On Sunday, Mark Hughes’ Carlisle United travel to Bloomfield Road to take on Ian Evatt’s League One Blackpool in the second round of the FA Cup.
In the previous round, Blackpool beat National League side Scunthorpe United 1-0 and Carlisle came from two goals down to beat League One side Reading 3-2 after extra time.
How Have Both Teams Been Performing?
Blackpool are winless in their last four games. Their last victory in all competitions was a 3-1 win at home against Cardiff City. They have lost to Tranmere in the EFL trophy, lost to Burton Albion Reading and drew with ten man Leyton Orient in League One.
Last time out Blackpool were beaten 4-2 at Harrogate in the EFL Trophy.
Carlisle United are unbeaten in their last eleven games, winning nine and drawing two of those. The Cumbrians’ last defeat came at home to Rochdale at the end of September but since then they have beaten Boston United twice, Reading in the cup, Scunthorpe, Southend, Hartlepool, Forest Green and Halifax, the two draws came against Yeovil and Eastleigh.
Last time out Mark Hughes’ side saw off a spirited Tamworth side at Brunton Park in a hard fought 2-1 victory.
In the last round Blackpool saw of National League side Scunthorpe 1-0 at Bloomfield Road meanwhile Carlisle United beat League One side Reading 3-2 after extra time.
Players To Watch
Ashley Fletcher
The 30-year-old striker is Blackpool’s main goal threat. The former Manchester United, Sunderland and Middlesbrough forward has lots of experience and will run all day for the team. His movement and ability to find space in the box will cause the Carlisle defenders some problems.
Fletcher has seven goals and two assists in all competitions in a struggling side so far this season.
George Honeyman
The 31-year-old attacking midfielder is one of the leaders in this Blackpool side. The former Sunderland, Hull and Millwall player is very experienced and will keep the League One side ticking with the ball. His ability to find the killer pass in the final third will be something the Cumbrians will have to look out for.
Honeyman has one goal and one assist so far this season but has been in and out of the side due to injury.
Tom Bloxham
The 22-year-old striker is another goal threat for Ian Evatt’s side. His link up with Fletcher and ability to hold the ball up and link the the play will be something Carlisle’s defence will have to keep close tabs on to nullify the Blackpool attack.
Bloxham has struggled so far this season but has two goals and one assist so far to his name in a struggling Blackpool side.
Oliver Casey
The 24-year-old defender has been a consistent performer in recent years for Blackpool and despite their poor form this season he’s been one of the better performers. His clearances and defensive blocks are one of the best in League One and he’s a threat from set pieces at the other end as well.
Casey could really be a difference maker in both boxes and potentially a match winner.
I think Mark Hughes will rotate in some areas for this game but he won’t want to rotate too much and change that winning formula. I can see one of Macadam or Gilliead getting a rest and maybe Davies coming in at right back and a rest for one of Williams or Luamba. Harry Lewis will play in goal as he’s started in the previous two cup games.
My Score Prediction
Blackpool 1-2 Carlisle United (AET)
I think this game maybe goes the distance, Blackpool’s poor form matched with Carlisle’s great form could be the recipe for a classic FA Cup upset. Carlisle beat a League One side to get here and there’s no reason it can’t be done again. The gap from the top of the National League to the bottom of League one has probably never been closer than it is right now.
I’m going 2-1 Carlisle United and another cup upset but I think we may need extra time to do it.
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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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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.
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
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You can also watch Dan every week hosting on The National League Lowdown podcast on YouTube or you can listen to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Carlisle United came away from Huish Park frustrated after being held to a 1-1 draw by a dogged Yeovil Town side. A great strike from substitute Harvey Macadam cancelled out an own goal from captain Morgan Feeney.
The Blues came into this away trip full of confidence after a thrilling home win last week over fellow high fliers Forest Green but struggled to get into the game in the early goings, with their only chance in the opening 10 minutes coming as Chris Conn-Clarke found himself just inside the area before cutting inside and curling an effort half a yard wide of the far right hand post.
Conn-Clarke was getting a lot of the ball in the opening minutes and received the ball from Josh Williams moments later just outside the area before turning onto his right foot and hitting a low shot just past the left hand post of the Yeovil goal.
The Glovers were looking to arrest their recent slump in front of their own fans following heavy defeats against Boreham Wood and Rochdale and found themselves in front 15 minutes in as George Nurse, who joined on loan from Shrewsbury Town this month, hit an inswining corner to the near post which struck the head of Carlisle captain Morgan Feeney under pressure from Tahvon Campbell and flew into the corner of Gabe Breeze’s goal to put the hosts ahead.
Mark Hughes, serving a touchline ban for this game after incurring three yellow cards, watched his side struggle to really trouble the hosts’ defence after going behind with their only real efforts coming from long range and being comfortably dealt with by Town keeper Jed Ward.
In fact it was Richard Dryden’s side that came closest to finding their second goal after Andrew Oluwabori nicked the ball from Feeney before driving at the Carlisle defence, but he ultimately hit his shot well wide of the goal.
HALF TIME: Yeovil 1 – 0 Carlisle
The second half started largely evenly matched with Carlisle firing a few warning shots towards the Glovers but the hosts’ pressing was largely stopping United from settling on the ball. Carlisle did have the best opportunity of the opening 15 minutes of the half however as Josh Williams got in behind Nurse down the right flank, but his attempt to find Georgie Kelly in the middle was easily cut out.
Yeovil were looking to surge into the top half of the table with a win here and came somewhat close to doubling their advantage moments later as a free kick was only cleared as far as Jake Wannell on the edge of the area, whose low effort was clawed away by Breeze before the United keeper pounced on the ball just before the onrushing Campbell could get there.
United meanwhile knew that a win here could potentially see them move to the top of the National League and they found an equaliser in the 68th minute as talisman Regan Linney superbly jinked past a couple of defenders on the left wing before finding Conn-Clarke inside, who slipped the ball to substitute Harvey Macdam before the ex Morecambe man lashed a left footed shot straight into the top right corner to give the Cumbrians an equaliser.
Carlisle looked to keep their momentum going and could have found themselves in front moment later when Archie Davies nicked the ball from Aaron Jarvis before Linney ran 60 yards to the Yeovil area before opting to shoot, but his low effort was easily saved by Ward in the Glovers’ goal.
Linney saw another opportunity to take the lead moments later as a Junior Luamba low cross was cleared only as far as the ex Altrincham man and he hit a beautiful volley towards the top left corner, but his effort fizzed just past the woodwork much to the relief of the Yeovil faithful.
The hosts had a great chance of their own to take the lead 5 minutes later as Campbell stole in ahead of Aaron Hayden to meet a low cross from Luke McCormick, but his effort was hit well over the bar from close range. Moments later, Jarvis met another great corner by Nurse inside the 6 yard box, but his header also had too much elevation on it.
Both sides tried to find a winner in the last few minutes of the game but defences ultimately prevailed and saw the encounter end in what was probably a deserved draw.
This was far from a vintage performance by Carlisle today as they really struggled overall to maintain control in the game as Yeovil’s tenacity and energy made it hard for us to properly assert ourselves as we have in recent weeks. Linney always looked threatening when he got on the ball as he usually does and Williams troubled Yeovil with his positive running but we struggled especially in the midfield area to properly give them the support they needed, and the full backs again found it hard to deal with Yeovil’s wide men.
Four games unbeaten is a good run however and if we can step it up again in the next couple of league games we might look back on this as a decent point gained.
Carlisle Player Ratings
Breeze: 5 – Couldn’t do much about Yeovil’s goal but distribution was off at points and almost presented Campbell with a chance in the second half as he clawed a shot away.
Davies: 5 – Struggled at points defensively and his deliveries into the area were poor.
Hayden: 7 – Had a good game despite his yellow card, had superiority in the air and dealt with crosses into the area well.
Feeney: 5 – Unusually off game for him, didn’t deal with the corner for Yeovil’s goal and was robbed of the ball to present them with an opportunity later in the half too, did improve in the second period though.
Harper: 5 – Didn’t offer a lot going forward and didn’t look all that comfortable going the other way either.
Gilliead: 6 – Another quiet game for him but he made a few good challenges in the midfield before being withdrawn.
Grant: 5 – Never really got into the game and i’m quite surprised he lasted the full 90.
Conn-Clarke: 6 – Got a lot of the ball in the first half and looked threatening but often struggled to find the right pass, but did get the assist for Macadam’s equaliser.
Linney: 7 – Massive part to play in United’s goal with some great feet before he found Conn-Clarke and had a couple of decent attempts on goal.
Williams: 7 – Looked positive with his running in the first half, stole in behind Nurse early on in the second and i was surprised he came off when he did.
Kelly: 5 – Never really got into the game and struggled to link up play like he’s normally so good, rarely got a sniff of goal.
Subs
Macadam – 7: Offered great energy going forward and took his goal superbly, especially on his weaker foot.
Luamba – 6: Did okay but never really looked like causing Yeovil any real problems.
Jones – 6: On late but did have Yeovil on edge when he drove forward with the ball at his feet.
Please note these are Craig’s opinions and nothing official!
A Message From Paddock Perception
Thank you everyone for reading Paddock Perception, your support means everything! Please don’t forget you can follow Dan and Craig on X for more football content:
@dan_batemannn
@CraigWL1997
You can also watch Dan every week hosting on The National League Lowdown podcast on YouTube or you can listen to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Carlisle United bested a resilient Boston United side at Brunton Park this afternoon and booked their place in the first round proper of the FA Cup thanks to goals from David Ajiboye, Josh Grant, Luke Armstrong and a brace from debutant Chris Conn-Clarke.
Mark Hughes’ side had regained their mojo in the league in recent weeks and were coming into this cup tie full of confidence after a hard fought win last week over fellow promotion chasers Scunthorpe. They were almost caught out very early on however as Harry Lewis was forced to deny an effort from distance by Matty Carson within the opening 30 seconds of the game.
It didn’t take long for the hosts to take full control of the match however as Josh Williams chipped the ball down the right flank and found David Ajiboye who cut inside and curled a low left footed shot into the bottom left corner of the net to bag his first goal for the club and give United an early 1-0 lead. Carlisle were looking to keep their momentum going into next week’s clash against 2nd place Forest Green and almost doubled their lead mere moments later after Morgan Feeney met a Chris Conn-Clarke corner but his header was tipped over the bar by Rhys Lovett in the Boston goal.
The pressure on Boston was absolutely relentless and the Blues doubled their lead in the 14th minute after Feeney initially forced Lovett into a good save after flicking on a Conn-Clarke corner with his foot, and the resulting corner was hit low again by Conn-Clarke into Josh Grant, who found the net to also bag his first United goal and give his side a 2-0 lead on his 27th birthday.
The Pilgrims were struggling to find any real kind of form in the league this season and found themselves even further behind just a minute later when Williams nutmegged Carson on the right flank before driving a hard ball into the area which was met by the toe of the onrushing Luke Armstrong, who poked the ball past Lovett to give Carlisle a 3-0 advantage.
The Cumbrians noticeably took their foot off the gas after their third goal and both sides traded possession for the next 15 minutes or so before Ajiboye hit a half chance well over after a cross from Sam Murray fell to him after grazing the head of Carson. Graham Coughlan’s side were keen to let Carlisle know they weren’t down and out and forged a chance moments later as a well worked short corner routine ended at the feet of Carson, but his long ranged effort was hit well wide by the ex Grimsby man.
Carlisle weren’t shying away from looking for a 4th goal either and had a few chances towards the end of the first half as Callum Whelan attempted an audacious chip from 35 yards and had Lovett scrambling, but the ball dropped just onto the roof of the net. The Blues dominated the rest of the first half and largely limited the opposition to half chances and took a well deserved 3-0 lead into the half time interval.
Half Time: Carlisle 3 – 0 Boston
Carlisle had a tendency this season to switch off in the opening stages of halves and continued this trend in this game as Boston scored a quick goal after a Marcel Lavinier cross found the head of half time substitute Kieren Donnelly and the former Halesowen hot shot found the goal from close range.
The hosts hadn’t gotten out of the blocks at all in the second half and found their lead slashed to one just a minute later as experienced frontman Lenell John-Lewis was found unmarked by a Carson corner and he headed in from 6 yards to peg Carlisle back to 3-2. Coughlan had clearly sparked new life into his side in this second half and they came so close to an equaliser as a glancing header from Connor Teale was clawed away down low by the outstretched hand of Harry Lewis.
Boston had another decent chance to find an equaliser in the 56th minute as a chipped through ball found Donnelly, but his volley from a narrow angle was easily pushed away by Lewis. They were presented with another opportunity moments later as an Aaron Hayden back pass across the box left Lewis scrambling, his sliding clearnace only found a Boston man but his effort was superbly blocked by Feeney. The Pilgrims were made to regret the missed opportunity as Carlisle broke away on the counter attack with Williams, who found Ajiboye on the edge of the area before the ex Newport man slid the ball over to Whelan, who slipped the ball left to Conn-Clarke and the debutant slotted the ball into the bottom right corner to restore United’s two goal advantage.
Conn-Clarke, who signed for Carlisle on loan from Peterborough after weeks of speculation, notched his second in the 78th minute as a looping ball by Williams was latched onto by substitute Georgie Kelly, who laid the ball off to the ex Altrincham man who steadied himself before firing a long range shot from distance which Lovett got a big hand to, but he couldn’t stop the ball from dipping just under the bar to make it 5-2 to the hosts.
United came close to a sixth in the dying minutes as a 1-2 by youngster Sam Hetherington and Williams found the ex Gateshead man on the byline and his cut back was met by Kelly, but his first time effort rattled the crossbar. It didn’t matter ultimately however, and Carlisle secured their name in the hat for Monday’s first round draw.
Carlisle: Lewis, Murray, Feeney, Hayden, Williams, Whelan ( J. Jones 72′), Ellis (Hetherington 84′), Conn-Clarke (Davies 84′), Grant, Ajiboye (Gilliead 84′), Armstrong (G. Kelly 72′) Subs Not Used: Breeze, Linney,
Boston: Lovett, Teale, Mills, Sloggett (Coyle 76′), Hill, Maguire, Carson, Lankshear (M.Kelly 86′), Waldock (Donnelly 46′), Lavinier (Grist 86′), John-Lewis (Hiwula 76′). Subs Not Used: B. Jones, Hampson
How Did United Perform?
This was certainly always going to be an interesting affair after Hughes had named so many changes to the lineup, likely with one eye on next week’s big clash with Forest Green, but i don’t think people were expecting to see seven goals scored in this game.
Carlisle were like lightning in the first half and some of the play down the right hand side especially from Ajiboye and Williams was superb, they controlled the game and never really looked under any threat. Fair play to Boston though, they came out fighting in the second half and showed that they weren’t as down and out as they looked.
We’ve made a tendency of it to start both halves extremely slowly in games, even most recently against Hartlepool, despite it being a largely comfortable game for us, they almost scored in the opening minute of the first half and actually did score in the early stages of the second. This was evident again in this game and is something we need to work on.
That said however, overall it was a good performance and a superb debut by Conn-Clarke especially, and the performance of some of the players introduced into this game might give Hughes some food for thought going into next week’s massive fixture.
Carlisle Player Ratings:
Lewis – 6: Made a couple of decent saves but he almost made a hash of a couple as well, distribution not great at times, think Breeze still remains the better option.
Murray – 6: A bit better than his last two outings and showed good strength on occasion but still lacks confidence with the ball at his feet and he has a tendency to turn back a bit too often.
Hayden – 6: Had a good first half but looked extremely ropey in the second with a couple of questionable clearances and a poor back pass which almost led to a Boston equaliser, did make a couple of good challenges though in the early stages of that second half.
Feeney – 7: Didn’t do much wrong and was a threat from set pieces again, distribution from the back down the right hand side was excellent.
Williams – 9: Were it not for Conn-Clarke, would probably have been man of the match, electric all game and was a big part of three of United’s goals including the assist for Armstrong, didn’t have too much to do defending wise and will face sterner tests as a full back but was superb going forward.
Ellis – 7: Solid performance from him again, used the ball well and made plenty of positive runs from deep to keep Boston on their toes.
Grant – 8: Shielded the backline very well for the majority of the game and made some great tackles and interceptions, really starting to show his quality now after a slow start to his Carlisle career.
Whelan – 7: Looked closer to the Whelan we know from last season, found good amounts of space and spread the play around well.
Ajiboye – 8: Took his goal very well and looked more like the player we thought we were going to get, Boston really struggled to defend against his dribbling ability.
Conn-Clarke – 9 (MOTM): Two goals and an assist on your debut is a dream for most players and he got that today, still needs more minutes in his legs after a long spell away from playing but despite a lack of sharpness he still came up with two excellent goals.
Armstrong – 7: Took his goal well and linked up well with Ajiboye and Conn-Clarke when needed too, does still go missing for periods in games but overall a good performance from him.
Subs:
Jones – 6: Came on when the game had the sting taken out of it but used the ball well when he had it
Kelly – 6: Unlucky to hit the bar with his effort.
Hetherington, Davies, Gilliead – N/A (Not on long enough)
Please note these are Craig’s opinions and nothing official!
A Message From Paddock Perception
Thank you everyone for reading Paddock Perception, your support means everything! Please don’t forget you can follow Dan and Craig on X for more football content:
@dan_batemannn
@CraigWL1997
You can also watch Dan every week hosting on The National League Lowdown podcast on YouTube or you can listen to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Carlisle United have today announced that midfielder Ethan Robson has joined National League North side Spennymoor Town on a loan deal until the end of the season with an option to recall if needed.
The move comes after Robson has struggled for first team minutes in Mark Hughes’ side this season, only making three appearances off the bench for a combined 40 minutes of football, including scoring a free kick in Carlisle’s 2-0 opening day win away to Woking.
The Ex Sunderland and MK Dons man has endured a tough time since his move to the club in the summer of 2024, including multiple spells hit with injury and being low down in the pecking order under Paul Simpson, Mike Williamson and Hughes himself.
What Does This Move Mean For The Player and The Club?
Personally i think a move like this has probably been on the cards for a while now. Despite his excellent free kick on the opening day and some signs that he might have been able to carve a place for himself in Hughes’ plans, Robson has struggled to get a place in the side despite a midfield that has been shuffled around a few times this campaign. With the signings of the in form Alex Gilliead and most recently Chris Conn-Clarke, it was always going to be tough for Robson to find a place in a squad that already had the likes of Callum Whelan, Stephen Wearne and Jack Ellis who has managed to impress in the middle of the park this season.
There’s definitely a player in Robson and if he can stay fit for a decent spell he might be able to move his way back up the leagues in the next few years but for the time being it’s definitely better that he focuses on getting consistent first team football and trying to rediscover the form that saw him so highly rated at Sunderland a few years ago.
We at Paddock Perception wish Ethan all the best in his loan move and hope it serves him well in the coming years.
A Message From Paddock Perception
Thank you everyone for reading Paddock Perception, your support means everything! Please don’t forget you can follow Dan and Craig on X for more football content:
@dan_batemannn
@CraigWL1997
You can also watch Dan every week hosting on The National League Lowdown podcast on YouTube or you can listen to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Carlisle United took home all three points after beating 10 man Scunthorpe United 1-0 thanks to a volley from Aaron Hayden in what was a very gritty affair at the Attis Arena.
Scunthorpe United were unbeaten in the National League coming into this game and a win today could have seen them climb as far as third in the table whereas Carlisle were looking to rebuild some momentum following their 3-1 victory over Hartlepool on Wednesday.
The game started off tentatively with both sides struggling to really trouble the opposition defence, the only real opportunity in the opening 10 coming for Scunthorpe as Oli Ewing was brought down by Jack Ellis near the edge of the United box, but the free kick was hit well over by Callum Roberts. The hosts upped the ante in the following five minutes or so and forced a couple of good blocks from Archie Davies and Morgan Feeney.
Davies was involved at the other end of the field moments later as his whipped corner from the left side met the head of Aaron Hayden just inside the six yard area but he couldn’t get enough contact as the ball slipped off his head and past Rory Watson’s left hand post.
The visitors started to gain a good level of control of the game after this chance and got their reward in the 20th minute as Davies fired another corner into the area and Hayden, brought into the side following injuries to Terrell Thomas and Bevis Mugabi, squeezed in between two Scunthorpe defenders to volley home from close range and give Carlisle an early lead.
The game entered a gritty period following the goal with refeee Greg Rollason dishing out five yellow cards in the first half for a few arguably soft offences from both sides. Scunthorpe, whose last league defeat came against King’s Lynn in the National League North last season, looked to get back into the game and came close to an opportunity as Tyrell Sellars-Fleming brought down a cross in the area before being quickly snuffed out by the goalscorer Hayden.
The sticky nature of the game came to a real head in the 40th minute as Scunthorpe captain Andrew Boyce, already on a yellow card, was shown a straight red for a nasty challenge on Georgie Kelly, catching Carlisle’s number 9 high on his leg as they both went for the ball, this led to the Iron sacrificing Joey Dawson to bring on Jean Belehouan to plug the gap at the back.
Mark Hughes’ side almost doubled their advantage from the resulting free kick, as Feeney met Cameron Harper’s cross but his header rattled the inside of the right hand post before rolling agonizingly across the goal line and being cleared. Carlisle looked to make their man advantage count before half time as Kelly beat Will Evans to a long ball forward and broke into the area, but his initial left footed shot and the rebound were both saved by Watson as Kelly struggled to keep his balance.
Andy Butler’s side were extremely lucky not to be reduced to 9 men just before half time as Evans caught Junior Luamba with a flying elbow as they both jumped for the ball but somehow only received a yellow card. Luamba was taken down the tunnel following extensive treatment on the pitch and reportedly passed out in the dressing room afterwards, we at Paddock Perception wish Junior a quick recovery from what was a really shocking challenge by Scunthorpe’s number 5.
HALF TIME: Scunthorpe 0 – 1 Carlisle
United came out in the second half unfazed by the injury to Luamba and looked to press the advantage, as Harper hit a right footed shot from distance which was comfortably palmed away by Watson. Scunthorpe were especially struggling to deal with United’s set pieces in this game, and the visitors got a fourth chance from one moments afterwards as substitute Josh Grant headed over a Davies corner from close range.
The Iron had one of the best records in the division coming into this game and looked to justify that fact even with 10 men, enjoying a good spell of posession in the early stages of the first half and creating a good chance in the 64th minute as Zain Westbrooke cut in from the left hand side and slipped the ball right to Ewing, but the ex Buxton man fired his shot well over the bar from just inside the area.
Carlisle knew a win in the game would take them back up to third in the table and looked to increase their advantage minutes later as a positive run from top scorer Regan Linney led to him finding Alex Gilliead on the right flank, his cut back found Stephen Wearne around the penalty spot but his first time effort struck his team mate Kelly on the way to goal and deflected out for a goal kick.
The hosts pushed forward in an attempt to find an equaliser in the later stages of the half and applied a good spell of pressure but were being kept at arm’s length by a stout Carlisle backline, before Carlisle fired back themselves with a couple of efforts from Wearne and Kelly being blocked by Scunthorpe defenders.
The Blues were well and truly on the back foot in the closing stages however and Scunthorpe had a half chance in the early stages of stoppage time as a corner fell to Belehouan but his snapshot flew well over Gabe Breeze’s goal. The hosts weren’t done there however and struck the United woodwork in the 92nd minute as Roberts found substitute Declan Howe with an excellent cross and his header bounced off the right hand post before being hacked away.
Carlisle had a massive chance to put the game beyond all doubt moments later as Kelly broke clear of the Scunthorpe defence before sliding the ball left to Wearne, but his left footed strike from 12 yards flew well over the crossbar. Carlisle stood firm for the remaining minutes however to take home a massive victory and climb back up to 3rd and level with Forest Green after their defeat to York earlier today.
FULL TIME: Scunthorpe 0 – 1 Carlisle: Hayden (20′)
Without trying to sound too negative, i feared this game might have seen a repeat of either the York or Rochdale game for us, as Scunthorpe are one of the real heavy hitters of this division and hadn’t lost up until today, with that said, Carlisle played very well indeed today and fully deserved the 3 points.
Scunthorpe going down to 10 men definitely helped us, but even up to that point we were leading and arguably should have been further in front with the chances we had created. We rode out periods of pressure when we needed to and the entire backline was very solid when called upon, something that you’d have struggled to say about us in recent weeks.
We arguably should have controlled the game a bit better in the second half with a man advantage as our midfield struggled to really keep a firm grasp of the match, but against a side as good as Scunthorpe, you absolutely take a result like today. Once again i send my best wishes to Luamba after the nasty challenge on him which i’m still flabbergasted as to how it wasn’t a red card.
Carlisle Player Ratings:
Breeze: 6 – Don’t think he made a single meaningful save in the game but commanded his area well, distribution questionable once or twice but overall a decent game.
Davies – 8: Fantastic set piece deliveries throughout which caused Scunthorpe problems and defended very well down the right hande side too.
Feeney – 8: Led the backline superbly, made a couple of excellent blocks and was a big voice all the way throughout the match.
Hayden – 9 (MOTM): My personal man of the match, should have scored moments before he actually did but took his goal like a forward and won absolutely everything at the back, looks much more comfortable playing next to Feeney.
Harper – 7: Lost out on a couple of physical battles with his man in dangerous areas but generally defended well and threatened going forward too, almost got an assist when Feeney hit the post.
Ellis – 6: A standard Ellis midfield performance, struggled for control at times but worked hard consistently.
Gilliead – 6: Struggled to impact the game at times but used the ball well when he had it and created a big chance for Wearne.
Wearne – 6: Picked up some great pockets of space and the ball well but really should have had a goal to his name, especially with his second half chance.
Linney – 6: Didn’t impact the game as he usually does but was positive with his running as usual.
Luamba – 6: More direct running which i always like to see and worked hard, shame about the injury he suffered as appeared to be growing into the team.
Kelly – 8: Excellent centre forward performance, couple of slack touches in the first half but grew into it as the game went on, held the ball up superbly and should have had an assist to his name when he set up Wearne.
Subs:
Grant – 8: After a poor debut against Solihull he’s been much improved since then, put in some excellent challenges in the second half to break up Scunthorpe’s attacks
Williams – 7: More positive running kept Scunthorpe on their toes as they pushed for an equaliser, looks much better as a winger than a full back.
Armstrong – 6: Worked hard when he came on but didn’t impact the game much in an unfamiliar left wing role.
Whelan – N/A: Not on long enough.
Please note these are Craig’s opinions and nothing official!
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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 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′)
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:
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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:
Carlisle United succumbed to their first home defeat of the season and their second loss in consecutive games as a brace from Emmanuel Dieseruvwe gave an excellent Rochdale side all three points at Brunton Park.
Jim McNulty’s side were looking to make it six wins in as many games in this visit to fellow National League big hitters Carlisle and made a perfect start to the game after a long spell of possession led to Sam Beckwith being played in down United’s right flank and his cut back finding Dieseruvwe, who just about squirmed the ball over the line at the near post to give Rochdale the lead.
Rochdale knew a win would see them move, albeit temporarily, top of the National League table and looked every bit the team that their position suggested, dominating possession and controlling the game in the opening 10 minutes or so, with Carlisle really labouring to try and get the ball and struggling to string multiple passes together. The Dale almost doubled their lead in the 16th minute as Tobi Adebayo-Rowling found Connor McBride just inside the area before McBride spun onto his left foot round the challenge of Callum Whelan, but his curling effort struck the foot of Gabe Breeze’s right hand post.
The visitors continued to keep full cotrol of the game, with Harvey Gilmour superbly dictating the play in the middle of the park, United manager Mark Hughes made the early decision to switch away from the 3-5-2 that they’d initially set up with and reverted back to the 4-2-3-1 that they’d used frequently up to this game.
The change did little to impact the flow of the match however and Rochdale had another great chance to double their lead as a short pass from Bevis Mugabi sold Morgan Feeney short and allowed Kevin Berkoe to nip in and square the ball to Devante Rodney, but Dale’s number 10 slipped as he went to unleash a left footed shot towards goal.
The hosts enjoyed a brief spell of possession after the opportunity and Josh Williams, in for his first appearance of the season, drove inside and found Regan Linney on the edge of the area, but the league’s top scorer’s effort was tame and straight into the arms of Oliver Whatmuff.
McBride was causing United all sorts of problems down the other end however and will have been kicking himself as he missed two good chances to extend Rochdale’s lead, first spinning Cameron Harper after latching onto a Dieseruvwe flick on and only finding the hands of Breeze after driving into the area. McBride then pressured Terrell Thomas into a mistake from a long ball over the top before cutting inside onto his left foot but again his effort was easily palmed away by Breeze.
Carlisle’s flanks were looking particularly exposed in this game and Berkoe once again got to their byline before cutting it back and finding McBride, but again he could only fire his effort well over the crossbar at the near post. McBride was causing all sorts of issues for the Blues and the ex Gateshead man popped up again moments later, feeding Kyron Gordon down the right hand side who cut back to Dieseruvwe, but the ball was a little too far behind Rochdale’s top scorer and he could only scoop the ball over the bar.
The Cumbrians were desperately looking to make up for their 5-0 thrashing away to York in mid week and had an opportunity to snatch an equaliser just before the break as Feeney whipped in a cross that found Harper around the penalty spot, but he fluffed his lines and hit a tame effort wide when he probably should have gone with his head.
HALF TIME: Carlisle 0 – 1 Rochdale
The late flourish from Carlisle in the first half did little to deter Rochdale and they came out firing after the break, as Rodney latched onto the ball after substitute Jack Ellis missed an interception and the ex Vale striker played a lovely ball across to Dieseruvwe who took an excellent first touch into the area to get himself away from Thomas before firing into the bottom left corner to double Rochdale’s lead and bag his 9th goal of the campaign.
Carlisle really struggled in this second half to really lay a glove on Rochdale’s defence and the visitors were in cruise control for large parts, with their first half chance coming in the 77th minute as Linney beat a couple of men and got to the edge of the area but his shot was well blocked by Gordon.
McNulty’s men were really in game management mode towards the end of the half, sitting deep and allowing United to have the ball while keeping them at arm’s length, Carlisle mustered a couple of half chances through Stephen Wearne’s long range efforts along with a ball to the back post from Harper that caused a few nerves as substitutes Georgie Kelly and Junior Luamba attacked it but ultimately it did nothing to take away from what was an excellent performance by Rochdale, and a truly dismal one from Carlisle.
Full Time: Carlisle 0 – 2 Rochdale: Dieseruvwe (6′, 56′)
Carlisle: Breeze, Feeney, Thomas, Mugabi (Davies 61′), Harper, Williams (Luamba 46′), Whelan (Wearne 61′), Gilliead, Macadam (Ellis 46′), Linney, Armstrong (Kelly 61′). Subs Not Used: Lewis, Grant
First of all, i’d like to give full credit to Rochdale, who turned up today and put in a thoroughly excellent display, they moved the ball around quickly and efficiently, stretched us around really well, their defence dealt with our disapppointing long ball game, they worked the ball really well into the channels and Manny Dieseruvwe up front was a handful all game and showed why he’s well up there in the scoring charts.
From a United standpoint though, this was another thoroughly dismal display, if Rochdale were more clinical in the first half then it could easily have been 4 or 5 at half time, yes we had our chance at the end of the first half with Harper but honestly it would have been completely undeserved.
I can see why Hughes switched to 3-5-2 to combat Rochdale but persisting with the lackluster midfield setup and the pairing of Thomas and Mugabi didn’t work at all, we looked incapable of finding any real space to exploit and our passing was seriously shocking. The aimless long balls towards Armstrong were easily dealt with by Rochdale’s back 3 and their defence never really looked unsettled by our attack.
Sadly though this is two consecutive games now where we have really been exposed by the better sides in the league and it’s hard to see us competing with the top outfits with the tactics and squad that we currently have at our disposal. As good as Rochdale and York there we showed them too much respect from minute 1 and failed to unsettle them from their gameplans at the very least, and we just allowed them to totally run rings around us.
If we fail to win on Wednesday against a Hartlepool side that are struggling for form at the moment, we’ll then have very tough games against Scunthorpe and Forest Green that currently i struggle to see us winning, which could lead to a five game winless run that will really see the pressure ramp up on Mark Hughes.
Carlisle Player Ratings:
Breeze – 4: Made a couple of simple saves but his distribution was extremely poor today, not helped by team mates not wanting the ball but his kicking would often sail into touch or totally over the head of the entire team.
Williams – 5: A surprise inclusion to the side, did okay a points and looked quite positive running forward but defensively really struggled.
Feeney – 5: Nice to see him back in the starting lineup but struggled today with the rest of the team, began at RCB and moved to RB before moving back to CB as part of a 2 as the game went on, had a tough game against Dieservuwe and was slow to read a couple of passes.
Mugabi – 6 (MOTM): Tough ask for MoTM today again but i actually thought he did largely ok today, made a couple of vital interceptions, let himself down with a poor ball to Feeney in the first half but probably the least culpable of the backline that got cut open on numerous occasions
Thomas – 4: Gave the ball away on multiple occasions with poor passing and headless runs down the middle of the park and got beaten too easily on the left hand side of our defence, is looking more and more like the player that struggled so much last season too.
Harper – 4: Another poor showing from Harper, really weak in the physical battles with McBride and some erratic passing amounted to a poor game for him, left back is a spot that we really need to address.
Gilliead – 5: Worked hard but struggled to get into the game, part of a midfield setup that was completely ineffective today.
Macadam – 3: Looked totally off it, gave the ball away on multiple occasions through a lack of awareness to put us under pressure and offered nothing going forward either.
Whelan – 4: Looks a shadow of the player that we saw for good parts of last season, doesn’t seem to do as well in the advanced midfield position as he does deeper, but his passing and ball retention was sloppy regardless.
Linney – 5: Again was the only one that really had any flair to make something happen and ask the Rochdale defence questions, but his body language was concerning for the majority of the game, not sure if he’s injured or there’s something else going on but his head didn’t look in it for large parts. Was given the sponsors’ MoTM.
Armstrong – 5: Similarly to York, spent the majority of the game chasing shadows and long balls up front and never really had any chance to impact the game but was also beaten consistently in the air by Ebanks-Landell and the rest of the Rochdale defence.
Subs
Ellis – 5: Was better than Macadam but his poor decision to attempt an interception led to Rochdale’s 2nd goal.
Luamba – 5: Barring a couple of moments late on with Rochdale sitting back, never really influenced the game.
Davies – 6: Tough to judge in the situation he came on in but did okay for the most part, always looks to get forward if nothing else.
Wearne – 6: Needs to play in the 10 spot in the midfield for me, at least had a couple of decent efforts from range and found some decent space but struggled for an end product.
Kelly – 5: Similarly to Armstrong, had very little service and didn’t impact the game at all.
Please note these are Craig’s opinions and nothing official!
A Message From Paddock Perception
We are working alongside Liam and his YouTube channel Blue Army TV this season to make sure we bring you the best Carlisle United content we possibly can. You can subscribe to his channel and follow him on X, his handles are below:
X – @blue_army_tv
YouTube – @BlueArmyTVchannel
Another partnership Paddock Perception has is with Carlisle United YouTube channel CU04, they have amazing content on their channel and we are looking forward to working with them this season. You can follow them here:
X – @CU04_YOUTUBE
YouTube – @CU04
Thank you everyone for reading Paddock Perception, your support means everything! Please don’t forget you can follow Dan and Craig on X for more football content:
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!
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Carlisle United made it five wins from their last six games after securing an entertaining 2-0 victory over high-scoring Aldershot Town thanks to second half strikes from Regan Linney and Bevis Mugabi.
Mark Hughes’ side were looking to build on recent positive performances and almost made the perfect start to the game as talisman Regan Linney found space down the left flank in the 2nd minute and squared across the box to Junior Luamba, but his effort was well blocked by Brighton loanee Charlie Penman.
Carlisle continued to press Aldershot high up the pitch and almost got their reward in the 15th minute as Stephen Wearne pinched the ball from Dejan Tetek deep inside the Shots half but his shot was deflected on the way through and easily saved by former Carlisle loanee Marcus Dewhurst. Luamba was involved again moments later as his effort was acrobatically hit by Linney, but the ball sailed well wide of Dewhurst’s right hand post.
The visitors’ shot stopper was properly called into action a few minutes later as Linney received the ball on the left flank before nutmegging Archy Taylor and firing an effort towards the far post but Dewhurst stuck out an arm and managed to superbly tip the ball over the bar to deny the league’s top scorer his seventh goal of the campaign. The Cumbrians really had control of the first half an hour of the game and could have had a couple more goals but the final ball was really letting them down at times, through poor decision making and just a lack of quality.
One man not lacking in quality is Linney and he was a continous threat to Tommy Widdrington’s side, having a couple of good chances just after the half hour mark as Tetek again gave the ball away cheaply before Wearne again played in Linney, who saw his left footed shot saved down low by Dewhurst, the resulting corner again fell to the former Altrincham man inside the area but his stabbed effort was once again saved by the feet of Dewhurst.
Despite the home side’s dominance, Aldershot were looking to prove why they’re the league’s leading scorers and almost caught Carlisle napping as the dangerous Josh Barrett found space on the left and whipped an excellent cross onto the head of Ryan Hill, but the midfielder saw his header loop onto Gabe Breeze’s crossbar before being eventually dealt with by the Carlisle defence.
United looked to threaten in wide areas themselves and full back Archie Davies fired in a cross from deep which met the head of Wearne, but his header sailed comfortably over the goal. The home side had yet anohther couple of good chances to find the breakthrough in first half stoppage time as a cut back from Luamba was scuffed by Linney, before the resulting ball fell to Alex Gilliead who slipped in Cameron Harper down the left hand side of the area but his first time effort flew well over the bar, leaving Carlisle frustratingly stuck at 0-0 going into the break.
HALF TIME: Carlisle 0 – 0 Aldershot
Despite their first half profligacy, Carlisle wasted no time at all and took the lead just moments after the restart as Wearne brought down a Harper ball over the top before finding Linney down the inside left channel and this time United’s number 10 made no mistake, firing low and hard past Dewhurst to give Mark Hughes’ side the lead.
The goal seemed to spark some life into Aldershot, who had a good spell of pressure in the following minutes with Josh Barrett and Archy Taylor finding good bits of space to threaten the Blues’ defence. United weren’t taking their foot off the gas either however as they broke away from the Aldershot press before Linney fed the ball through to the onrushing Harper, but the ex Inverness man again fired well over the bar. Carlisle had a chance down the other flank moments later as some great pressing from Luamba and Luke Armstrong saw the ball fall into the path of Luamba who ran through against Dewhurst, but the angle was against him and he could only shoot straight at the former Sheffield United youngster.
Carlisle were almost made to regret their missed chances on a couple of occasions just after the hour mark as ex Blue Tristan Abrahams latched onto a cross from James Clarridge which saw the ball ricochet around the area, but his close range effort was well saved by the feet of Breeze, Aldershot were keen to avoid drawing their first blank of the season and had another great chance minutes later as a ball from the right flank found its way to the back post to former Carlisle trialist Kwame Thomas, but Breeze again down low to maintain United’s 1-0 lead.
United weren’t keen on sitting on the one goal advantage however, continuing to pile the pressure on and in the 65th minute they capitalised on a poor clearance from a corner which fell at the feet of Harper, who played the ball low into the feet of Armstrong, who spun his man superbly to fire a shot towards goal which was superbly hooked off the line by the outstretched leg of Penman. Carlisle weren’t to be denied for long however as another corner was only cleared as far as substitute Harvey Macadam, whose cross found the feet of Bevis Mugabi, and the big centre back looked like a centre forward, showing excellent composure to slot the ball in the bottom right hand corner to double the home side’s advantage.
Aldershot looked to find a way back into the game in the remaining minutes and left themselves open at the back, and an incisive pass through the midfield by Ellis found Wearne on the centre circle before the ex MK Dons man spun and played in Armstrong down the right hand side, but his 20 yard effort was well saved again down low by Dewhurst.
The Shots toiled to try and find a way through the United backline but Mugabi and captain Terrell Thomas stood firm and saw United to become the only side so far this season to prevent Aldershot from finding the back of the net in a game.
Aldershot: Dewhurst, Penman (Jones 73′), Meerholz, Clarridge, Taylor, Hill, Tetek (Henry 73′), Widdrington, Barrett (Rai 88′), Abrahams (Ghandour 60′), Thomas
How Did United Perform?
I think Carlisle can be thoroughly satisfied with their performance this afternoon, truth be told there could and should have been more goals in the game, with us really just lacking that finishing touch and final ball in key moments of the first half, combined with the fantastic performance of Dewhurst in the Aldershot goal.
That said however, Aldershot did have chances of their own and had Ryan Hill’s header found the target in the first half it could have been a different game, and Gabe Breeze made a couple of great stops with the game at 1-0 to keep us on the front foot.
The midfield and defence were a particularly pleasing point as Thomas and Mugabi both looked extremely solid and composed at the back, while Alex Gillead absolutely bossed and ran the game in midfield, the work ethic from the whole team was excellent too, with us picking up a lot of the second balls in key areas which we have failed to do in a few of the earlier games this season.
We have a tough run of games coming up and confidence is absolutely key going into them, so hopefully taking what was ultimately a comfortable 3 points against a potent side will spur Mark Hughes and the team on to tackle the challenges still to come.
Carlisle Player Ratings
Breeze – 7: Couple of really good saves in the second half to keep Aldershot out, could have been a different game otherwise, distribution still leaving a tad to be desired but otherwise a very solid outing
Davies – 7: Constant threat down the right hand side with some direct runs and a couple of dangerous crosses into the box, final ball was lacking on occasion however, never threatened too much on the defensive side of things.
Thomas – 8: Really solid performance from the United captain, looked composed at the back and kept his concentration throughout in a couple of dangerous situations and distributed the ball well too.
Mugabi – 8: Took his goal like a striker and along with Thomas, won nearly everything in the air and was composed with the ball at his feet too, especially after the confidence boost from finding the net. Was given the sponsors’ man of the match and i can understand why.
Harper – 7: Similar to Davies, got into plenty of promising positions going forward and found some key passes but lacked composure in the finish when chances fell to him, also defended well as Aldershot targeted United’s left hand side.
Ellis – 7: Has really start quietening the doubters over him playing in midfield, constant energy and hard work to break up play in the middle of the park and definitely has an eye for a pass too
Gilliead – 9 (MOTM): His best performance of what’s been a very promising second spell at the club, dictated the game superbly in the middle, made some powerful drives through the midfield and was first to nigh on every second ball. Seems to be getting better with every game so far.
Wearne – 7: Picked up some great pockets of space in midfield and was always looking to drive forward and threaten the Aldershot defence, let down at times by poor choice and quality of pass, however.
Luamba – 6: Never really got going in the game despite a few flashes of danger, was muscled off the ball a little too easily at times but i applaud his directness and desire to get forward.
Linney – 7: Looked a little sluggish at points in the first half but was still one of the most threatening players on the pitch, only denied by some great stops by Dewhurst, grew into the second half and took his goal very well.
Armstrong – 7: Worked his socks off as he always does, linked up well with the attacking midfield trio well and won a lot of flick ons, maybe guilty of overcomplicating things at points with his lay offs but otherwise a good performance.
Subs:
Macadam – 7: Put himself about really well when he came on, got on the ball a lot and set up United’s second goal.
Kelly – 7: Held the ball up well as usual, probably would have got a goal on a different day.
Whelan, Grant, Ajiboye: N/A (Not on long enough)
Please note these are Craig’s opinions and nothing official!
A Message From Paddock Perception
We are working alongside Liam and his YouTube channel Blue Army TV this season to make sure we bring you the best Carlisle United content we possibly can. You can subscribe to his channel and follow him on X, his handles are below:
X – @blue_army_tv
YouTube – @BlueArmyTVchannel
Another partnership Paddock Perception has is with Carlisle United YouTube channel CU04, they have amazing content on their channel and we are looking forward to working with them this season. You can follow them here:
X – @CU04_YOUTUBE
YouTube – @CU04
Thank you everyone for reading Paddock Perception, your support means everything! Please don’t forget you can follow Dan and Craig on X for more football content:
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