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With Kevin Gray recovering from a bit of a tight hamstring for the Blues, United lined up with Keiren Westwood, David Raven, Zigor Aranalde, Peter Murphy, Gray, Chris Billy, Chris Lumsdon, Paul Murray, Michael Bridges, Karl Hawley and ex-Yeovil man Kevin Gall in a 4-3-3 formation. Anthony Williams, Paul Arnison, Derek Holmes, Simon Hackney and recent signing Neale McDermott waiting in the wings on the substitutes bench.
Yeovil came racing out of the traps and won a corner after just ten seconds, as Aranalde cleared the ball away from striker Wayne Gray, but one-time West Ham midfielder Chris Cohen over-hit the flag-kick in. Two minutes later United came into the game with their first chance, after some nice approach work by Raven, Bridges and Lumsdon, only for Gall to see his dipping half-volley well tipped over his own bar by Steve Mildenhall. The ex-Grimsby keeper having followed former Mariners manager Russell Slade to Huish Park from the East Coast over the summer.
Neither side was really stamping their authority on the game but Carlisle had another chance in the sixth minute when Hawley raced on to his own cushioned header forward. Hawley releasing Gall, only for Mildenhall to nick the ball off the toes of the onrushing Murray following Gall's low cross in. After eight minutes Terry Skiverton did well to get rid of a ball in from Raven just as Hawley was looking to get on the end of it, the Glovers then going straight up the other end and seeing Westwood make a good save from a shot in by Nathan Jones.
Bridges was next up to the plate for the Cumbrians moments later, but he was a touch selfish as he ignored the well-placed Gall and fired a 22-yard curler straight at Mildenhall. Westwood had to be alert shortly afterwards as a Jones cross got stuck in the wind, with the United keeper just able to clutch the ball from under his own bar. David Poole tried his luck from range after 12 minutes only to slice his effort well off-target, the Glovers were to take the lead four minutes later though and it was a poor goal to concede from a United perspective.
Hawley gave away a free-kick for a foul on Skiverton 40 yards out from the United goal in the middle of the pitch, Jones stepping up to ping the set-piece into the centre of the Carlisle box. With Blues defenders dallying all over the place, and Westwood stranding himself in no-mans land, Cohen was able to nip in as the ball bounced up off the penalty spot to head in past Westwood and into the unguarded net. Cohen having the chance to double the Town lead just sixty seconds later, but he could only drag his effort miles wide from a cross in by pacy one-time West Ham winger Ishmael Welsh.
On 20 minutes Aranalde's dangerous curling free-kick in was headed out by Andy Lindegaard for a Blues corner, Aranalde himself sending a header off-target from the Lumsdon ball in. Just three minutes later though the Cumbrians deservedly found an equaliser, and from a Yeovil point of view it just had to be that man Gall. Bridges turning away skilfully with ease from Welsh just inside the Glovers centre-circle and sending a lovely slide-rule pass through the middle of the Yeovil back-line for Gall to run onto and slot coolly home past the advancing Mildenhall from 15 yards out.
Moments later Lumsdon got in an effort from distance as United got on top in the game but it was always going well over Mildenhall's goal. Yeovil had a chance in the 25th minute when Kevin James's shot was deflected over by Murphy, Glovers skipper Paul Terry missing a good opportunity from the corner in as he reacted slowly to the ball zipping past his feet. Bridges almost got behind the Town back-line on the half-hour but Skiverton was able to clear the danger after Lindegaard had misjudged Lumsdon's long ball up through the middle.
After 31 minutes Murphy got across well to block an 18-yard toe-poker from Poole, then Gray forced Westwood into a sharp save as he spun and got a fierce shot in from the edge of the Carlisle box. Terrell Forbes headed over from a Town corner in the 33rd minute, then in an end-to-end encounter Hawley got in a similar effort to Gray's six minutes earlier, his shot on goal only finding the grateful gloves of Mildenhall though. United were playing well, and moving the ball around nicely now, but they couldn't find the finishing touch as both Billy and Bridges saw no-one able to get on the end of their dangerous crosses in.
Yeovil came back before the break and Westwood made a good save on 41 minutes as he parried out a shot by Poole, after a through-ball by James. Sixty seconds later though the home side found themselves back in front with what was a rather fortunate goal to put it mildly. Welsh miscontrolled a Jones pass to his feet straight at the shins of Raven, the ball rebounding just between the two players, and, as Welsh shaped to shoot from the edge of the box, Raven just toe-poked the ball right into Welsh's path. The "shot" from there flying straight into the top left-hand corner of the Carlisle net to leave a stunned Westwood with no chance of saving an effort with, quite literally, no back-lift. The half-time whistle came three minutes later on a 45 minutes where the Blues had been just about the better side but somehow found themselves 2-1 down.
Little of note happened early in the second-half although United were still passing the ball around nicely at times without showing too much of a cutting edge. Three minutes in Gray made a good tackle as James looked to skip past him, then shortly afterwards there was some amusement in the ground as the assistant referee tried to wave his flag in the air for a free-kick on Hawley, only for the flag to fall to pieces in his hands.
In the 51st minute Bridges chested the ball nicely into the path of Hawley, but the Carlisle striker was a little bit selfish as he blazed a shot over the Yeovil crossbar from long range with Lumsdon well placed for a potential pass. Sixty seconds later Murray tried his luck for the Blues after Skiverton had partly cleared a Lumsdon corner in, the ball falling straight to the Cumbrians midfielder on the edge of the Glovers box but his left-footed half-volley was off target.
The Glovers were quickly up the other end though and went close when Poole sent James away down the right, James crossing to Welsh at the back-post only to see Welsh slice his volleyed effort well wide of Westwood's far-post. It was pretty end-to-end stuff though and Bridges was again showing his quality as a playmaker just behind the front two when he set Aranalde free down the left. The Basque defender crossing to the Yeovil back-stick where Hawley's weak eight-yard downward header was easily saved by Mildenhall.
In the 56th minute some nice build-up play between Hawley, Lumsdon and Gall saw Bridges have his 20-yard effort well blocked by Forbes. A minute later Hawley tried his luck from distance again but his 25-yard effort flew well over Mildenhall's crossbar as United just couldn't find that all-important finishing touch. Then, as Carlisle were in a spell of creating chances, Billy put a precision cross into the Yeovil box which Murray looked to have scored with, only for his 15-yard header to drop agonisingly inches wide of the Glovers far-post.
Bang on the hour-mark United's Gray sent a far-post header straight into the hands of Mildenhall after a Lumsdon corner in, but straight from there, as the Blues pushed forward, the home side almost made the score 3-1. Cohen making a good run forward and feeding Poole in the left-hand side of the Cumbrians box, Westwood then doing very well to push Poole's shot around his post for a Glovers corner. The next Yeovil attack then seeing Gray challenge Westwood for a deep Welsh cross in, the Blues keeper expertly holding onto the ball with both hands to avert the danger.
On 63 minutes Bridges was unable to get his volleyed effort at the Yeovil back-post on target following yet another dangerous Lumsdon corner in. The next action saw a substitution for either side, with Jean-Paul Kalala Kamudimba coming on for Terry for the home team, and Hackney replacing Billy in the centre of midfield for the visitors, Blues boss Neil McDonald seeing the need to inject some more pace and skill running at the Glovers back-line in the vain search for an equaliser.
With 67 minutes gone James thought he had sent Gray clear through on the Carlisle goal, only for Murphy to get across sharply and make an excellent last-ditch saving tackle. Yeovil were having some good possession now and the next patch of the match saw Westwood having to be on his toes as he was forced to make a couple of good diving saves from long-range efforts on goal by James and the impressive livewire Gray.
Up at the other end, Skiverton foolishly allowed a long Westwood goal-kick up to bounce, the Glovers defender just redeeming himself as he hacked the ball away from Bridges who was looking to steal in on the hesitation. Yeovil manager Russell Slade made his second change of the game in the 74th minute when he brought on Matty Harrold for the tiring James, Holmes then coming into the fray for Murray three minutes later as the Cumbrians looked to go all hands to the pumps upfront.
The home defence was showing some excellent shape and determination to keep the Blues outside their 18-yard box, a Murphy 20-yarder easily saved by Mildenhall in the 80th minute the only real effort on the Glovers goal in a quiet spell. Sixty seconds later Yeovil were looking to further shore things up at the back with some fresh legs when they brought on Arron Davies for Poole. After 86 minutes Lumsdon put a nice chipped ball into the Glovers box but Hackney's header from 12 yards out was sadly straight at the grateful Mildenhall.
Gray broke into the Blues penalty area once more as the 90 minutes ticked down but Murphy was again quickly alive to the danger as he made another good challenge on the Yeovil man. Three minutes of injury time went up on the board but the Cumbrians couldn't carve out any more chances to find an equaliser. Only a bit of head tennis between Holmes and Bridges on the edge of the Glovers box looking like it could bring a goal as the final whistle went to signal a 2-1 defeat for the Cumbrians in a game in which they had wasted numerous chances.
Post-match quotes :
United boss Neil McDonald said :
"It was disappointing because they scored two poorish goals. The first was from indecision and the second took a bit of deflection. I think we tested their keeper and we scored the best goal of the game. It is probably the best we have played this season attacking-wise.