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Playing with the wind in the first half Carlisle got in the first shot of the game in the opening minute when Manny Richardson fired high and wide right-footed from 25 yards out. Ben McKenna then next up as an attacking force for United eight minutes later when he made a surging run forward from midfield that sadly only resulted in a 20-yard right-footed shot over the top.
It was Carlisle pressing forward once more in the 14th minute when McKenna put Mark Sloan in for a shot with his right boot from just to the right of the Stanley 'D', Sloan's effort though rising away over the angle of near-post and bar. The visitors finally got things going for themselves six minutes later when their first real attack of the game produced the only goal of the game, Nick Walker's ball in from the right seeing an unmarked Marcus Carver head down and into the Cumbrians net from eight yards out.
Carlisle tried to respond two minutes later when Phil Towler laid possession over to Richardson in the middle of the Stanley half, Richardson though smacking his right-footed shot from there well over the top. Bang on the half-hour mark, and following a Carver foul on Richardson, McKenna chipped the 35-yard free-kick in only for it to be headed out by Thomas Murphy straight to Luke Carr, the United trialist though pulling his left-footed shot from 15 yards out across goal and wide of the target.
Six minutes later and Richardson produced a good turn and powerful curling shot from the middle of the visitors 'D' but unfortunately for Carlisle it only went straight into the gloves of Accrington goalkeeper Matthew Ince. Then with 38 minutes on the clock Matt Osmond's left-footed corner in broke to Carr at the Stanley back-stick, Walker though making an excellent block challenge on the ball to stop the United youngster from shooting.
The last chance of the first-half once more coming the way of the Blues on 43 minutes when Osmond pushed the ball back into McKenna down the left-hand channel. McKenna then showing a useful piece of skill to set himself up for a 15-yard half-volley on his right boot only for it to slide away across goal and wide of the far-post. The whistle for the interval coming shortly afterwards on a period where just one piece of sleepy defending had cost Carlisle dear.
The visitors would then go close again right at the restart when Anthony Field and Adam Black played a nice one-two going forward, Field though pulling his left-footed shot wide of the near-post from a good central position 15 yards out. United then responding just sixty seconds later as Sloan pushed 15-year old right-back Brad Potts away down his channel, Potts however, one-on-one with Ince, side-footing his 12-yard effort on the angle across goal and wide much to his own dismay.
Stanley then made their first substitution of the game on 52 minutes when Jordan Rimmer came on for Karl Dailey, that causing a shuffle around in the Stanley defence. The visitors though keeping on the attacking foot only sixty seconds later when, on the break, Jordan Neild hit in an extremely soft left-footed curler straight into the hands of Mark Gillespie from just outside the Carlisle penalty area.
With 58 minutes on the clock United were pressing once more when Joe Wilkinson was booked for a foul on Carr 30 yards out in the middle, Ince though able to take McKenna's right-footed effort from the free-kick on the bounce at the second attempt. Carlisle then making a change in personnel when the impressive Potts, particularly going forward, was replaced by regular right-back James Bonner.
The next bit of action in the 63rd minute was a lengthy one to put it mildy, Wilkinson first bringing down Richardson just to the right of the Accrington 'D', that initial foul causing the referee to tell the already booked Wilkinson that any more free-kicks given away and he would be off. The official seemingly forgetting that when Wilkinson gave away two more unpunished fouls during the rest of the game.
Anyway, back to the action, and McKenna's left-footed shot from the set-piece was fumbled out by Ince straight onto the leg of Sloan, the ball then not going in but rebounding across to Towler on a narrow angle six yards out. Towler then the unluckiest man on the park to see his shot hit the back of the leg of a completely oblivious Ince on the line and bounce away from goal.
That wasn't the end of the story though as the ball bounced away to Richardson almost where the initial foul had been, only for Richardson to be heavily upended by Luke McVarish. The United man not responding well at all to that as he pushed McVarish and then a spate of handbags ensued for which both players could really have been sent off. Osmond, after the dust had settled, eventually firing over left-footed from the latest free-kick.
Carlisle's luck was out again just after the midway point in the half when Carr blocked down a clearance from Ince. The ball flying goalwards only for the backspin on it when it bounced a yard off the line to see it come back away from goal, Neild then able to clear for a hard pressed Stanley defence.
After 70 minutes it was United again looking for an equaliser when Towler set up Richardson for a ten-yard right-footed shot from a tight angle that deflected into the Stanley side-netting, the resultant Osmond corner producing nothing for the Blues. Both sides then making a substitution when Jonathan Evans replaced Connor Hobson for Accrington and recently turned 16-year old Adam Gill came on upfront in place of Carr for the Cumbrians.
The visitors then had a good chance to score on 73 minutes when Field's cross in from the right-wing was headed back across goal by Walker, Carver then seeing his close-range header well tipped over the bar by Gillespie as Carver hunted for his second goal of the game. Field then whipping the corner in only for Walker to waste a useful opportunity as he headed it over the top from eight yards out.
It was that man Wilkinson giving away a free-kick again in the 76th minute as he clipped the heels of Sloan over in the far corner, Osmond swinging the free-kick in left-footed from there only for Carlisle skipper Steven Swinglehurst to get a little bit too much on his ten-yard header at the back-stick as he thudded it over the top of Ince's crossbar.
Walker was again wasteful for Stanley four minutes later though when he could only, from an unmarked position on the end of an Evans corner, head the ball too high from eight yards out and send it out for a United goal-kick. Accrington then making their and final change of the game on 82 minutes when Josh Molloy, who is a goalkeeper by trade, came on upfront for Black, Molloy actually showing a bit of pace if not a little too much physicality during his time on the pitch.
Two minutes later and a headed clearance from Rimmer landed straight on the chest of Osmond, playing at left-back once more today instead of in his normal role on the left wing. Osmond then bringing the ball down for a left-footed half-volley from just outside the Accrington penalty area that slipped away only inches wide of the right-hand post with Ince well beaten.
After 87 minutes Carlisle were again pressing for a late leveller after a foul on the left by Molloy on Osmond. The young Blue dusting himself off though to smack the ball up deep into the Stanley box, possession somehow evading everybody before Richardson was able to control the ball and hit in a left-footed shot on the turn from close range that sadly pinged away off a sea of legs in front of the Accrington goal.
It was at that point that you knew United were going to be able to play all day and not find the net and the last real attack of the game actually came the way of Stanley in injury time on the break. Evans cutting in from the left on his right foot at pace only to slice his 15-yard shot across goal and wide of the far-post to leave the final score at 1-0 to the visitors.
So what was a learning curve defeat in the end for a very young United side against a Stanley team who, while being bottom of the table, did field a much older starting eleven than the Cumbrians. Lance McGlen, Brad Potts and Josh Todd all impressing at the age of only fifteen for Carlisle, while the recently turned 16-year old Adam Gill also looked to be a pacey prospect upfront or out wide.
United line-up :
Mark Gillespie, Brad Potts (James Bonner 59), Matt Osmond, Steven Swinglehurst (c), Lance McGlen, Josh Todd, Ben McKenna, Manny Richardson, Mark Sloan, Luke Carr (Adam Gill 71), Phil Towler.
Unused substitutes :
Jon Ball (GK).
Accrington line-up :
Matthew Ince, Luke McVarish, Jordan Neild, Thomas Murphy, Karl Dailey (Jordan Rimmer 52), Joe Wilkinson, Anthony Field, Nick Walker, Marcus Carver, Adam Black (Josh Molloy 82), Connor Hobson (Jonathan Evans 71).
Unused substitutes :
Danny Haworth and Josh O'Connell.
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