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Murray Streets Ahead On Rovers Return
Winning the League Two title at Stockport three months ago only seemed like five minutes away, especially with the World Cup filling in the usual football void over the summer, as the two teams ran on to the pitch this afternoon. The new £250,000 pitch was looking fantastic, although it was a relatively dull August afternoon weather-wise for the 12,031, sorry, make that 9,433 fans in Brunton Park, 1,207 of them making the journey up from South Yorkshire.
New Blues boss Neil McDonald sent out a first eleven of Keiren Westwood, David Raven, Zigor Aranalde, Peter Murphy, Kevin Gray, Chris Billy, Chris Lumsdon, Paul Murray, Michael Bridges, Karl Hawley and Kevin Gall in a 4-3-3 formation, with Anthony Williams, Paul Arnison, Derek Holmes, Simon Hackney and recent signing Neale McDermott waiting in the wings on the substitutes bench.
Carlisle came out in much more brighter fashion than the visitors and went close in the second minute when a Hawley knock-down saw Bridges curl an effort over from 20 yards out. It didn't take long for things to get better than that though when they went 1-0 up just two minutes later through Murray, on his debut return at United. Lumsdon and Hawley combining well before Raven fed Gall in down the right, the ex-Yeovil man crossing to the back-post for an unmarked Murray to comfortably volley the ball home from close-range.
The lead almost lasted only about 30 seconds however as the Cumbrians fell asleep at the back straight from the kick-off. Bruce Dyer flicked a throw-in on into the path of Paul Heffernan who was suddenly clear in front of goal 14 yards out as he coasted past Gray, he couldn't find the killer finish though as his shot was well beaten away by Westwood, Billy completing the United clearance.
Murphy could have perhaps done better in the ninth minute for the Blues when he headed a Lumsdon corner wide. Then, shortly afterwards, Gall could only shoot into the Rovers side-netting from 12 yards out to the right of goal, after a great Aranalde ball from the left-wing to the back-post. Loan signing from Sheffield United, Jonathan Forte, was certainly giving new Blue Raven the run-around on the right though as Rovers looked dangerous on the break, Gray dealing with a couple of crosses in before Paul Green headed harmlessly wide from the penalty spot area after 19 minutes.
After 23 minutes Hawley went close when Lumsdon found him with a good ball down the right-hand channel, but his shot flew across Alan Blayney's goal and out for a Doncaster by-kick from 18 yards out. Back up the other end Forte was a little bit selfish as he shot wide from distance after he made a good break through the Cumbrians midfield. That stoppage in play seeing Raven go off the field with a dead leg, to be replaced by Arnison, a not very disappointing substitution in the eyes of many Blues fans.
Three minutes later one-time Yeovil team-mates Adam Lockwood and Gall tangled together, as Lockwood cynically brought down the United frontman and was booked for his troubles by referee Mike Jones from Chester. Jones officiated better in the first half than the second but he didn't have a bad game, especially compared to the linesman on the Paddock side who had a stinker throughout.
The Blues showed some good patience in midfield as they moved the ball around nicely sixty seconds later, Arnison, Billy and Gall combining cleverly before Lumsdon fired powerfully inches wide of the Rovers far-post from 22 yards out. From then until the final whistle though it was only really Doncaster who looked likely to score though as they improved and United started to continually give the ball away upfront, three ball-hogging forwards does not a good combination make at times.
On 35 minutes Forte got a nice cross in after some more good trickery down his left flank, but flouncy midfielder James Coppinger saw his header go straight at Westwood in the United goal. Two minutes later Rovers centre-half Graeme Lee was the next to waste a headed opportunity for the visitors as he sent his close-range effort wide, following a cross in from the right by Green. Murray then making a cracking block tackle on 42 minutes to stop Heffernan getting a shot in as Doncaster started to crank up the pressure before the break.
After 42 minutes Dyer was rather naughty as Westwood came out to collect a ball in on the bounce, the ex-Barnsley man certainly leaving his foot in on the United glovesman, and he was perhaps lucky to escape the incident with just a yellow card. The last action before the interval saw Coppinger nearly send the ball flying over the top of Warwick Road End roof from the edge of the Carlisle box, as he shot miles over to leave the score at 1-0 to the Cumbrians at the break.
Doncaster kept their momentum going in the early stages of the second half, Forte could only fire well over the bar from 22 yards out though after the Blues had half-cleared a Gareth Roberts corner in, Murphy having blocked a Kevin Horlock shot to concede the flag-kick. The visitors were certainly having the better of the play now as United struggled to keep hold of the ball the way they had done in the opening 30 minutes.
Rovers really should have equalised on 49 minutes when Dyer missed out on a gilt-edged opportunity. A long ball up from Green finding the burly striker, who seemed to foul Gray as he bundled past him, but he could then only head the ball straight into the arms of a grateful Westwood from 20 yards out as the United keeper found himself in no-mans land after misjudging the run of the ball. A bit more composure from Dyer would surely have seen him lob the ball over Westwood and into the empty net to level matters, a lucky escape for the Blues. Green heading a Coppinger ball in wide himself moments later.
Gall was still looking dangerous on the counter with his pace and Lee did well after 55 minutes to nod his cross from the right-wing away from Hawley as the United striker looked to get a header in on goal. Shortly afterwards Bridges turned just outside the edge of the Rovers area but his attempeted chip was always going over, then, as Carlisle had a better spell again, Gray headed across goal and wide of the target from a Gall cross in after a Lumsdon corner was cleared to the right-hand flank.
On 59 minutes the visitors made the first change of the game as boss Dave Penney brought on Jason Price for Coppinger. Two minutes later Forte went to the floor as if chopped down by a chainsaw under challenge from Arnison, it was a foul but it certainly didn't merit the theatrical swandive that saw the United right-back go into the book. The game now going through a bit of scrappy spell, with, the Blues in particular, conceding a lot of free-kicks.
Hawley was denied an ambitious penalty claim in the 63rd minute when he tumbled to the ground in the Rovers box, then five minutes later Murray pushed the interfering Price after the United man had fouled Dyer, fortunately for Murray though referee Jones only gave him a talking to. Sean Thornton immediately came on for Green and could have scored with his first touch, only to send the resultant 30-yard free-kick straight down the throat of Westwood.
Bridges fired over from distance for Carlisle in the 71st minute but after that it was real backs to the wall stuff for the Cumbrians in the last fifteen minutes. After 76 minutes Westwood making a fantastic save when a Price cross from the right was deflected straight into the path of Dyer eight yards out. The big frontman looked all on to score but Westwood did oustandingly well to get his hands to the effort on goal and somehow get it over the bar for a corner.
Two minutes later Gall missed a great chance to play in Bridges, after he jinked his way past two Rovers defenders, but he lost the ball as he ran on with Bridges screaming for a pass with no Doncaster player within about 20 yards of him. Rovers's giant loan striker from Brighton, Mark McCammon, replaced Lockwood with ten minutes to go as the visitors looked to bombard the Blues back-line in their search for an equaliser.
Doncaster almost found that leveller twice on 82 minutes from two successive corners, only for Arnison and Murray to save the day for Carlisle twice as they cleared away from the Cumbrians goal-line, following powerful headers in from Dyer and Heffernan respectively. Sixty seconds later McCammon went very close with a header which just looped over a seemingly beaten Westwood and onto the roof of the United net from a cross in by the dangerous Price.
Hawley forced a good clutching save by Blayney from 20 yards out after 85 minutes following good approach work by Murray, Lumsdon and Bridges. Then two minutes later it was back up the other half again in an end-to-end game as Heffernan's shot pinged off Murphy and out for a Rovers corner. Lee tried to get on the end of a cross in from playmaker Thornton, who the Doncaster fans thought should have started the game, but Bridges was resolute in his defending as he headed the ball in away from danger.
Gall was replaced to a standing ovation by Holmes after 89 minutes as the Cumbrians looked to add some defensive height to proceedings. Price had the last chance of the game for the visitors to get a draw, but after Horlock had played him in his shot was sliced high, wide and not very handsome much to the relief of the United faithful. Aranalde was booked in injury time for kicking the ball away after conceding a throw-in, but that was the end of the action after three added minutes, and the final whistle was blown on an excellent, if not nervy, opening day win to get United's League One campaign off to a great start.
Post-match quotes :
Doncaster boss Dave Penney said :
"We wanted to get off to a good start but they scored early leaving us chasing the game. We had plenty of chances and you would have thought one of them would have gone in. We made enough chances but we just didn't get the breakthrough. We didn't keep possession as well as we'd liked, but it's never easy to come to a promoted side.
New Blues boss Neil McDonald sent out a first eleven of Keiren Westwood, David Raven, Zigor Aranalde, Peter Murphy, Kevin Gray, Chris Billy, Chris Lumsdon, Paul Murray, Michael Bridges, Karl Hawley and Kevin Gall in a 4-3-3 formation, with Anthony Williams, Paul Arnison, Derek Holmes, Simon Hackney and recent signing Neale McDermott waiting in the wings on the substitutes bench.
Carlisle came out in much more brighter fashion than the visitors and went close in the second minute when a Hawley knock-down saw Bridges curl an effort over from 20 yards out. It didn't take long for things to get better than that though when they went 1-0 up just two minutes later through Murray, on his debut return at United. Lumsdon and Hawley combining well before Raven fed Gall in down the right, the ex-Yeovil man crossing to the back-post for an unmarked Murray to comfortably volley the ball home from close-range.
The lead almost lasted only about 30 seconds however as the Cumbrians fell asleep at the back straight from the kick-off. Bruce Dyer flicked a throw-in on into the path of Paul Heffernan who was suddenly clear in front of goal 14 yards out as he coasted past Gray, he couldn't find the killer finish though as his shot was well beaten away by Westwood, Billy completing the United clearance.
Murphy could have perhaps done better in the ninth minute for the Blues when he headed a Lumsdon corner wide. Then, shortly afterwards, Gall could only shoot into the Rovers side-netting from 12 yards out to the right of goal, after a great Aranalde ball from the left-wing to the back-post. Loan signing from Sheffield United, Jonathan Forte, was certainly giving new Blue Raven the run-around on the right though as Rovers looked dangerous on the break, Gray dealing with a couple of crosses in before Paul Green headed harmlessly wide from the penalty spot area after 19 minutes.
After 23 minutes Hawley went close when Lumsdon found him with a good ball down the right-hand channel, but his shot flew across Alan Blayney's goal and out for a Doncaster by-kick from 18 yards out. Back up the other end Forte was a little bit selfish as he shot wide from distance after he made a good break through the Cumbrians midfield. That stoppage in play seeing Raven go off the field with a dead leg, to be replaced by Arnison, a not very disappointing substitution in the eyes of many Blues fans.
Three minutes later one-time Yeovil team-mates Adam Lockwood and Gall tangled together, as Lockwood cynically brought down the United frontman and was booked for his troubles by referee Mike Jones from Chester. Jones officiated better in the first half than the second but he didn't have a bad game, especially compared to the linesman on the Paddock side who had a stinker throughout.
The Blues showed some good patience in midfield as they moved the ball around nicely sixty seconds later, Arnison, Billy and Gall combining cleverly before Lumsdon fired powerfully inches wide of the Rovers far-post from 22 yards out. From then until the final whistle though it was only really Doncaster who looked likely to score though as they improved and United started to continually give the ball away upfront, three ball-hogging forwards does not a good combination make at times.
On 35 minutes Forte got a nice cross in after some more good trickery down his left flank, but flouncy midfielder James Coppinger saw his header go straight at Westwood in the United goal. Two minutes later Rovers centre-half Graeme Lee was the next to waste a headed opportunity for the visitors as he sent his close-range effort wide, following a cross in from the right by Green. Murray then making a cracking block tackle on 42 minutes to stop Heffernan getting a shot in as Doncaster started to crank up the pressure before the break.
After 42 minutes Dyer was rather naughty as Westwood came out to collect a ball in on the bounce, the ex-Barnsley man certainly leaving his foot in on the United glovesman, and he was perhaps lucky to escape the incident with just a yellow card. The last action before the interval saw Coppinger nearly send the ball flying over the top of Warwick Road End roof from the edge of the Carlisle box, as he shot miles over to leave the score at 1-0 to the Cumbrians at the break.
Doncaster kept their momentum going in the early stages of the second half, Forte could only fire well over the bar from 22 yards out though after the Blues had half-cleared a Gareth Roberts corner in, Murphy having blocked a Kevin Horlock shot to concede the flag-kick. The visitors were certainly having the better of the play now as United struggled to keep hold of the ball the way they had done in the opening 30 minutes.
Rovers really should have equalised on 49 minutes when Dyer missed out on a gilt-edged opportunity. A long ball up from Green finding the burly striker, who seemed to foul Gray as he bundled past him, but he could then only head the ball straight into the arms of a grateful Westwood from 20 yards out as the United keeper found himself in no-mans land after misjudging the run of the ball. A bit more composure from Dyer would surely have seen him lob the ball over Westwood and into the empty net to level matters, a lucky escape for the Blues. Green heading a Coppinger ball in wide himself moments later.
Gall was still looking dangerous on the counter with his pace and Lee did well after 55 minutes to nod his cross from the right-wing away from Hawley as the United striker looked to get a header in on goal. Shortly afterwards Bridges turned just outside the edge of the Rovers area but his attempeted chip was always going over, then, as Carlisle had a better spell again, Gray headed across goal and wide of the target from a Gall cross in after a Lumsdon corner was cleared to the right-hand flank.
On 59 minutes the visitors made the first change of the game as boss Dave Penney brought on Jason Price for Coppinger. Two minutes later Forte went to the floor as if chopped down by a chainsaw under challenge from Arnison, it was a foul but it certainly didn't merit the theatrical swandive that saw the United right-back go into the book. The game now going through a bit of scrappy spell, with, the Blues in particular, conceding a lot of free-kicks.
Hawley was denied an ambitious penalty claim in the 63rd minute when he tumbled to the ground in the Rovers box, then five minutes later Murray pushed the interfering Price after the United man had fouled Dyer, fortunately for Murray though referee Jones only gave him a talking to. Sean Thornton immediately came on for Green and could have scored with his first touch, only to send the resultant 30-yard free-kick straight down the throat of Westwood.
Bridges fired over from distance for Carlisle in the 71st minute but after that it was real backs to the wall stuff for the Cumbrians in the last fifteen minutes. After 76 minutes Westwood making a fantastic save when a Price cross from the right was deflected straight into the path of Dyer eight yards out. The big frontman looked all on to score but Westwood did oustandingly well to get his hands to the effort on goal and somehow get it over the bar for a corner.
Two minutes later Gall missed a great chance to play in Bridges, after he jinked his way past two Rovers defenders, but he lost the ball as he ran on with Bridges screaming for a pass with no Doncaster player within about 20 yards of him. Rovers's giant loan striker from Brighton, Mark McCammon, replaced Lockwood with ten minutes to go as the visitors looked to bombard the Blues back-line in their search for an equaliser.
Doncaster almost found that leveller twice on 82 minutes from two successive corners, only for Arnison and Murray to save the day for Carlisle twice as they cleared away from the Cumbrians goal-line, following powerful headers in from Dyer and Heffernan respectively. Sixty seconds later McCammon went very close with a header which just looped over a seemingly beaten Westwood and onto the roof of the United net from a cross in by the dangerous Price.
Hawley forced a good clutching save by Blayney from 20 yards out after 85 minutes following good approach work by Murray, Lumsdon and Bridges. Then two minutes later it was back up the other half again in an end-to-end game as Heffernan's shot pinged off Murphy and out for a Rovers corner. Lee tried to get on the end of a cross in from playmaker Thornton, who the Doncaster fans thought should have started the game, but Bridges was resolute in his defending as he headed the ball in away from danger.
Gall was replaced to a standing ovation by Holmes after 89 minutes as the Cumbrians looked to add some defensive height to proceedings. Price had the last chance of the game for the visitors to get a draw, but after Horlock had played him in his shot was sliced high, wide and not very handsome much to the relief of the United faithful. Aranalde was booked in injury time for kicking the ball away after conceding a throw-in, but that was the end of the action after three added minutes, and the final whistle was blown on an excellent, if not nervy, opening day win to get United's League One campaign off to a great start.
Post-match quotes :
Doncaster boss Dave Penney said :
"We wanted to get off to a good start but they scored early leaving us chasing the game. We had plenty of chances and you would have thought one of them would have gone in. We made enough chances but we just didn't get the breakthrough. We didn't keep possession as well as we'd liked, but it's never easy to come to a promoted side.
"Jonathan Forte caused a lot of problems but he was stuck out on the wing and didn't get too many chances on goal. On another day our chances would have gone in, but it's the first day of the season and it's a marathon not a sprint."
A delighted Carlisle boss Neil McDonald commented :
"I'm very, very pleased. You don't know where you are at the start of the season and it's great to start with a win. Everybody played their part and it's just a case of keeping this up.
"Our defenders cleared everything today and they were magnificent. The crowd was brilliant and I hope they come back for the next game."
thetashkenttheory :
Well, you can't ask for any more than a win on the opening day of the season, however hard it is to get, we certainly rode our luck at times though that's for sure. We certainly need to show a little bit more upfront than we did today, three forwards who all want the ball in front of them doesn't look like the best formula, and we do miss a good target-man. The defence were excellent all afternoon though, with Gray and Murphy particularly rock-like in the centre of defence.
Lovely to see a flat pitch with some grass on it as well, although there is no excuse for bad football being played it on now. The signs looked promising early on on that score though with the United midfield playing the ball around nicely, until the hold-up problems started upfront. The games come thick and fast at this time of the year though and a trip to Chesterfield awaits on Wednesday night, then just two and a half days later the Blues face a mammoth trip down to Yeovil, I think I'd be happy with two draws from those two games to be honest.