Morecambe Throw Lead Away at Carlisle
The last time Morecambe visited Carlisle, Storm Callum was sweeping across the north of England. I took the upper image in the cover photograph at the time, showing disabled Shrimps’ supporter Jordan and his carer Sam being battered by wind and heavy rain in the totally uncovered place allotted to away fans at Brunton Park. The photo went viral; Radio 5 Live picked-up on the story and the club – which had initially said putting a disabled shelter in place did not feature on its list of priorities – was shamed into building one. Most of this pressure came from Blues’ fans themselves, who were embarrassed by the reality which people like Jordan had previously to endure when visiting their home ground. So Hats Off to Carlisle’s supporters: I took the lower photo on the cover earlier today just before the game started and the sheer pleasure on Jordan’s face says more about what this means to him than any mere words could possibly express.
This was the third meeting between the clubs this season. Their first encounter last November was Derek Adams’ initial game in charge of the Shrimps. His opposite number – Steven Pressley – was sacked after United lost the FA Trophy tie from a winning position, finally going-down 3-1 away from home. In League Two, they shared two goals at the Globe Arena last December. There is a plethora of statistics concerning previous meetings between the two clubs in all competitions. Whichever of these you choose to believe, it is certain that Carlisle hold the upper hand with either seven or nine victories in the past. Morecambe have been victorious only three times.
United’s league form has been patchy under the new man at the helm, Chris Beech. They won their last league game five matches ago and have drawn three and lost one of the four since that. Morecambe, on the other hand, have won two and lost two of their previous five league games. This put them two places lower than Carlisle in the table in twenty-third position and five points worse-off than their hosts before the game, albeit having played one game more. Today, one of the consequences of Derek Adams’ shake-up of the Lancashire club would become apparent as Lewis Allesandra – surplus to requirements under DA’s new regime – lined-up for the opposition.
Storm Callum may have long gone but the weather in northern Cumbria today was wild, windy and occasionally wet. Brunton Park was completely flooded only a few years ago and the adjacent River Eden had broken its banks again long before the game. The car parks nearest the river were thus underwater and a trickle of water behind the away goal steadily deepened as the game grew older, despite occasional strong sunshine.
The match was preceded by a minute’s round of applause for ex-Carlisle Manager Harry Gregg, a genuine hero of the Manchester United Munich plane crash. He was a good, brave man and he will be missed.
Carlisle kicked-off with the gale at their backs and probably everybody in the ground expected a Blue onslaught to start from the first minute. But the visitors went straight onto the front foot – and stayed there as Carlisle played on the counter-attack. They compressed the play and pulled United’s defence all over the place right from the off. They moved the ball well; used the wind intelligently and shifted United from pillar to post throughout the opening three-quarters of an hour. Throughout this time, United’s custodian Adam Collin struggled with the ball in the air and Carlisle repeatedly failed to clear their lines effectively from corners and free-kicks. Carlos Mendes-Gomes had the first proper effort for the visitors, shooting straight at the United keeper after twelve minutes having been set-up by the always mobile Cole Stockton. Ryan Cooney then tried his luck a few minutes later with a shot which was deflected behind for a corner which Carlisle’s defence again struggled to clear. Just after this, on eighteen minutes, a low cross came over from Jordan Cranston on the Morecambe left. Stockton, with his back to goal, controlled it brilliantly, swung one hundred and eighty degrees and blasted an unstoppable shot past Collin for a goal which will be particularly sweet for him as a former Carlisle player. But still the red tide surged forward. Just five minutes later, with United’s defence seemingly paralysed by panic, another corner bounced around their penalty area but finally found its way to Aaron Wildig who sent a fantastic volley looping around Collin into the top corner to the goalkeeper’s left from twenty yards.
Twenty-three minutes were on the clock – Morecambe were two-nil to the good and good value for it.
Carlisle started to assert themselves after this point and Christoffer Mafoumbi in the visiting goal was put on his mettle several times as the ball swirled around him from corners and free-kicks. Lewis Allesandra – roundly booed by the Morecambe contingent every time he touched the ball – had a couple of half-chances but it looked as if the Shrimps might well hold-out for two-goal lead at half time. That was until injury time. On the Morecambe left, Jordan Slew – who played poorly throughout today in my opinion – gave the ball away cheaply totally unnecessarily – and not for the first time, either. It found its way across the field to the always impressive Omari Patrick, who reduced the arrears with a lovely swerving shot and, in doing so, gave the hosts some real hope for the second half.
The next goal would be crucial. If it went to Carlisle, who knows what might happen. If Morecambe got it, they should and probably would win. So it became inexplicable at least to me why Manager Derek Adams did nothing to change things as his team increasingly played on the back foot and retreated further and further into their own territory during the second half. In doing so, they invited the inevitable – and the inevitable duly arrived after 65 minutes when – following Carlisle-like panic in the Morecambe defence after a corner to the opposition – Aaron Hayden was able to head home an emphatic equaliser. The Blues were well on top at this stage and would have taken the lead if it wasn’t for a superb save by Mafoumbi from Patrick ten minutes after Carlisle had equalised. Morecambe weathered the storm following that and after DA finally shuffled his pack, started to get on top again towards the end of the match.
In my opinion, a really bad foul by Nick Anderson on Carlos which caused the Morecambe player to limp-off later on should have received a straight red card. I’ve seen players walk for fouls less innocuous than the one Anderson’s team-mate Elliot Watt was guilty of ten minutes earlier as well but Referee Peter Wright made a number of decisions today which I suspect bemused both sets of supporters at times.
Other than that, the final score was probably a fair result, with Morecambe dominating the first period and Carlisle largely in charge throughout the second. A draw was disappointing given Morecambe’s performance early on and their two-goal lead. But a point is better than nothing – and that’s what their nearest rivals got elsewhere today. Stevenage’s change of manager did not reverse their current form and they lost yet again, 2-0 this time at Crawley to remain bottom of the EFL with an equally bad goal-difference to the Shrimps’ yet now a whole nine points (or three wins) behind them with just eleven league games left to play. Macclesfield also lost, two-nil at Crewe, to slip one place below Morecambe into twenty-third position. So – all things considered – things could have gone an awful lot worse today.
Carlisle United: 1 Adam Collin (C); 14 Gethin Jones; 17 Byron Webster(Y); 6 Aaron Hayden; 8 Mike Jones (19 Jack Bridge 77’); 34 Nick Anderson (Y); 5 Jon Mellish; 12 Elliot Watt (Y); 7 Nathan Thomas (11 Harry McKirdy 49’); 40 Omari Patrick (24 Olufela Olomola (88’); 9 Lewis Allesandra.
Subs not used: 3 Jack Iredale; 22 Louis Gray; 15 Taylor Charters; 33 Nicky Hunt.
Morecambe: 37 Christoffer Mafoumbi; 30 Ryan Cooney; 33 Jordan Cranston (Y); 5 Steven Old; 16 Sam Lavelle (C); 29 Jordan Slew (7 John O’Sullivan 81’); 19 Carlos Mendes-Gomes (4 Alex Kenyon 81’); 31 Adam Phillips; 15 Aaron Wildig; 32 Toumani Diagouraga; 9 Cole Stockton.
Subs not used: 21 Mark Halstead; 27 Christian Mbulu; 14 Tom Brewitt; 10 A-Jay Leitch-Smith
Ref: Peter Wright.
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