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The first attack of the tie brought the first goal of the game when Connor Tinnion cut in from the left and struck a shot which cannoned back off the legs of a 'Pools defender into the path of Jonny Blake 22 yards out in the right-hand channel. Blake then smacking a first time right-footed drive across goal that flew past home keeper Nick Thomas as it zoomed into the postage stamp top corner of the net.
Four minutes later Carlisle number one Alex Mitchell easily caught a long-range attempted chip by Callum Martin, then in the ninth minute United made it 2-0. A throw-in from Matt Duffy on the left being cleverly touched off by Andy Cook to Liam Davison just inside the Hartlepool box. Davison taking a quick touch on before toe-poking the ball right-footed from 12 yards out between the legs of Thomas and into the old onion bag.
In such a good run form of and 2-0 up after ten minutes the young Blues started to get a little over confident, and their dropping work-rate allowed the home side to get the better of the game for most of the remainder of the first-half. Mitchell, off the head of United centre-half Jamie Cleary, being forced into a good save low down at his far-post after eleven minutes from Billy Blackford's right-footed cross in from the left.
Mitchell made another good stop on 20 minutes when some poor Carlisle defending allowed Lee Mason to slice straight down the middle. Cleary though managed to get his boot on Mason's shot from just inside the box and that meant the ball flying off the body of Mitchell and over the by-line. Blackford then reading from the Kevin Gall manual of corner taking as he hoofed the ball straight behind the United net.
A goal had been coming for the home side and come it did on 22 minutes when right-back Jak Quantril picked the ball up 25 yards out before hammering a right-footed drive, like Blake before him, across goal and right into the very top corner of the net, the accuracy of the shot giving Mitchell no chance. Six minutes later Mason, after taking a pass in well from the dangerous Kieran Wrightson, slicing a 20-yard volley with his right boot well over Mitchell's crossbar.
United made a slight change in tactics on the half-hour mark as they seemed to go from a 4-3-1-2 formation to a more common 4-4-2 set up, that being the only occurence of note as the game went through a quiet spell. The next real action on the pitch seeing Blake, Cook and Tinnion combine only for Tinnion's left-footed 20-yard shot to be a little bit weak and easy for Thomas to save.
With 42 minutes on the clock Mitchell was again forced into action when another uncharacteristically poor piece of Carlisle defending allowed Mason to race through the middle again. Mitchell, after the ball had taken a slight deflection off the studs of Cleary, making an excellent one-handed stop on Mason's right-footed drive from 15 yards out. Mitchell then getting up quickly to pluck the ball out of the air under pressure from Mason as it looped towards the United goal-line.
Mitchell then easily caught a 25-yard shot with the outside of his right boot by 'Pools left-back Dylan Purvis on 43 minutes before Carlisle created the last chance of the half sixty seconds later. United right-back Simon Lakeland putting a low cross in which Tinnion tried to knock goalwards from 12 yards only for the ball to deflect out off the foot of home midfielder Marc Ellison, the resultant Blake corner leading to nothing for the young Blues.
No food was required at half-time by this spectator as a tray of quite enormous chips for £1.50 had been shovelled down the hatch prior to kick-off. One player that couldn't stop eating in the second-half though was Jonny Blake, the Carlisle central midfielder taking on board a couple of fluid salt replacements during play to fight bouts of cramp as the action heated up.
The first chance of the half came United's way on 50 minutes when Tinnion, from a Davison pass, sent a left-footed shot wide of the Hartlepool far-post. Two minutes later and Cook was fouled 28 yards out, the Carlisle striker who got little change from home centre-halves Jack Sharples and Tom Marron on the night, stepping up to hit a right-footed drive off the 'Pools defensive wall and out for a corner.
Blake and Matt Duffy worked that one short and it was Davison, 12 yards out, who got on the end of Duffy's cross in from the left, Davison though found the ball slightly behind him and his stooping header drifted wide of the target. Hartlepool having the next shot on goal after 56 minutes when Daryl Scaife played in Ellison, only for Ellison to hit a right-footed shot miles over Mitchell's goal from at least 30 yards out.
Carlisle needed a third goal to calm things down and they got it on the hour-mark from skipper Tom Aldred following a foul 35 yards out on the left by Marron on Cook. Blake sticking a deep free-kick into the 'Pools back-post which Aldred managed to battle his way onto the end off as he bundled the ball in while falling to the floor only a couple yards out from the home goal, Hartlepool goalkeeper Thomas having remained completely rooted to his line throughout proceedings.
The next two lines on the notepad are substitutions with Gary McRoberts coming on for Martin on 63 minutes for the home side and John Seaton replacing Shaun Law in the Carlisle midfield five minutes later. Seaton enjoyed himself too as within four minutes of entering the fray he had made the score an unassailable 4-1 to United.
Duffy's free-kick up from 40 yards out dropping to an off-balance Ryan Bowman eight yards out at the back-post. Bowman, from almost on the ground, then dribbling an eight-yard shot across goal which tapped against the far-post before Seaton was left with the simple task of scoring perhaps the easiest goal he will ever get.
That was pretty much it for Bowman as Chris McDougall took his place upfront for United on 75 minutes. Then only seconds later, Cook and Seaton combined well as Cook's right-footed shot from the middle of the Hartlepool 'D' zipped inches wide of the left-hand post. 'Pools making a change themselves during the break in play as Mason was replaced by Anthony Wakefield, Mason having showed some good touches during the game.
Carlisle were really bossing the tie now in the closing stages and on 79 minutes Blake's deep ball in from the left saw McDougall grab possession before turning back onto his left foot 15 yards out at the back-post, his curling shot though going across goal and wide of the target. That being Blake's final moment as he was substituted sixty seconds later for the combative James Wood in the United engine room.
After 82 minutes Cook trundled his way in well from the left before smacking in a right-footed drive from close range which Thomas did very well to parry away from danger. Six minutes later and it was Carlisle again when Tinnion's cross in from the left saw McDougall and Marron challenge for a ball on the six-yard line that would eventually slide on the floor into the gloves of Thomas.
The last chance of the game also came the way of United on 89 minutes when Cook, breaking away from a cleared 'Pools corner, fed Wood down the right-hand channel. Wood, 15 yards out, perhaps making it a little bit obvious where he was putting his right-footed shot as Taylor dived across his goal to make a good save. The officials having one more job to do before the final whistle as Marron, having been injured in the challenge with McDougall, was replaced by Paul Johnson in injury time.
So, that's the first round out of the way for the young Blues, with a second round tie at Accrington Stanley or Wakefield FC coming up next, that match being played on Wednesday night. Before that though the lads have the chance to make it a remarkable ten wins on the bounce, although it will be a tough ask in the league on Saturday morning away to a fourth-placed Oldham Athletic side.
Hartlepool line-up :
Nick Thomas, Jak Quantril, Dylan Purvis, Jack Sharples, Tom Marron (Paul Johnson 90), Marc Ellison, Callum Martin (Gary McRoberts 63), Kieran Wrightson, Daryl Scaife, Lee Mason (Anthony Wakefield 76), Billy Blackford.
Unused substitutes :
Chay Liddle and Andrew Charlton.
United line-up :
Alex Mitchell, Simon Lakeland, Matt Duffy, Tom Aldred, Jamie Cleary, Jonny Blake (James Wood 80), Shaun Law (John Seaton 68), Liam Davison, Andy Cook, Ryan Bowman (Chris McDougall 75), Connor Tinnion.
Unused substitutes :
Mark Gillespie (GK) and Steven Swinglehurst.
Attendance - 116.
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