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Simmo eventually plumped for a 4-4-2 formation and a back five of Keiren Westwood, Peter Murphy, Kevin Gray and Danny Livesey, with David Beherall filling in at right-back. The four strung across midfield were Zigor Aranalde, Chris Billy, Chris Lumsdon and Mark Rivers, Karl Hawley and Michael Bridges being partnered upfront.
It was a very attacking bench from a United perspective with only young substitute goalkeeper Adam Bradley not an attack-minded player as Simon Hackney, Brendan McGill, Derek Holmes and Adam Murray all waited for their chance.
It was Fans United day at the Moss Rose with the home side hoping to raise money to pay off their fine from the Football Association relating to the building of the Alfred McAlpine stand. The less said about that the better from my point of view as the game had also been moved from a Saturday to a Sunday afternoon to suit the home side.
After some favourable results yesterday though the only thing that mattered as the two sides took to the field was that three points for the Blues would take them to the top of the League Two table for the first time this season. Erm, well, and that was about as good as the day got really as United completely capitulated in the first ten minutes, never mind the rest of an appalling opening period.
The first goal came after just six minutes, following a quiet opening start to the game, through some abject defending by United. Ex-Blues player Kevin Sandwith swung a corner in from the left, and as the Carlisle defence played statues, centre-back Danny Swailes ran in completely unmarked to head home from only six yards out. That wasn’t the half of it though, as he actually headed the ball into the bottom corner of the net in the area of an unguarded near-post, simple and basic set-piece defending not done from the Cumbrians which sadly set the tone for the rest of the match.
If you thought that was bad, then wait until four minutes later when the home side went 2-0 up after some tracking from the Carlisle midfield which would have made a deaf, dumb and blind Red Indian embarrassed. Veteran striker Clyde Wijnhard picked the ball up 30 yards from the United goal and played in Danny Whitaker down the left-channel. Whitaker held up the ball up momentarily before laying it back to onrushing midfielder Kevin McIntyre who took a touch before unleashing a powerful left-footed drive across Blues keeper Keiren Westwood and into the far corner of the net from the edge of the area.
Another poor goal conceded by Carlisle, and they, like the rest of the 2198 strong travelling contingent, looked visibly shellshocked by their start to the game. An afternoon that had promised so much at 3pm had all come apart at the seams in just ten minutes. I’d been using my programme like a baseball cap to shield my eyes from the sun blazing straight at us behind the goal so I could see the action, I kind of wished I hadn’t bothered.
As the Blues dropped back, and their right-hand side of Mark Rivers and David Beherall looked completely out of their depth, the Silkmen looked like making it 3-0. Winger Martin Bullock cut in from the left and sent in a lovely teasing cross which fortunately for United just eluded Wijnhard running in at the back-post.
Fourteen minutes in and Carlisle managed a goal attempt. The ball broke to Billy 20 yards out after it was part-cleared by Swailes. Billy kept the ball down well but his low shot was always going wide of Macclesfield keeper Alan Fettis’s far-post.
With 20 minutes gone Paul Harsley and Wijnhard played a nice short passing move down the United left before playing in McIntyre 18 yards out from the Carlisle goal. McIntyre tried to stick a left-footed curler into Westwood’s top right corner but the Blues keeper was able to watch it fly wide of the target.
The Cumbrians were starting to find their feet a little bit now but were always going to find it hard going against a home side who were clearly buzzing with the confidence a two goal lead brings. The best chance for United in the first-half, and possibly the match, came in the 27th minute from a set-piece. Murphy swung the free-kick in which was flicked on by Livesey to the back-post area, Gray came steaming in but he was just unable to make contact with the ball in front of an open goal as the ball dribbled wide for a goal-kick.
Set-pieces looked the only way Carlisle would score all afternoon as Bridges and Hawley were continually crowded out by a swarming Macclesfield midfield. That should have led to more space down the flanks for Rivers and Aranalde but they were both anonymous throughout the game, new boy Rivers eventually being replaced by Hackney at the interval.
In the 30th minute Murphy swung in another good delivery which Aranalde headed towards goal from eight yards out. Unlike United the home side had a man marking the post and Harsley was able to easily nod the ball away from danger. The ball eventually found it’s way to Lumsdon on the edge of the box but his shot was rushed and flew well over on a day when it looked the Blues could have played until midnight and not found the net.
The game actually went through a period of calm after the storm for twelve minutes after that chance with both sides reduced to little more than long-range pot-shots at goal. It was always going to be the third goal though that would decide which way the match would turn and sadly for Carlisle their chances more or less ended when the Silkmen claimed that goal in the 42nd minute.
An off-colour Hawley gave the ball away to Whitaker who broke quickly upfield. After a one-two between Bullock and Wijnhard play went down the right channel as Harsley raced away with the ball at his feet. Whitaker had continued his run into the Carlisle box and did well to get on the end of Harsley’s cross to side-foot home first time with his left boot from 12 yards out to make it three for the home side. The shot was mishit into the ground to be fair although Westwood had already gambled on the effort going near-post and was unable to reach the ball as it went beyond him, and Gray on the line, and into the far corner.
As United were booed down the tunnel by a good section of the Blue Army there was unfortunately fifteen minutes to stand and reflect on an apologetic first-half display that had cost the Cumbrians any chance of going top of the League two table. Some fans had already seen enough and made their way home during the interval, never something I’d do but you can fully understand their feelings after an opening period like that.
The second-half saw an instant double substitution by Carlisle boss Paul Simpson as the ineffectual Rivers was replaced by Hackney and McGill came on for Beherall. United also went to a more attacking 3-4-3 formation with Aranalde, Gray and Livesey as the three men at the back with Murphy being pushed on into midfield.
Just as we were digesting those changes and hoping the Blues could somehow find a way back into the game the Silkmen almost scored a fourth. Fettis launched a goal-kick down which bounded on to the unmarked Wijnhard, the Dutchman got a poor connection on his shot though from 20 yards out and it was an easy one for Westwood to collect.
Hawley was booked for a foul in the 50th minute as he followed through on Alan Navarro as the ex-Tranmere left-back was clearing the ball away down that flank. Referee Gary Sutton of Lincoln seemed a bit of a "homer" all-told but we certainly can’t try and blame him for United’s abject display.
Carlisle had a lot more of the play after the break but again never really looked like breaching a resolute Macclesfield rearguard. A chance came from another Murphy free-kick in the 54th minute but Hackney saw his close-range shot blocked by Sandwith. The ball flew back out to Murphy who hit a cracking half-volley with his trusty left-foot from fully 25 yards out which he was unlucky to see dip just over the Macclesfield bar with Fettis seemingly beaten.
Two minutes later Macclesfield came back up the other end and Navarro tried a long-range first-time effort on his left-foot which Westwood was able to take on the bounce off the firm surface. The pitch had more grass on than Brunton Park but it was still a bit bobbly and looked like it might turn into a real dust-bowl in the summer months.
Both sides began to cancel each other out a little as the home side sat back on their big lead and looked to counter-attack quickly on the break. Two yellow cards in as many minutes for the Silkmen came either side of the 64 minute mark. Firstly Swailes was booked for an awful aerial challenge on Westwood then Harsley was the next in the book for a bad late lunge after Hackney had showed some great trickery on the left.
The first booking on Swailes was one which might have seen red with some referees but Gary Sutton didn’t seem to want to even book the centre-half until he felt pressured into it with the abuse he received from the Carlisle fans packed behind him. The next sixty seconds of play showed in a nutshell that the Blues really weren’t at the races today. With Westwood hobbling around on one leg, one of the defenders really should have stepped up to take the free-kick but it was left to the young keeper to boot the ball upfield with pain etched on his face. Then just to rub salt into the wounds McGill gave him a back-pass on his injured right leg which he had to clear quickly as Wijnhard closed him down, you couldn’t help but feel sorry for Westwood in both those situations.
United’s most dangerous attacking weapon in the game, in Livesey, found himself in space in the box in the 67th minute following an Aranalde free-kick. With the amount of bodies back it was always going to be hard for the big centre-half but he got a good shot in from 12 yards out, which, like the story of the day, went straight at Fettis. Livesey got forward well in the second-half and considering the Carlisle central midfielders have scored two goals from open play all season it might be time to stick him in behind the front two if we get many more performances like this one.
In the 71st minute targetman Holmes came on to replace Billy. If United were going to persist all afternoon in lumping the ball up to two smallish strikers then Holmes should have been on from, at the very least, half-time. Against a physical Macclesfield back-line the introduction of Holmes finally gave the Blues some much need muscle upfront and it was in the last 20 minutes that Carlisle had their best spell with the home side resting on their three goal advantage.
Shortly afterwards though Macclesfield almost went further ahead following more indecisive defending from the Cumbrians. Wijnhard chased a Whitaker ball over the top down as United pushed forward which Gray and Westwood left for each other before Westwood finally decided to come off his line. The Dutchman lobbed the ball over the advancing Blues keeper but luckily for Carlisle it dropped down just over the roof of the net.
Two minutes on McGill actually managed to work some space on the right-hand side for United and his cross in found it’s way to Lumsdon. The ex-Sunderland schemer hit his effort well but again it was straight at Fettis, who, incidentally, came out for the second-half wearing tracksuit bottoms due to the hard surface which was freezing over as the sun went down, prophetically, behind the Alfred McAlpine stand.
On 80 minutes Wijnhard left the pitch to go to the Macclesfield bench for something, I couldn’t tell whether he was being treated for an injury or if it was simply to take some liquid on board. Some atrociously weak refereeing by the official followed as Wijnhard came back on the pitch without asking only to be ushered back off it by Gary Sutton who wanted him to re-enter play the way the rules require. Wijnhard hadn’t though, and that, in itself, is a straight yellow card offence which the hefty Dutchman went unpunished for.
With four minutes left it looked like the Blues would grab a consolation goal but once again the chance went begging. Lumsdon sent a slide-rule pass through to Holmes who was clear on goal in a one-on-one situation eight yards out in the right-hand channel. The big Scot hit a powerful shot in on target but, not for the first time in the game, it wasn’t well placed for the corner of the goal and Fettis was able to parry it away from danger.
The last two moments of interest in a dire match from a United perspective both involved Macclesfield’s Wijnhard. Firstly the burly frontman dallied too long on a McIntyre through ball which McGill was able to race back and nip off his toes for a corner. Then seconds later he was yellow carded for persistent infringment after fouling Gray when both players went up for a header together.
Three minutes of injury time followed and those three minutes were too much for most Carlisle fans on a day when we just wanted to get home. The second-half performance had been an improvement but if we play like we did in the first-half many more times this season we will lucky to make the play-off spots never mind the top three. Plenty to ponder before the visit of an out-of-form Chester outfit to Brunton Park on Saturday.
Post-match quotes :
Macclesfield boss Brian Horton said:
"It was a good crowd, a good atmosphere and some good finishing on a very tricky pitch. It was an important win because we didn't want to get sucked back into the relegation zone. There's still a long way to go this season but if we play like that we will be okay.