Of that striking pair, of Ben Marshall and Andy Cook, getting the first shot of the game in in the opening seconds was Cook who sent an angled drive across goal but just wide of the near-post from 15 yards out. Two former United players then combining for Penrith in the 11th minute when Graham Anthony stuck a cross into the middle of the Carlisle box from which James Earl headed off target. The "home" side in a switched tie then seeing Dean Douglas slice a long range shot wide of the far-post sixty seconds later.

Carlisle came back five minutes later though when Symington's ball in from the right was volleyed behind, via a deflection, by Cook from ten yards out, the resultant corner however producing nothing for United. Symington being involved again five minutes later when his cross in found the head of an unmarked Marshall in the middle of the box, Marshall though only sending his header straight at James Holland, with impressive right-back William Paul then hacking away from danger following goalkeeper Holland' s save.

After 24 minutes Earl hit a corner across for Penrith but Alan Gray was unable to steer his eight-yard header on target as it drifted away well wide of the far-post. Anthony then, having been fouled 25 yards out by Mckenna, only able to fire the free-kick straight into the Carlisle wall three minutes later. The home side did go close on 29 minutes though when a Lee Hoolickin corner was headed out by Cook straight to the boot of Earl for a 22-yard volley, Earl's effort having Caig beaten but it also had the crossbar beaten as it whistled away inches over the top.

Five minutes later and Anthony sent a weak right-footed curler from well outside the Carlisle box straight into the arms of Caig, before shortly afterwards Douglas and Anthony combined to set up Earl for a shooting opportunity 15 yards out. Sadly for Earl the final ball came in slightly behind his right boot and so he only succeeded in scooping his effort miles over. United then in the 40th minute having a bout of pinball in the Penrith penalty area from a Hurst free-kick in, the Frenchfields side though eventually clearing their lines after Hurst's follow up mis-hit 15-yard half-volley.

The Blues finishing the half well and two minutes later Mckenna played in Marshall for a right-footed shot that disappeared away wide of the target from just outside the Penrith box. Carlisle did get themselves in a muddle from a back-pass in the 43rd minute however with Osmond and Caig the guilty pair, along with Addo for giving the ball away, as Hoolickin was left with an open goal to shoot at from 25 yards out on an angle, he snatched at his left-footed effort though and was only able to pull it well wide of the far-post.

The last chance of the first-half coming the way of Carlisle bang on the whistle when Hurst sent Cook away down the left-hand channel, Cook then chipping the ball across for Marshall over the top of a diving Holland 15 yards out, Gray however being well placed to boot the ball away for Penrith. So, 0-0 at half-time but you hoped that things would change after the break for United as they now had an extremely strong wind at their backs, with the rain also hammering down pretty much non-stop to make another scenic night of Cumberland Cup action.

It was a quiet start to the second-half though with Cook getting caught up in the wind on 53 minutes when he looked to get on the end of a Hurst cross, Cook's 12-yard header seeming to come as much off his upper back as anywhere else as it went wide of the far-post. The game now erupting into action as sixty seconds later Marshall cut in from the right to fire a left-footed shot from just inside the box straight at Holland.

Then up at the other end it was a back-pass problem for Carlisle again as once more Hoolickin was left with a chance, the Penrith midfielder only repeating his effort from the first-half though, albeit from much further out. As play swung end to end Marshall was then clean through for United on 56 minutes, his powerful 15-yard drive being well saved by the legs of Holland though. Marshall involved again moments later when he got away down the left-hand channel and took the ball around Holland, the angle was now very tight though and Gray was easily able to clear away Marshall's resultant cross-shot.

Symington then tried his luck for United with a long-range dipping effort that flew away wide of the far-post before the Frenchfields side made a double substitution in the 59th minute as Craig Wilson and Dan Robinson came on for Scott Allison and Matty Lea respectively. Carlisle then making a pretty much expected change sixty seconds later as Livesey and Michalik were replaced by youth teamers Brad Potts and Lance McGlen, Potts another United player coming back from a long-term injury.

The change in personnel saw Kane move in one to centre-half and McGlen go to right-back, but it was upfront where the action was again in the 63rd minute as Carlisle took the lead in the tie. Addo pushing a short slide rule pass down the right-hand channel to the by-line for Marshall to race after, Marshall's cross onto the six-yard line then seeing Cook run in for a header that Holland did well to get his left hand to, but he couldn't stop the ball from crashing into the top corner of his net.

The game then looking all over four minutes later as United made it 2-0 when Mckenna laid the ball off for Marshall on the left-angle of the Penrith box, the Stoke-loanee then from there producing an excellent finish as he smacked a right-footed curler across the body of Holland and into the far top corner at pace. Carlisle then making their final change in personnel before the kick-off as one youth teamer replaced another when Phil Towler came on for Symington.

Penrith looked to pull a quick goal back on 68 minutes when Anthony stuck a cross into the United box, Hoolickin though heading wide of the target from eight yards out. The home side now having a good spell of pressure as sixty seconds later Robinson sent a dipping 20-yard effort straight at Caig, then after 74 minutes Caig was forced into an excellent save from Robinson again, the Penrith man heading an Earl cross down from eight yards out at the back-post only to see Caig make a cracking stop with his legs.

It was all the home side now as they searched for a way back into the tie and shortly afterwards Hoolickin, following a Mckenna foul on him, knocked a 35-yard free-kick into the middle of United box, Paul however only able to send his header from there bang into Caig's grateful gloves. The Frenchfields outfit then making their final change in personnel with 14 minutes left as one experienced centre-half replaced another when Philip Thornton came on for Gray.

One of Thornton's first jobs was to do some defending in the 78th minute though when Mckenna got away down the right and sent a low ball across into the Penrith box, Addo however having his 15-yard shot quickly blocked by the giant figure of Wayne Robertson. Centre-half Robertson then winning a flick-on from a long throw up at the other end three minutes later, but Osmond did well to get across and stop Paul's resultant shot from just inside the box testing Caig in the United goal.

With a minute to go in the game the last chance came and went for the Frenchfields outfit to get a goal in the tie when Anthony hit a weak 22-yard right-footed curler straight at Caig. The final opportunity to change the scoreline from a 2-0 win for United coming just as we ticked into the short period of stoppage time when Cook, who did some sterling work defensively in the air for Carlisle late on, sliced a long range right-footed drive well wide of Holland's left-hand post.



Penrith FC :

James Holland, William Paul, Mark Jones (c), Alan Gray (Philip Thornton 76), Wayne Robertson, Lee Hoolickin, Dean Douglas, Graham Anthony, Matthew Lea (Dan Robinson 59), James Earl, Scott Allison (Craig Wilson 59).

Unused subsitutes :

Matthew Brown and Michael Brown.


United line-up :

Tony Caig, Tony Kane (c), Matt Osmond, Danny Livesey (Lance McGlen 60), Lubomir Michalik (Brad Potts 60), Ransford Addo, David Symington (Phil Towler 67), Ben Mckenna, Andy Cook, Ben Marshall, Kevan Hurst.

Unused substitutes :

Jon Ball (GK) and Kieran Cahill.

Referee - Kevin Mulraine (Carlisle).



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