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The Blues started brightly and could really have taken the lead as early as the fourth minute when the front two linked up well. Andy Hardman knocked the ball through the two Burnley centre-halves for Ferris to chase, the Carlisle striker's right-footed shot from the edge of the box past the advancing Clarets keeper, Mark Crossley, bobbling inches wide of the far-post. Four minutes later Burnley centre-half Jack Overson brought down Hardman on the left-angle of the box, Cumbrians right-midfielder James Earl's free-kick in was poor though as visitors forward Rob Turner was able to head easily away.
After 11 minutes the Clarets had a good chance to take the lead that went begging. Left-midfielder Adam Kay played in front-man Cayne Hanley down the right-hand channel in the United box. Hanley turning well inside Stewart before laying the ball across to Tom Bradley, the left-back showed little composure though as he blazed his left-footed effort a good distance over Blues keeper Adam Bradley's crossbar from 15 yards out. On 20 minutes some nice work on the flank by Tom Bradley, as he nipped past Carlisle right-back Richie Hoban, saw him with the ball at his feet just inside the Cumbrians box on the left. The ball was sitting up perfectly for a half-volley on his left foot but he chose to cross in low and United centre-half Terry Stewart was able to hammer the ball away from danger.
The visitors were having a good little spell in the game and after 22 minutes right-back Dean Stott played in central midfielder Connor Smith down by the United by-line, Smith turned cleverly inside Stewart on the right, only to see Barr hack his low cross away at the near-post. Nicky Platt, who had featured for the Blues as a reserve-team trialist a month ago, sent the corner in which Turner headed wide of the far-post from eight yards out. Five minutes later Platt picked the ball up 40 yards out from the Carlisle goal and ran on with the ball bounding away at his feet, his right-footed shot was speculative from distance though and flew high and wide of Bradley's goal.
Bang on the half-hour mark and United scored what would prove to be the only goal of the game. Simpson sent an excellent raking 40-yard ball over the top of Stott for Ferris to chase down. Ferris showed good strength to hold off Overson as he ran in on goal, eventually hitting a side-footed effort from 15 yards out across the advancing Crossley and into the back of the Burnley net via the inside of the far-post. After 35 minutes, as the Clarets keeper seemed to be spending most of the evening fielding continual back-passes from his defenders, the Blues went close again. Some good work between Ferris and Simpson saw the ball fed into the feet of Hardman, the Carlisle front-man could only lift his long-range shot well over the Clarets crossbar though.
With 38 minutes gone Stewart gave the ball away to Hanley on the edge of the Blues box, his cross in was cleared but only straight to Smith. The Burnley midfielder's right-footed shot from the middle of the United 'D' was low and powerful and very close to going in as it flew wide of Bradley's near-post. The Cumbrians came even closer than that though two minutes later through the left foot of Simpson. Hardman's pass found the feet of the Carlisle boss 22 yards out on the left, Simpson hitting in a lovely effort with the outside of his left foot which curled away from the reach of Crossley, only to ping back out off the inside of the Burnley woodwork.
Shortly afterwards some good interplay between Vipond and Earl saw the latter play in Ferris on the edge of the Clarets box. Ferris teed the ball up nicely for a right-footed volley which scooted just wide of the target with Crossley scrambling across his goalmouth. Right on the half-time whistle and a Platt corner for the visitors was headed out by Stewart straight to Smith just outside the Blues penalty area. Smith tried a first-time volley on his right foot but the effort was weak and easy for Bradley to gather in on the bounce.
The first action of the second-half came from the substitutes bench with Hardman coming off to be replaced by Martin Graham, Hardman having hurt his back after Crossley came over the top of him to punch the ball clear late in the opening period. Earl was pushed up into an unaccustomed forward role with Graham slipping into the right-side of midfield.
After 51 minutes Simpson's corner in from the right was cleared away by Turner. Simpson curling a delightful left-footed cross back in which evaded all the United players, and Earl in particular, with Clarets centre-half Rob Henry eventually slicing the ball up and over his own crossbar from close-range. Three minutes later and Burnley went close after Carlisle had passed up numerous chances to get the ball away from danger. Trialist Adam Clough conceded possession to Henry who played in Hanley 15 yards out down the right-hand channel. Hanley firing a right-footed cross-shot across goal which whizzed a fraction wide of the Blues far-post. Clough, from the Middlesbrough academy, showed some good touches on the ball when he had it at his feet but perhaps needed to try and impose himself in the midfield battle a bit more.
With an hour gone in the match Dalton and Simpson worked the ball nicely down the left. Simpson setting up Ferris over the top, only for the United youngster to see his 20-yard effort well blocked by Overson. A minute later it was the visitors on the attack when Hanley crossed in well from the right-hand by-line to Turner on the Carlisle penalty spot. Turner held up play well before laying the ball off to Henry who had come charging down the right, it was a good chance for Henry from just 12 yards out but he dragged his right-footed effort well wide of the United goal. Shortly afterwards visitors midfielder Paul Casey sent in a good cross from the left which Turner got a clear header on from 12 yards out, Bradley was well positioned though and was able to catch the ball cleanly.
Seconds later left-winger Ali Akbar replaced Bradley for the Clarets as the visitors looked to find an equaliser. United also made a change two minutes later when 15-year old midfielder Jake Simpson, son of Paul, came on for Dalton, Graham moving to left-bacl to accomodate the substitution. After 65 minutes Crossley made an excellent double save in the Burnley goal after Earl and Ferris had combined well to release Jake Simpson down the right-hand channel, Simpson Jr firing a poweful right-footed shot from 16 yards out which Crossley did well to parry. The ball came straight back out to Ferris on the edge of the box but the Burnley keeper was up quickly to make another good save from Ferris' right-footed effort.
The visitors started to see a lot more of the ball in the latter stages as the Blues started to defend a little too deep, and struggled to hold the ball up in the forward area. In the 68th minute Akbar played in Turner down the left, Turner had the legs on Barr but his left-footed effort from 15 yards out was sliced well wide of Bradley's near-post. Ben Hoskin came on immediately for Overson from there as the Clarets looked to turn the screw and find a way back into the game. Three minutes later Platt played a pass into the edge of the box which was chested on by Turner into the path of Smith 18 yards out, Smith tried a first-time effort on his left foot but it was sliced badly wide of the Cumbrians near-post.
In the 72nd minute a Hanley ball in from the right found Henry at the far-post. The Burnley defender being desperately unlucky to see his nicely-controlled side-footed effort on his left foot back across goal hit the underside of the United bar and bounce a yard short of the goal-line. A huge goalmouth scramble went on then for a good 30 seconds with shots blocked from all angles, Henry eventually dribbling the ball out over the by-line for a Carlisle goal-kick. With 76 minutes gone Henry was booked, seemingly for dissent, after an innocuous looking foul on Stewart in the centre-circle. Shortly afterwards the visitors were back on the attack when Smith played in Platt, the Clarets midfielder firing wide of goal from just outside the middle of the Cumbrians 'D'.
With eleven minutes to go in the game Stewart brought down Turner on the right-angle of the Blues box. Platt hammered the free-kick straight into the United wall, the ball coming straight back to him, leading Platt to lay the ball off to Kay 22 yards out in the middle of the pitch. Kay's right-footed effort was well struck, and Bradley didn't see it until the last minute as it came through a packed penalty area, the young keeper making a great full-length reaction save low to his right to push the ball around his post for a corner. Carlisle came straight back up the pitch though with some good work by Clough seeing the ball find Earl on the right edge of the visitors box. Earl tried a quick curler with his right foot and was unlucky to see it loop onto the roof of Crossley's net over his near-post. That was the signal for the Clarets coaching staff to make their last change of the night when Alex Harvey came on for Kay.
After 85 minutes Henry played a pass into the feet of Harvey from the right, but the Burnley substitute got trigger happy as he tried a speculative left-footed effort from fully 30 yards out which rolled wide of the Blues goal. Two minutes later Turner was again showing his aerial prowess for the visitors, getting on the end of a Stott cross in from the right, he mistimed his header from 12 yards out though and it floated straight up to Bradley at his far-post for an easy take. The last chance of the game came the way of the visitors in the 88th minute, as they continued to press for a levelling goal. Turner did very well on the right to cut inside Barr and send a neat low cross in, Harvey tried to flick it goalwards with the outside of his right boot but it was a tough ask and the ball bobbled wide of the United far-post.
The Blues made their final change in the match in the last minute when Dan Kirkup came on to replace Barr at centre-half. Barr had apparently tweaked his thigh muscle in the warm-up and felt it go worse five minutes from the end, so bringing Kirkup into the fray, who I don't think even touched the ball in the three minutes of injury time. The final whistle came after a succession of Carlisle throw-ins ran down the clock. Results from elsewhere tonight see United play Central league runners-up Huddersfield Town, at home on Wednesday night in the Pontin's Holiday League Play-Offs. The Terriers qualify as the best second-placed team from across the three divisions, with Central winners Sheffield Wednesday playing at home to East winners Doncaster Rovers in the other semi-final.
United line-up :
Adam Bradley, Adam Clough, Neil Dalton (Jake Simpson 64), Billy Barr (Dan Kirkup 90), Martin Stewart, James Earl, Richie Hoban, Shaun Vipond, Pete Ferris, Paul Simpson, Andy Hardman (Martin Graham 46).
Unused substitute :
Ashley Combe.
Burnley line-up :
Mark Crossley, Dean Stott, Tom Bradley (Ali Akbar 62), Rob Henry, Jack Overson (Ben Hoskin 68), Paul Casey, Nicky Platt, Connor Smith, Rob Turner, Cayne Hanley, Adam Kay (Alex Harvey 80).
Unused substitutes :
Dale Underwood and Lewis Craig.
Other results in the division today :
Bury 2-2 Wrexham
Rochdale 1-2 Chester
Tranmere 1-0 Shrewsbury
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Updated Reserve Team Results : Click here