|
In all honesty Southend didn't play that badly, but Rob Newman's side obviously struggled to create enough real goalscoring opportunities against what was a very well organised Carlisle side. Southend however will be ruing two bad misses during the first half that could have given them a cushion from which to build a comprehensive victory.
Inevitably the match started slowly in what were very scrappy opening exchanges, with the first half chance arriving on 13 minutes when Phil Whelan flicked a Kevin Maher corner wide of the post. Eight minutes later and a fine move involving Ian Selley, Neil Jenkins and Maher resulted in the latter twisting and testing visiting custodian Peter Keen with a decent, firm shot. Seconds later Mark Rawle scuffed a shot wide after a good run. The same player then drove an angled shot inches wide as United began to control proceedings.
A good Selley left wing cross picked out Jenkins perfectly but unfortunately the speedy wideman lost his footing just as he was preparing to shoot. Carlisle however, despite perhaps ultimately coming with the intention of claiming a draw, did attack the Shrimpers and their first real opportunity came when Leon Cort did ever so well to block Baldacchino's fierce shot from 20 yards.
Damon Searle neat cross found Mark Rawle on the half hour mark and the gangly Blues striker turned his marker before firing a good shot at Keen, but a minute later Southend really should have taken the lead. Unsteady Carlisle goalkeeper Keen somehow dropped a Steven Clark centre with Rawle lurking nearby, the ball eventually fell to Jenkins who unfortunately completely misqueued his shot over the crossbar from 15 yards. Two minutes later, with play briefly switching to the other end, Darryl Flahavan did well to grasp Mick Galloway's curling long range shot.
|
A somewhat tempered second period was perhaps fuelled by a 41st minute incident involving some pushing betweeb Cort and Baldacchino, which eventually resulted in both players finding their names in the book of referee Mike Thorpe. Minutes later the final chance of the half saw Rawle knock the ball to Graeme Jones whose low cross should really have been converted by Damon Searle at the far post, wirth the Blues left back visibly annoyed with his finish.
These chances however really should have given Newman and his players hope for the second half, but it seemed as if the United players were simply frustrated by their opponents who, despite never entertaining, played a very well organised game and hardly let anything give defensively.
Carlisle certainly came more into the match in the second half, Baldacchino creating the first chance of the period, rolling a shot wide of Flahavan's goal following a fine run. Unfortunately however Carlisle began to revert to time-wasting tactics, triggered by Lee Maddison who wasted fully three minutes faking a head injury after clearing the ball from the path of Clark.
|
Brian Wake headed a Galloway corner just wide as the visitors began to threaten, but play soon switched to the right end, Selley curling a 20 yard effort just over following a Clark knock-back before a well placed Stephen Broad cross was nodded inches wide by Rawle. Jenkins then sent an effort just wide from the edge of the area following good work from Clark and Jones.
Carlisle striker Will McDonagh found himself very fortunate to remain on the pitch following a horrid, career-threatening lunge at Jenkins, which resulted in a brawl and somehow only a booking for the guilty party. Four minutes later, with 72 on the clock, a Searle free kick was headed out by McDonagh into the path of Jenkins whose shot hit Jones, but rebounded into the path of Cort whose long range shot brought a good stop out of Keen.
Superb work from substitute Tes Bramble, beating Mark Birch, saw a dangerous cross poked behind for a corner from which Cort headed Maher's flag kick straight at Keen. A minute later it was heroics from Flahavan that kept the scores level, the Blues custodian diving brilliantly to his left to deny a powerful, downward McDonagh header from a looping right wing cross.
Further fine work by the hard-working and inventive Bramble, saw a ball played into the path of Maher, but the Blues skipper let the ball bounce slightly away from him and the chance was hacked clear. On 85 minutes disaster struck as Carlisle struck their winning goal, and it came from a falsely awarded Carlisle throw-in, a high right cross finding McDonagh completely unmarked inside the penalty area and the youngster confidently dispatched a right foot volley past the helpless Flahavan and into the roof of the North Bank net. United had a glorious chance to respond almost immediately, Bramble playing the ball to Selley whose shot was parried by Keen into the path of Rawle who somehow struck a shot wide of the gaping goal from four yards.
As the five minutes of stoppage time ticked away, a disatraught Southend side squandered their final chance as Searle's free kick was not properly cleared and Rawle's acrobatic overhead kick just clipped the outside of the post.
Mark Wallis
www.thelittlegazette.com