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.
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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 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.
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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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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.
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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
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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:
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
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
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:
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.
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 Tuesday, Mark Hughes Carlisle side welcome Matty Taylor’s Solihull Moors side to Brunton Park. Both teams are unbeaten in the league so far this season and this promises to be another hard fought battle.
The Cumbrians will be wanting to get their first home win of the season meanwhile Solihull who have proven they are tough to beat will be looking to get their first win of the season in the National League.
How Have Both Teams Started The Season?
Mark Hughes side got off to the perfect start with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Woking in their first game of the season but we disappointed to follow that up with an eventful 3-3 draw against Boreham Wood which saw them blow a 3-1 lead with only 15 minutes to go.
Matty Taylor’s side have been difficult to beat in the league so far this season , they held Forest Green to a 2-2 draw in their first game despite being down to ten men from the sixth minute. Last time out they travelled to Sutton who held a very good York City side on the opening day and managed to hold them to an impressive 0-0 draw as well.
Players To Watch
For Carlisle it’s hard to look past Regan Linney after his two brilliant goals against Boreham Wood. His ability to run at defenders and turn inside and finish will be a constant threat for the Cumbrians.
Elliot Embleton seems to have found his feet now in a Carlisle shirt and his passing and habit of finding little pockets of space could be the key to unlock the very solid Solihull defence.
For Solihull their main striker and goal threat is Dan Creaney whom they signed from Tamworth in the summer, Creaney scored 19 National League goals last season and with Carlisle United’s defensive frailties that were on show against Boreham Wood he will fancy his chances to to get on the scoresheet in this one.
Forward Callum McFarlane could be another forward for Solihull that could cause the blues defence lots of issues, the former Fulham youth player has lots of ability and his direct approach when he has the ball could worry Carlisle.
I think Hughes needs to ring the changes after the Boreham Wood game, defensively it needs changed but with Feeney and Grant still injured Hughes won’t be able to make wholesale changes there, I do however expect him to drop Harper and one of Thomas or Hayden.
In midfield I thought we looked slow and lethargic at times against Boreham Wood so I think Hughes may change Whelan for Robson or Wearne who showed more energy when they came on against Boreham Wood, I’ve gone for Wearne but it could easily be Robson.
Up top Ajiboye has offered nothing in his first two games of the season and was hooked at half time against Boreham Wood for Georgie Kelly as Hughes’ side went two up front and vastly improved . I think the manager starts Kelly in this game and goes with what worked well up front against Boreham Wood.
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:
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!
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Tomorrow, Carlisle United welcome National League South play off winners Boreham Wood to Brunton Park in their first home game of the 25/26 National League campaign.
Having already given a sneak peak to the team I expect to see in my match preview, I wanted to look more in depth at who I think will be starting against Boreham Wood.
After a comfortable 2-0 victory in the opening game against Woking, I’m not expecting major changes from Mark Hughes in this one but with a game midweek against Solihull Moors he may want to rotate slightly.
GK – Gabe Breeze
Comfortably the best goalkeeper at the club and obviously Mark Hughes’ number one choice. He looked shaky in the first half against Woking but grew in to the game and kept a clean sheet comfortably in the second half.
RB – Jack Ellis
Ellis was man of the match for me against Woking and has made this right-back position his now. He was solid in defence, kept the ball well, dropped in to midfield as an extra man at times and got a fantastic assist for the first goals against Woking.
CB – Terell Thomas
I think these positions will be more up for debate once Morgan Feeney and Bevis Mugabi are fully fit but for now I think Thomas is one of the first names on the team sheet. He didn’t put a foot wrong against Woking and should keep his place.
CB – Aaron Hayden
After celebrating his 100th Carlisle United appearance with a clean sheet against Woking I think Aaron Hayden will start again. He and Thomas are building a good partnership right now and like I said with Thomas these positions may be up for debate when Feeney and Mugabi are fully fit but for right now Thomas and Hayden are definite starters.
LB – Cameron Harper
Harper was solid against Woking and got forward well at times. He has genuine completions with Sam Murray coming in over the summer but I think Hughes trusts Harper and maybe doesn’t want to throw youngster Murray in straight away so I expect Harper to start again.
CM – Harvey Macadam
Mark Hughes’ latest signing Harvey Macadam impressed in pre-season and had a solid full debut against Woking. The one position the Cumbrians maybe don’t have great depth is in defensive midfield and the manager said after the Woking game that Macadam will be an important player for this team and I think he starts again.
CM – Callum Whelan
Whelan had a relatively quiet game against Woking by his standards but he also didn’t do anything wrong. He kept the ball ticking over and played some key passes. He will always have that ability to create something from nothing and have that piece of magic in his locker and at non league level that is so important.
CAM – Elliot Embleton
Again like Whelan, Embleton had a quiet game against Woking but always has that spark to create something from nothing and that is invaluable. I think Ethan Robson has put himself in the frame to start after his goal against Woking but I think Mark Hughes will still with Embleton.
RW – Junior Luamba
David Ajiboye started ahead of Luamba against Woking but apart from a couple of early runs didn’t really make his mark and I think this is the most likely position to be changed by the manager against Boreham Wood. Junior Luamba started a lot in pre-season and it was something of a suprise he was left out against Woking.
LW – Regan Linney
Linney could’ve had a brace against Woking if it wasn’t for the woodwork and the goalkeeper and his direct nature and running at the defender gave Woking serious problems last week. Coming in from the wing and shooting is an art and Linney does that so well. Linney is building a good relationship with the other front men and it will just get better with more games.
ST – Luke Armstrong
Up there with Ellis for man of the match against Woking and took his goal brilliantly. He worked hard, chased defenders down and linked up with Linney very well. His position will depend on how he recovers from the kick to the head he took against Woking but if he’s fit he starts for Hughes this season.
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On Saturday, Carlisle United welcome Boreham Wood to Brunton Park in their first home game of the season. Mark Hughes’s side will be looking to build on their 2-0 victory over Woking against a Boreham Wood side who will be looking to bounce back from their opening day 2-0 home defeat to Rochdale.
Carlisle United are looking for an instant return to the EFL after relegation last season and Boreham Wood are looking to consolidate after promotion through the play offs from the National League South last season.
How Did Both Teams Start The Season?
Carlisle United made the long trip down to Surrey to take on Woking and did a very professional job and came out victorious with the game finishing 2-0 thanks to goals from Luke Armstrong and Ethan Robson.
Boreham Wood welcomed Rochdale to Meadow Park but on the day were comfortably beaten 2-0 thanks to two goals from Emmanuel Dieseruvwe.
Luke Garrard’s team did however pick up a hard earned victory over Nottingham Forest Under-21 side in the National League Cup on Tuesday night with Charles Clayden and Matt Rush grabbing the goals in a 2-0 win.
Players To Watch
After Jack Ellis’ performance against Woking he’s certainly a player to keep an eye on in this one with his ability going forward in particular.
The attack of Regan Linney and Luke Armstrong were a real handful for Woking last weekend and could be the match winners in this one.
Boreham Wood have players in their side that can cause Mark Hughes’ side real problems on their day. Striker Luke Norris is a proven goalscorer and has bags of experience having played and scored goals for Swindon, Colchester, Stevenage and Tranmere before his move to Meadow Park.
The away side’s latest recruit Tom White can cause problems in the midfield and create goal scoring opportunities if given time on the ball so the Cumbrian’s midfield will want to keep a close eye on the former Morecambe man.
I’m expecting maybe Junior Luamba to be given a chance ahead of David Ajiboye after not impacting the Woking game as much as he would’ve liked but other than that I think Hughes will stick with a winning team if everyone is available.
I think Carlisle will have too much quality in the forward areas for Boreham Wood and if the backline can defend as well as they did against Woking there is no reason there shouldn’t be another clean sheet in the cards in this one.
The attack with Linney and Armstrong will have work rate, creativity and the cutting edge to take the game away from Boreham Wood.
If Boreham Wood are to get anything out of this game they will need to defend resolutely, sit deep and hope to hit Carlisle on the counter attack with pace and expose Carlisle’s lack of pace at the back.
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
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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