With both sides making changes to their line-ups, but with North End perhaps making so many that they might pick up a fine from the Football League, you might have been forgiven for thinking the match would get off to a slow start. That wasn't the case though as the visitors took the lead in only the third minute when some poor Carlisle defending allowed David Amoo to hit a shot in across goal which deflected off the boot of Chris Beardsley at close range on its way into the Blues net beyond Mark Gillespie.
United then responding in the 12th minute with a good chance of their own, but Jake Jervis, from a Jon-Paul McGovern through ball, was only able to chip over the top of the crossbar as well as over advancing goalkeeper Steve Simonsen. Carlisle resorting to far too many long balls in the first-half with neither side looking particularly threatening throughout, Beardsley having a second goal from an Amoo cross chalked off for offside, while for United plenty of attempted crosses into the box were either off target or viewed from afar.
Somehow Carlisle then didn't equalise in the 50th minute when from Liam Noble's cross in Matty Robson could only send a diving header into the arms of Simonsen from close range. Jervis then failed to connect properly with a McGovern cross before McGovern did the hard work himself in the 68th minute when a Mike Edwards header from a Peter Murphy free-kick up fell nicely for the Scot to hammer a low 20-yard drive into the corner of the North End net to make it 1-1.
From a quickly taken James Berrett free-kick Chris Chantler fired narrowly wide from distance for Carlisle before the Blues were reduced to ten men by referee Jeremy Simpson when Noble was red carded for an over the top of the ball tackle on Nicky Wroe. Jeffrey Monakana then late on cutting back for Akpo Sodje to crack a shot onto the inside of the United post and back out, before Carlisle almost nicked it themselves in stoppage time when a McGovern corner in saw a Jervis header ping inches wide of the near-post off an unsuspecting Brad Potts.
So, to penalties, McGovern and Wroe confidently firing home before Jervis blazed over and then Bailey Wright saw his effort superbly saved by Gillespie. Preston then gaining the advantage through the next set when Berrett was another Blue to fire too high as Sodje calmly stroked home, Paddy Madden's weak effort then being saved by Simonsen as North End's David Buchanan stepped up to convert his penalty and send the visitors through to the second round 3-1 on spot-kicks following the 1-1 draw over 90 minutes.