Mugabi will definitely have his hands full keeping his place in the side, but from what we’ve seen so far, he’s also going to be hard to dislodge.

    Like i said at the beginning, there are a good few other names that deserve a mention for Carlisle’s start to the season, such as Stephen Wearne, Archie Davies and the recent signing of Alex Gilliead, and it’s good to see plenty of good solid team performances so far this year. Let’s hope for plenty more to come as we continue our promotion push!

    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