On Saturday Mark Hughes undefeated Carlisle United make another long trip to the capital, this time to take on Steve Morison’s Sutton United.
The two sides have had contrasting starts to the season with Carlisle taking eleven points from a possible fifteen but Sutton having only take two points from the same amount of games.
How Have Both Teams Started The Season?
Sutton began their their season with an excellent draw away to York City, they then followed that up with a goalless draw at home to Solihull Moors and since then they’ve lost three games in a row to Forest Green, Scunthorpe and most recently Rochdale.
Sutton are currently in 22nd place with just the two points from their first five games.
Carlisle United started the season with a comfortable 2-0 away win against Woking, they then flowed that up with two disappointing performances and draws at home to Boreham Wood and Solihull Moors. the Cumbrians have now won back-to-back games over the bank holiday weekend against Wealdstone and most recently beat Braintree 5-0 at Brunton Park.
Carlisle United are currently in 3rd place with eleven points from their first five games.
Players To Watch
Sutton have to former Carlisle United players in their squad, one is midfielder Jayden Harris but the first player to watch for them is striker Ashley Nadesan. The former Gillingham, Fleetwood and Crawley striker also had a successful spell at Brunton Park back in 2017 through until 2019. His forward play is one of work rate, great link up play and will take his chances when they come his way.
The second player to watch is forward is Brandon Njoku, the former Cambridge man is Sutton’s top scorer so far this season with two goals. He will either start alongside Nadesan or will look to impact the game from the bench. He will be player that the Carlisle defence will have to keep a close eye on.
Carlisle United players to watch have been different every week but it makes sense to pick the hat-trick hero from the Braintree game. Regan Linney has scored five goals in five games for the Cumbrians so far this season and will be a constant attacking threat down the left mainly but could switch to the right at times. His direct running and taking on the full backs will be one of Carlisle’s main attacking weapons.
The second player to watch is Luke Armstrong, he and Linney have built a great relationship up front for Mark Hughes’ side and Armstrong has two goals and one assist in his five games so far this season. His endless work rate, his runs off the ball to create space for others is a huge part of Carlisle’s attack. If he gets the right service he will be a massive threat in front of goal and has that finishing touch when needed.
Why change a winning team? I think possibly the only change that may be made is in midfield because away from home Hughes will want to be more compact so I think he may drop Wearne or Whelan and bring Macadam back in but other than that why change a team that has won their most recent game 5-0 and are undefeated so far this season?!
Score Prediction
Sutton United 1-2 Carlisle United
I think Sutton will pose a threat going forward but if Carlisle can defend like they have done in recent games they should be able to keep them at arms length and the attacking threat of Linney, Armstrong and Luamba will cause a lot of problems for the Sutton defence especially on the break and that could be key in the Cumbrians coming away with the three points in this one.
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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:
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One of the standout performers in Carlisle United’s recent games is captain Terell Thomas. His defending and performances have come under much scrutiny in his time at Brunton Park but recently he’s been vastly improved and one of the best players in Carlisle’s last three games.
A Closer Look At Terell Thomas
Since his arrival at Brunton Park from Charlton Athletic in 2024 his defensive partnership with Sam Lavelle and later Aaron Hayden received plenty of criticism and rightfully so. Defensive errors, not doing the basics and gifting opposition teams goals were synonymous with Carlisle’s defence over the last couple of years and one of the main reasons the Cumbrians have had to go through back-to-back relegations. All of this wasn’t just on Thomas but with Lavelle having moved on and Hayden being dropped that only leaves Thomas in the team every week and supporters rightfully had some concerns.
How Has Thomas Performed?
At the start of the season with the additions of Morgan Feeney and Bevis Mugabi you’d have been right in think that Mark Hughes wasn’t happy with his options at centre back and with Thomas having a couple of shaky games against Woking and Boreham Wood it looked a certainty that he was going to lose his place when Feeney was fully fit.
The Solihull Moors game was where everything change for Terrell Thomas, the performance as a team wasn’t the best but Thomas managed to get a captain’s goal and pinch us a point from that game and from then he’s not looked back. Thomas was outstanding against Wealdstone in a hard fought 1-0 away win and was one of the standout performers against Braintree in a more straight forward 5-0 win over the bank holiday weekend.
Thomas seems to have his confidence back, his first touch has improved, his positioning has been incredible at times and his ability to read the game has meant him and Bevis Mugabi have build a solid defensive partnership and now Mark Hughes’ side not only have back-to-back victories but also back-to-back clean sheets and three clean sheets in five games and Thomas has played every minute of every game and has been trusted with the captain’s armband by Mark Hughes.
Why Am I Writing This Article?
I have written this article because I firmly believe players get a lot of criticism and we are quick to do that so I think it’s only fair we are even handed so we should praise them with the same energy.
Thomas has been excellent in recent matches as have the team as a whole and long may it continue.
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This afternoon, Carlisle United produced a five star performance to beat Braintree Town 5-0 at Brunton Park. A hat-trick from Regan Linney, an own goal and a late goal from Jack Ellis were the difference.
An incredible afternoon in the sunshine at Brunton Park for Mark Hughes, his team and the Carlisle United supporters. Braintree will be doing their best to forget today’s game pretty quickly.
Match Review
Carlisle came out of the blocks really quickly and were unlucky to not take the lead in the first minute as Regan Linney’s deflected shot was well saved by Braintree keeper Mason Terry.
The home side’s early domination continued as Archie Davies had a shot comfortably saved before Luke Armstrong’s header was brilliantly kept out by Mason Terry once again.
In the 15th minute after brilliant work from Junior Luamba, Stephen Wearne passed to Regan Linney and his curling effort from outside the box was curled to perfection and beat Mason Terry all ends up and gave Mark Hughes’ team a deserved lead.
Just before the half hour mark Regan Linney threaded a good ball through for Luke Armstrong to cross in to the danger area and it was deflected home by Braintree defender George Langston to double the Cumbrians’ lead.
The game slowed down from its frantic start but Carlisle continued to put pressure on the Braintree defence through Luamba and Linney mainly but a thoroughly exciting first half from a Carlisle perspective.
HT Carlisle United 2-0 Braintree Town
The home side created the first chance of the second half as Callum Whelan’s long range effort was well saved by Mason Terry.
Terell Thomas nearly scored the one of the great Brunton Park goals with a stunning 40 yard strike brilliantly tipped over by Mason Terry.
In the 52nd minute Callum Whelan was brought down in the box and Carlisle were awarded a penalty. Regan Linney calmly sent the keeper the wrong way to extended the blues’ lead.
Just after the hour mark Luke Armstrong found himself one on one with Mason Terry after a great pass from Regan Linney but was denied by a smart save from the Braintree keeper.
Regan Linney completed his hat-trick in the 66th minute with a brilliant front post header from a Cameron Harper corner.
Ten minutes from time a corner was headed down by Morgan Feeney and nodded home by Jack Ellis to make it 5-0.
Carlisle comfortably saw out the rest of the game and were more than worthy of their 5-0 victory.
FT Carlisle United 5-0 Braintree Town
How Did Carlisle Perform?
First half got off to an absolute flyer. Regan Linney set the tone early on and gave Carlisle a deserted lead with a great finish. The midriff kept the ball well and stopped anything Braintree tried to build in attack and especially Wearne and Whelan were posing a threat going forward as well. Defensively the home side were comfortable in the first half with Terell Thomas and Bevis Mugabi handling John Akinde very well in the first half.
Second half, Mark Hughes sent his players out with the same fast and strong start to the half and the pressure on Braintree was applied from the first minute of the half. Defence were comfortable again in the second half and the midfield were calm and composed with the ball even with the substitutions.
My Carlisle United Player Ratings
Gabe Breeze -7- didn’t have a lot to do, won’t have an easier afternoon all season.
Archie Davies -7- solid in defence when needed and was a constant attacking threat when Carlisle went forward.
Bevis Mugabi -7- very solid at the back, kept Akinde very quiet along with Thomas.
Terell Thomas -8- absolutely outstanding for the second game in a row. Brilliant last ditch tackle in the second half, kept their frontmen quiet and nearly scored a 40 yard screamer as well.
Cameron Harper -7- put some dangerous crosses in to the box in the first half and second half done his job very well.
Jack Ellis -7.5- a very comfortable day in midfield for Ellis and he kept the ball well at times. He also scored Carlisle’s fifth goal.
Callum Whelan -7.5- got in to some dangerous positions, could’ve had a couple of goals if it wasn’t for a great block and save from Braintree.
Stephen Wearne -6.5- picked up some dangerous positions but lacked a final pass was missing at times. A good shift for the team though.
Junior Luamba -7.5- a constant threat down the wing and covered a lot of ground tracking back when needed as well.
Regan Linney -10- the hat-trick hero, brilliant opener, took the penalty well and an excellent near post header for his third. Ran his socks off and was a constant threat on top of the three goals as well. Easily man of the match.
Luke Armstrong -8- never stopped running, created spaces for Linney and Luamba to run in to and forced the own goal.
SUBSTITUTES
Georgie Kelly -6- held the ball up well at times and could’ve got on the scoresheet as well.
Josh Grant -6- broke the play up and defended well when he came on.
David Ajiboye -6- looked dangerous at times but still looks low on confidence when running with the ball.
Morgan Feeney -6- done is job well when he came on alongside Thomas.
Ethan Robson -6- had a part to play in the fifth goal and could’ve got on the scoresheet himself late on.
Please note these are the ratings of Dan and nobody else.
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:
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This Bank Holiday Monday, Mark Hughes’ Carlisle United welcome Steve Pitt’s Braintree Town to Brunton Park.
Carlisle will looking for their first home win of the season and to make some progress in the league table meanwhile Braintree will be looking to put an end to their poor away form and return to winning ways.
How Have Both Teams Started The Season?
Carlisle United have had a stuttering start to the season after beating Woking 2-0 on the opening day they followed that up with a 3-3 draw against Boreham Wood and a 1-1 draw with Solihull Moors. Last time out the blues spoiled Wealdstone’s 100% start to the season with a hard fought 1-0 victory thanks to a header from Luke Armstrong.
Braintree had a flying start beating Halifax 3-0 at home before beating Leicester under-21s in the National League cup 2-0 but since then they’ve struggled and were beaten 2-0 at Hartlepool and 2-1 at Boreham Wood and in both games had a man sent off, last time out Braintree beat Yeovil 1-0 in a hard fought game and are sat on 6 points from their first 4 games.
Players To Watch
Carlisle United players to watch have been similar in most of these match previews I’ve done so far so I’m going to go with some different players for this match.
The first player to watch out for is Junior Luamba, the winger joined the Cumbrians from Salford this summer and has impressed in his appearances in the blue shirt so far. His pace and ability to put the ball in to the danger area will cause the Braintree defence real issues especially in transition and on the break.
The second player to watch for the Cumbrians is Georgie Kelly, his hold up play could be vital in Carlisle’s attack, if he wins his flick ons and manages to keep the ball he will be the key part of Carlisle’s attack and will look to feed Regan Linney and other forwards at the earliest opportunity.
As for Steve Pitt’s Braintree, they have some experience in their side such as former Ipswich and Brentford player Alan Judge and form Ipswich and MK Dons defender Tommy Smith to name but a few but they are not their danger men.
The first player to watch for Braintree is big target man John Akinde, Akinde has played in the EFL for teams such as Barnet, Lincoln, Gillingham and Colchester. Akinde holds the ball up well, bullies defenders and links up the forward line very well, he will be a handful for the Carlisle United defensive line.
The other player to watch is Lewis Walker, Walker came through the QPR academy, he has played in Italy for Carpi and Como before coming back to England to play for Gillingham and Woking before joining Braintree this summer, he and Akinde have formed a good partnership and scored two goals in their opening day 3-0 win of Halifax.
I think with games coming thick and fast there will be some rotation to Mark Hughes’ side. I think he may rest Armstrong and start Kelly and maybe freshen things in midfield as well.
Score Prediction
Carlisle United 2-0 Braintree Town
This is the perfect game for the Cumbrians to kick start their home form this season. Braintree struggle on the road and Carlisle should have too much fire power in key areas for them.
Braintree’s frontmen could cause the Carlisle defence issues but if they handle that well I think Carlisle will have too much quality in the end for a side that notoriously struggles on the road.
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:
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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
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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:
On Saturday evening Carlisle United made the long trip to the capital to take on high flying Wealdstone. The game was decided thanks to a first half header from Luke Armstrong and a solid defensive display in the second half.
Carlisle ended Wealdstone’s perfect start to the season, the Cumbrians are now sat on 8 points from their opening 4 fixtures and have moved up to 7th place in the table.
Match Review
Both sides started the game on the front foot and created early chances. Luke Armstrong had a goal controversially ruled out for a foul in the first five minutes but the blues kept pushing for the opener despite that disappointment.
Regan Linney got in down the left and forced a save from the Wealdstone goalkeeper and Jack Ellis curled a shot just wide of the Wealdstone goal before an Archie Davies corner was flicked in with his head at the near by Luke Armstrong in the 18th minute to give Carlisle a deserved lead.
The away side continued to look threatening especially in transition in the first 30 minutes and chances for Regan Linney and Junior Luamba were missed when both should have done better.
Wealdstone we’re getting some joy in the forward areas especially down their right side as their winger seemed to have the beating of Cameron Harper but their crosses in to the box were dealt with well by Gabe Breeze in goal.
The front three of Carlisle were pressing well and looked a threat every time they went forward. Luamba’s pace and natural width he gave us was a huge improvement on the day against Solihull Moors.
HT Wealdstone 0-1 Carlisle United
The second half started off in the same vein as the first, Carlisle were pressing high up the field and their first chance came from that where Harvey Macadam saw his shot parried away by Dante Baptiste.
In the 53rd minute Gabe Breeze was forced in to action with a great stop to prevent the home side from levelling the score. From the resulting corner Wealdstone heaped on more pressure and Breeze was called in to action once again to stop a header from Deonysus Woodman.
In the 65th minute Regan Linney broke the offside trap and pulled his short wide of the near post when he perhaps should’ve done better and finished the game.
As the game went on Carlisle looked more and more content with the lead they had as they sat back and invited Wealdstone pressure but the defence was up to the balls in to the box and got their heads to every cross in to the danger area.
The away side’s defence held firm and Carlisle comfortably saw the game out for a deserved 1-0 victory.
How Did Carlisle Perform?
In the first half the front three of Armstrong, Linney and Luamba pressing high and then pace on the break was causing Wealdstone massive problems. Luamba in particular with his direct running and creating width when he didn’t have the ball was creating spaces in key areas for players such as Wearne, Linney and Armstrong to move in to.
Defensively both Mugabi and Thomas dealt with Wealdstone’s crosses well. Breeze in goal didn’t have a great deal to do overall but when he had to come for balls he did and when there were saves to be made he made them.
Carlisle’s pressing slowed down a lot after the hour mark and they tried to slow the pace down and hit Wealdstone on the break. Regan Linney broke the offside trap twice in quick succession but couldn’t find the net on either occasion but Carlisle’s second half game plan was there for all to see and they implemented it well.
Overall I would call it a perfect away performance, we took our chance, defended very well, kept a clean sheet and ran the clock down well to see the game out.
My Carlisle United Player Ratings
Gabe Breeze – 7.5 – didn’t have huge amounts do at a times but dealt with a lot of crosses in to the box very well and made some important stops late on.
Archie Davies – 7 – wasn’t as much of an attacking threat as he was on Tuesday but he defended very well and stood strong when their left-back tried to take him on.
Terell Thomas – 8 – one of his better games in a Carlisle shirt, won pretty much everything, always looked in control and kept their frontmen quiet all game and is my man of the match.
Bevis Mugabi – 7.5 – similar to Thomas, very solid didn’t put a foot wrong and had answers for any of the attackers questions.
Cameron Harper – 6.5 – was beaten down his side a few times, failed to stop some crosses in to the box but overall a solid game.
Harvey Macadam – 6.5 – worked very hard in midfield, passed the ball well, made some good runs and tracked back well.
Jack Ellis – 6.5 – industrious in midfield, covered a lot of ground, done a brilliant job of keeping their midfield quiet and could’ve had a goal in the first half.
Stephen Wearne – 6.5 – picked up pockets of space in the first half but just couldn’t find that final ball. Worked very hard for the team and didn’t do anything wrong.
Junior Luamba – 7.5 – very impressive first start for the club, fast and direct in transition especially in the first half and his runs caused Wealdstone a lot of problems.
Regan Linney – 7 – on another day he could’ve had a hat-trick but it wasn’t his day in front of goal but he worked tirelessly for the team and was a constant threat going forward.
Luke Armstrong – 8 – covered a lot of ground up front closing defenders down and giving Linney and Luamba options going forward, on another day he maybe gets another goal but got the decisive goal and it was between him and Thomas for man of the match for me.
SUBSTITUTES
Callum Whelan – 6 – knew his role off the bench was to work hard and close people down and he done that well when seeing out the game.
David Ajiboye – 6 – made some good runs late on but couldn’t really get in to the game. He did track back well and helped see out the game.
Georgie Kelly – n/a – wasn’t on long enough to impact the game.
Morgan Feeney – n/a – wasn’t on long enough to impact the game but good to see him back.
Please note these ratings are the opinions of Dan and nobody else.
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
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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
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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:
After back-to-back disappointing performances at Brunton Park against Boreham Wood and Solihull Moors one thing that has been apparent to many people is the midfield seems to lack real balance.
Against Boreham Wood the midfield had too many attack minded midfielders and against Solihull there were too many defensive minded players in there, this needs to be fixed for Wealdstone tomorrow or the blues’ midfield risks being dominated once again.
How Has The Midfield Performed?
Against Boreham Wood, the midfield three for Mark Hughes was Harvey Macadam, Callum Whelan and Elliot Embleton and they were outfought at times so against Solihull Hughes went for a more defensive midfield and played right back Jack Ellis in there alongside Harvey Macadam and Josh Grant on his debut.
Against Boreham Wood the tough tackling and press from the opposition meant we lost the ball too many times in dangerous areas but against Solihull it was too defensive and it meant Mark Hughes’ side consistently failed to make any progressive passes in the final third for the attackers and were too slow in transition because the midfielders were too defensive minded.
The Solihull goal on Tuesday came from Josh Grant passing the ball blindly across the back line instead of looking to play forward to the attackers, there needs to be more balance in that area so Grant’s mistake doesn’t happen again.
What Should Hughes Do?
Historically, a successful midfield three is usually one holding midfielder, one box-to-box midfielder and one creative midfielder and Hughes has the players at his disposal to implement this in the coming games.
For creativity I think Elliot Embleton is first choice with Stephen Wearne off the bench, as the box-to-box option I would say Callum Whelan is first choice with the option of Ethan Robson off the bench and as the holding defence minded midfielder it looks like Harvey Macadam is first choice for Hughes with Josh Grant as the option off the bench.
Against Wealdstone tomorrow I think for a well balanced midfield the Cumbrians need to go with a midfield three of Macadam, Whelan and Embleton but just because I think that it doesn’t mean Mark Hughes will go with that.
I don’t necessarily think this midfield is ideal but on paper and from what I’ve seen so far this season I think it’s the best we have in terms of balance.
What would your midfield three be for tomorrow’s game?
What To Expect Against Wealdstone
I’m intrigued as to what team we will see tomorrow because the majority of the fan base were not happy with the performance on Tuesday against Solihull but Mark Hughes came out after the game and said he was “pleased” with what he’d seen, this surprised many people including myself so we could see wholesale changes tomorrow or it could be unchanged, we will have to wait and see.
As far as Hughes’ comments go, I understand you don’t come out and throw your players under the bus but you could word things a little differently instead of saying you were “pleased” with being played off the park by a side that you’re expected to beat for 75 minutes and scraped a draw.
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
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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
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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:
On Saturday Mark Hughes takes his Carlisle United side to London to take on high flying Wealdstone. Sam Cox’s team have a 100% record so far this season and will be a huge test for the blues after a stuttering start.
Wealdstone are strong at home and were tipped by a lot of people to struggle this season but with three wins from three so far they will be looking to keep that run going.
How Have Both Teams Started The Season?
Wealdstone have won all three of their National League games this season, they’ve beaten Truro 2-0 on the opening day they then followed that up with a 2-1 victory over Halifax in the second game and then they defeated Woking away from home 2-1 in midweek. They also beat. Wolves under-21 side in the National League cup in there as well.
Carlisle United have a slightly stuttering start, they began the campaign with a 2-0 victory over Woking but have followed that up with two lacklustre performances and draws, 3-3 at home to Boreham Wood and 1-1 with Solihull Moors midweek.
Players To Watch
Sam Cox’s side have a lot of experience in their side along with youth and pace but I’ve chosen two players to watch out for in particular and both have bags of experience.
Max Kretzschmar in midfield will keep the ball well, the former Woking and Wycombe man will try to dominate the centre of the pitch and will pop up in dangerous areas and look to break through the Carlisle United defence.
Another danger man for Wealdstone is Enzio Boldewijn, the former Crawley and Notts County forward has lots of experience and has scores goals at every club he’s been at. He will be a constant threat and the Carlisle defence will have to keep him at arms length in this one.
For Carlisle I’ll probably say this a lot this season but Regan Linney, if he can get the ball and isolate the full backs he will be a constant attacking threat for the Cumbrians in this game and many more to come.
Another danger man for Mark Hughes’ side is Archie Davies at right-back, he was man of the match against Solihull and was a constant attacking threat, if Carlisle play a winger on the right ahead of Davies they could link up well and cause the Wealdstone defence serious problems in this game.
I think Hughes will have noticed what was missing against Solihull and how much better and more direct we were when Luamba came on.
We will need to try and keep the ball better than we did against Solihull and that’s why I think he’ll bring in Whelan or Embleton to keep the ball better and be more progressive when we do have the ball.
One of Armstrong or Kelly may be dropped and I’ve chosen Armstrong but it will depend on if Kelly can play two games in a week.
Score Prediction
Wealdstone 1-0 Carlisle United
Carlisle after a winning start have underperformed in recent matches with two poor performances and draws at home in their last two games meanwhile Wealdstone have won three in three, have lots of experience and are strong at home. I think this will be a tough game and a hard fought contest but I think the home side just edge it.
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:
Last night, Carlisle United were held to a disappointing draw by Solihull Moors at Brunton Park. Dan Creaney gave the away side a deserved lead before Terell Thomas equalised for the blues ten minutes from time.
Mark Hughes’ side have now followed up on their opening day victory against Woking with two flat and disappointing performances at Brunton Park and have been shown that there are no easy games in the National League.
Match Review
Solihull started the better of the two sides, they were passing and moving and causing young Carlisle left-back Sam Murray a lot of problems first half with movement from Dan Creaney and Ben Worman.
Carlisle’s main attacking threat in the first half was Archie Davies down the right and in the 32nd minute he whipped a wicked cross in to the area and the Solihull defender diverted it just over the crossbar.
Right on the stroke of half time Sam Murray crossed the ball in the box and Jack Ellis saw his header comfortably saved by Laurie Walker.
HT Carlisle United 0-0 Solihull Moors
The second half started was the first did with a lot of Solihull possession and Carlisle struggling to get a foothold in the game.
In the 68th minute a dreadful pass from Josh Grant across the back line when Bevis Mugabi was down injured was seized upon by Ben Worman and he found Dan Creaney who calmly slotted home to give Matty Taylor’s side a deserved lead.
Mark Hughes was then forced to change things and went more direct bringing Junior Luamba and Stephen Wearne on and the home side vastly improved after those substitutions.
In the 80th minute from a Carlisle set piece Georgie Kelly nodded down for captain Terell Thomas to finish well and give Carlisle ten minutes or so to win the game.
Moments after the equaliser Georgie Kelly turned well in the box but was denied once by a great block and again by a good save as Solihull’s defence was finally being stretched and tested.
Regan Linney and Bevis Mugabi were both denied late on by Laurie Walker and Solihull’s defence stood strong and made some brilliant last ditch blocks.
Mugabi had the ball in the net in the final moments but was adjudged to have fouled the goalkeeper and the game remained level much to the disappointment of a lot of supporters around me.
How Did Carlisle Perform?
I had some major question marks last night so I’m going to go through them here.
Why did we play two big target men up front and take a man out of midfield when we wanted to play nice football and not play to the target men’s strengths? Surely the game should’ve had one of Wearne, Embleton or Whelan in the midfield if we are going to play that way?
Why didn’t take so long for the manager to change things? He was reactive and not proactive which is never good. We were instantly improved as soon as the changes were made and you could see the changes needed made at half time but Hughes waited until we went a goal behind to do it.
Macadam and Grant in midfield can’t really take the ball on the half turn and run at people like some of the other players in the squad can so I wouldn’t play them together again.
Defensively I thought Mugabi and Thomas done well together, Davies was a constant threat going forward and Murray struggled in the first half but grew in to the game more in the second. I still think we lack a proper commanding centre back and I’m hoping more Feeney is nearly fully fit he will be that for us.
Linney was a threat when he got the ball especially in the second half but a lot of the time they double up on him and I think he will face that a lot this season but if Carlisle can get the ball to him he will always be our biggest threat.
I felt sorry for Kelly and Armstrong for the majority of the game because they just weren’t getting the ball and were feeding off scraps. Kelly grew in to the game once we started playing to his strengths and got the assist for the equaliser but if you’re going to play the two of Armstrong and Kelly together you need to give them service.
Player Ratings
Gabe Breeze – 6 – didn’t have a great deal to do, done everything right and the goal was a great finish.
Archie Davies – 7.5 (MOTM) – our best and most consistent attacking threat, final delivery wasn’t always there but he never stopped running and attacking.
Bevis Mugabi – 6 – solid enough debut, could’ve had a goal late on, didn’t do anything wrong and was injured for the goal so couldn’t get back.
Terell Thomas – 7 – a lot better than at the weekend, there were some misplaced passes early on but he settled in to the game and took his goal like prolific striker.
Sam Murray – 6 – struggled first half but grew in to the game and was a real threat with Linney down the left in the second half.
Jack Ellis – 6 – not as effective as we would’ve liked in midfield but he kept the ball moving and tried to find passes key areas.
Josh Grant – 3 – gave the ball away on numerous occasions, he’d seem to sniff the danger out then give the ball way again. His pass across the back line for the Solihull goal was the final error in a list of errors before he was substituted.
Harvey Macadam – 6 – made a couple of good runs from midfield, put in a great challenge in the first half to stop a breakaway and progressed the ball well at times but ultimately turned back too many times in midfield and it stunted our progress in attack at times.
Regan Linney – 7 – struggled to get in the game first half but second half him and Murray caused a lot of trouble for Solihull and almost got his goal late on but was denied by the keeper. Constant threat.
Luke Armstrong – 5 – never stopped running but ultimately didn’t play to his strengths and struggled to impact the game at all.
Georgie Kelly – 6 – struggled to get in the game a lot like Armstrong but late on when we started playing to his strengths he was a constant threat and got the nod down and assist for the equaliser and was unlucky to not get the winner late on.
SUBSTITUTES
Junior Luamba – 6 – was direct when he came on and was what Carlisle had been missing all game. Hughes should have brought him on sooner.
Stephen Wearne – 6 – made some good passes in the final third and maybe overdone it at times but much like Luamba I wish he’d been give more time to impact the game.
Please note that these ratings are the opinions of Dan and nobody else
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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.
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On Saturday at Brunton Park, Carlisle United blew a 3-1 lead against Boreham Wood and defensively there was a lot left to be desired. Boreham Wood attackers were left unmarked on numerous occasions and there were gaping holes in the blues’ defensive line continuously.
Today I’m going to be looking at the players in the back line of Carlisle United and where Mark Hughes should be looking to improve and potentially change ahead of tomorrow night’s match with Solihull Moors.
A Look At The Carlisle United Defence
Jack Ellis at right-back was the best of the four on Saturday and wasn’t at fault for any of the goals, he also played very well against Woking in the opening game and got a brilliant assist for Luke Armstrong.
Ellis does have Archie Davies as competition but I think Ellis’ position in the defence is safe for now and should start against Solihull.
Terell Thomas is a real issue for me, he’s meant to be our captain and has constantly been poor for a prolonged period of time. He constantly berates others around him even when some of it is his own fault. He looked way off the pace against Boreham Wood and was at fault numerous times and made countless mistakes.
I think because he’s captain he probably starts against Solihull tomorrow but if that’s the case he’s extremely lucky to be starting.
Aaron Hayden very much like Thomas looked well off the pace on Saturday and was static at times and you could argue he was at fault for at least one of the goals. I think him and Thomas don’t compliment each other well at all and get caught out for pace a lot of the time.
I think Hayden could be the one that’s changed against Solihull with Bevis Mugabi to come in instead of him.
Cameron Harper at left-back had a dreadful first half against Boreham Wood and is yet to convince me defensively since he joined last summer, technically he’s usually decent but there was misplaced passes and lack of doing the basics on Saturday.
He did improve slightly second half and was a little better but still nowhere near good enough. I think Hughes likes Harper so he might stick with him against Solihull but I think Sam Murray deserves a chance personally.
What Changes Should Be Made?
The first thing I would say is, how are we starting the same back four this season that we got relegated with last season?
Thomas and Hayden need addressing quickly by Mark Hughes with Mugabi a ready made replacement for one and then we need to know when Morgan Feeney will be fit and ready to go because if it’s going to be a long time I’d be tempted to look at Paul Huntington on a free transfer even if it’s just a short term deal.
Harper at left-back is another issue that we seemed to address in the summer by signing Sam Murray from Manchester United but so far Hughes has stuck with Harper but surely Murray has to get his chance very soon and if he doesn’t I would question why he’s not playing and why did we even sign him.
The defence is a massive problem that has plagued Mark Hughes since his arrival at the club and if it isn’t addressed it will keep costing us in the long run, like it has the last two seasons.
The manager needs to show that he won’t tolerate those performances we seen in Saturday and that players will suffer the consequences of costing us a game.
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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.
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Carlisle were left frustrated after throwing away a 2 goal lead in the last 15 minutes of their first home game of the season against newly promoted Boreham Wood. The Blues had gone into half time 1-0 down after Luke Norris had put the away side in front, but a strike from substitue Georgie Kelly and two goals from Regan Linney had given Mark Hughes’ side what looked to be a comfortable lead, the Wood didn’t let their heads drop though, and a second from Norris and a late goal from Charlie O’Connell meant Luke Garrard’s side went away from Brunton Park with a share of the spoils.
Carlisle were looking to make it 2 wins out of 2 to kick off their National League campaign following their opening day win away at Woking, however they started the game on the back foot as Boreham Wood moved the ball around and kept possession much better than the home side as United’s midfield struggled to get into the game due to a very direct style of play. Garrard’s side were finding a lot of joy in wide areas with constant switches of play and positive runs from the attacking midfield trio of Erico Susa, Abdul Abdulmalik and Charles Clayden, and were often deploying their weapon of Chris Bush’s long throw from their arsenal.
Despite the visitors’ promising start however, they were struggling to threaten Gabe Breeze’s goal too much, and Carlisle almost took the lead as Aaron Hayden headed just wide from an Elliott Embleton corner, Boreham Wood had their best move of the half moments later however as some intricate play almost played Abdulmalik through on goal but he was stopped by a last ditch challenge from Hayden, the Wood’s number 10 threatened a few moments later as his long range effort forced Breeze to make a relatively comfortable stop.
Mark Hughes’ side did improve slightly as the half went on, and almost found the breakthroough on 39 minutes as another Embleton corner found the head of Armstrong, but his low header was fantastically tipped onto the post by Nathan Ashmore in the Boreham Wood goal. The visitors found their deserved opener just a couple of minutes later however, as a lovely reverse ball on the edge of the area from Souza took Carlisle’s backline out of the game and found Luke Norris, who poked the ball through Breeze’s legs and into the far corner.
Tempers threatened to flare at points in the first half and things almost came to a boiling point as an altercation in the technical area saw Blues’ manager Hughes and a member of the Boreham Wood coaching staff both receive yellow cards.
HALF TIME: Carlisle 0-1 Boreham Wood
Carlisle looked to make an immediate response in the second half, as Hughes’ introduced Georgie Kelly for the largely ineffective David Ajiboye, the ex Rotherham man made an immediate impact, superbly firing into the bottom left corner after some good work from Armstrong forced Boreham Wood’s defence into giving the ball away. Carlisle could well have taken the lead almost immediately as a superb cross from Embleton found Harvey Macadam, but the midfielder somehow fired over from just a few yards out.
United continued to maintain the pressure however, and they took the lead moments later after deft feet from Regan Linney took him round Cameron Coxe before he fired a shot that squirmed past Ashmore to make the score 2-1. The visitors were far from out of the game though and could have equalised shortly after, as United captain Terrell Thomas failed to deal with a long ball over the top and was muscled to the floor by substitute Matt Rush, but the ex Maidstone man dinked his effort just past the far post.
Carlisle remained the better of the two sides in the opening half an hour of the second half, and continued to threaten the visitors’ backline, with Armstrong almost being played in on goal by a great through ball by Callum Whelan, only to be denied by a superb challenge by Charlie O’Connell.
There was nothing anyone could do about the Blues’ third however, as Regan Linney produced a moment of absolute brilliance as he nutmegged his man on the left wing before firing an absolute rocket into the top right corner from 25 yards out to bag his second goal of the game.
The home side should have been comfortable at this point, but Boreham Wood refused to let their heads drop, and a mishit cross from the goalscorer Norris almost looped over Breeze’s head, but he was able to tip the ball over for a corner. The away side refused to be denied however, as a great ball in from O’Connell found Norris in acres of space in the United area, and he easily headed past Breeze to put Boreham Wood well and truly back in the game.
United’s defensive woes continued and 5 minutes later they failed to deal with a free kick to the back post from substitue Tom Whelan, and O’Connell was able to nod in a free header at the backpost to complete the Boreham Wood comeback, much to the chargrin of the 8,500+ Carlisle fans in attendance.
The home side almost found a late winner after a poor clearance allowed Jack Ellis a late chance, but he could only fire his effort over the bar to confirm that Carlisle would have to settle for a share of the spoils.
Boreham Wood: Ashmore, Coxe, O’Connell, Bush, Ilesanmi (Dixon 62′), Reynolds, White, Sousa, Abdulmalik (Rush 56′), Clayden (T. Whelan 56′), Norris (Benton 97′) Subs not used: Henry, King
How Did United Perform?
This game has to be seen as two points dropped for Carlisle, especially after being two goals up with just 15 minutes to play. The alarm bells should be ringing loudly however as we never really got out of the blocks in the first half, and, full credit to Boreham Wood, we let the visitors totally outplay us. Our midfield never really got into the game and David Ajiboye looked totally off the pace, never really showing any of his blistering speed which he was notable for during his time at Sutton.
We certainly improved in the second half and the forwards can take a lot of credit from the game as some superb finishes really should have given us the three points, even Elliot Embleton who was heavily criticised last season has seemingly bucked his ideas up and was a large part of United’s creativity going forward, including two excellent corners that almost led to a goal.
The biggest disappointment though is how we really stopped playing after going 3-1 up and instead of pressing our advantage, we let them get back into the game and some awful defending from Hayden and Thomas at the back allowed the lead to slip away from us. It’s possible that one of the two of them may do ok alongside a different partner, but the combination of the two of them has already proved last season that it just doesn’t work.
Cameron Harper also looked poor, including some wayward balls forward and never really looking comfortable in his defensive work either. Coming off the game the verdict is pretty clear, if we can utilise our quality going forward we’ll have no problem scoring goals, but we desperately need to shore up our defence otherwise we’ll continue to let games like this slip, Morgan Feeney’s return to fitness can’t come soon enough, and Bevis Mugabi should already be asking the question of Hughes as to getting a place in the next starting lineup.
Overall, 4 points from the opening two fixtures certainly isn’t a bad return, but given that Boreham Wood, with all due respect, aren’t one of the heavy hitters in this league, it’s clear that we need to up our game going forward.
Carlisle Player Ratings:
Breeze – 5: Was nutmegged for Boreham Wood’s opener, and conceding 3 goals is always a mark of a tough outing for a goalkeeper.
Ellis – 7: The only defender to really come out of this with any credit, not as good as he was against Woking, but battled well against a tricky opponent in Clayden
Hayden – 5: Made some bizarre decisions at times at the back, and wasn’t aggressive enough in dealing with a lot of the balls that came near him, did make an excellent tackle to stop a BW attack in the first half, though.
Thomas – 4: Really poor, outmuscled too easily on a number of occasions including one that really should have led to the score being 2-2, passive like Hayden and simply nowhere near commanding enough to be captain.
Harper – 5: Poor outing from him, inaccurate passing and nervy defending put the crowd and some of his team mates on edge on a few occasions.
Whelan – 5: Currently looks off his game compared to last season, produced a couple of dangerous through balls but was wasteful in possession and struggled to impact the game especially in the first half.
Macadam – 6: Thought he did ok, was positive in his pressing and controlled the ball quite well for the most part, struggled in the first half similar to Whelan though and should have scored in the second.
Ajiboye – 4: Again, well off the pace, never impacted the game and whenever he touched the ball he lost it, not helped by our long ball game in the first half but just never looked threatening to the away side’s defence.
Embleton – 7: Carlisle’s main creative force in the game, creating two chances from corners in the first half and constantly keeping the ball moving in the attacking third, looks a much better player than last season so far.
Linney – 8 (MOTM): Quiet first half and could be accused of doing a bit too much with the ball at times but two goals largely of his own making more than make up for that, he always looked dangerous when he was on the ball, constantly driving at his full back and causing headaches for Boreham Wood, including an absolute blinder of a second goal.
Armstrong – 7: Cut a frustrated figure in the first half as he struggled to get on the end of a lot of aimless balls forward from United’s backline, but improved after the break and forced a mistake to set up Kelly’s equaliser.
Subs:
Kelly – 7: Made a real difference coming off the bench, taking his goal superbly and holding the ball up well when called upon too, always a real weapon to have in your arsenal.
Robson – 6: Not really on long enough to properly impact the game, did come somewhat close with another free kick
Wearne – 6: Similar to Robson.
Luamba – N/A: Should have been on earlier.
Please note that 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:
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