Last updated at 12:10, Wednesday, 18 April 2012

Stevenage 1 Carlisle United 0: As the players were tunnel-bound after their warm-ups, the microphone was handed to a portly home supporter.

Paddy Madden, left and Mark Roberts square up

“You’re all looking miserable – get a smile on your face and support the Boro,” shouted Stevenage’s biggest fan, over the public address system. Nobody told him that game 43 of a 46-match marathon is no time for laughs.

This is the month of the furrowed brow, when the stresses of life come down hard not just on teams but supporters, who probably have to remind themselves to cheer and clap amid the worrying.

As it happened, Carlisle’s doughty travelling fans did plenty of both last night but now the anxiety sets in again.

After this defeat, which leaves the Blues a point shy of the play-offs with 270 minutes of term remaining, the faithful are probably torn between wishing for this faltering bid to be put out of its misery and clutching on to hope, which the table says is still there, if only fortune could spin back in United’s direction.

Honesty compels us not to write this one up as a pure hard-luck story, however hard Carlisle pummeled at Stevenage’s door in the second half.

The hosts actually had better chances and blew them before United mounted their up-tempo campaign after the break. But for those of a Cumbrian persuasion this was still a head-in-hands night.

It’s comforting, maybe, to describe Danny Livesey’s near-miss – seven minutes before John Mousinho took Stevenage’s winner – as one of those moments when fate raises two fingers at Greg Abbott’s team. But it would be more accurate, and fair, to praise the home goalkeeper Chris Day for executing his job superbly when United’s captain thrust a header towards goal.

As it happened, Adam Collin did something similar – better, in fact – when Jamaal Lascelles connected with a Stevenage corner midway through the first period. Conclusion: both sides tried, tried and tried again but the only moment of penalty-box clarity was claimed by Mousinho, when he controlled Stacy Long’s pass and clipped it in, off the bar.

United, by cruel contrast, are scoreless in three games at the worst imaginable time.

Mousinho, who had been on the pitch for four minutes when he struck, is one letter away from being able to call himself the Special One, so instead his manager cooked up an even better title.

“The Messiah came on and got us the win,” said Gary Smith, who has been in post here for just three months but may never make such a productive substitution for the rest of his days in the Lamex Stadium technical area.

The regret, for Carlisle, was that Greg Abbott’s own subs seemed to be the ones who were shifting the course of this game before Mousinho pounced.

With Andy Welsh and Paddy Madden fanning out to respective wings, after replacing JP McGovern and Liam Noble in a necessary tactical switch at the break, the Blues were suddenly looking very plausible winners in a match which could have put them two points clear in the top six.

As it is they must now advance on Hillsborough in three days’ time with some ground to make up – possibly four points, if Notts County take care of Bury in Saturday’s early kick-off. “We will keep doing our best,” said Abbott. “There’s no point worrying what other teams do.”

To start with last night there was quite enough to worry about with Stevenage, who are seldom weak when they pull on their boots for battle at this tight, red-and-white arena.

Once the ball had been introduced to the grass after five minutes of heading, the match unfolded with Smith’s side feisty and energetic, and the Blues toiling.

Contrary to stereotype, it was not all muscle and bustle from the hosts, though there was plenty of that as time went on. At their sharpest they were also able to switch play at speed and attack on the floor, as the buccaneering left-back Scott Laird burst on to a Lawrie Wilson pass in the eighth minute and saw a fierce shot crash into Livesey’s face.

United’s skipper stayed down, briefly, for treatment, and when he was upright again there was a serious job to be done. From a throw, Mark Roberts pinged over a cross which found Craig Reid startlingly onside.

He volleyed wastefully over, and then the striker reprieved Carlisle again when he finished an ambush on Livesey and a cut into the box with a lack of final conviction.

Upfield, Carlisle were finding it difficult to work their own attacking ideas, with Jordan Cook’s keen running an obvious outlet but a shortage of composure killing many forays from midfield. One McGovern cross, nodded down by Francois Zoko, gave Cook a sniff of a chance, but after the loanee's left-foot shot was deflected wide, Stevenage came again through Michael Bostwick, whose inswinging corner was met by Lascelles and then pushed away, magnificently, by Collin.

It was a relief, at this stage, that the likes of Livesey and Lubo Michalik were equipped for combat as their attacking colleagues groped for their range. Frank Simek, too, was at his sharpest, sliding in heroically to cut out a Lascelles cross which was heading for Patrick Agyemang at close quarters.

There was some hope for United in the fact that the game’s quality levels dipped as the half got to its conclusion. With Stevenage resorting increasingly to mundane aerial fare in Agyemang’s meaty direction, Abbott sensed an opportunity to take matters back to the hosts. So on went his subs and instantly Carlisle had more life, more vigour.

Welsh, first, made a pacey raid down the left and earned a free-kick which ended with Livesey hooking a volley narrowly wide. Madden, on the opposite side, then hunted out a corner which Peter Murphy, at the near post, guided close.

This heralded more of the same from Carlisle, who tested Smith’s retreating back line further through Berrett, whose cross was claimed by Day just before Zoko could finish it, and then Zoko again, whose shirt was pulled by Jon Ashton as he dribbled towards the box.

A less hasty ref than Brendan Malone would have spotted that the ball was breaking for Andy Welsh, in space, and played an advantage, but the game was stopped and the free-kick given. Murphy, a regular scorer against these opponents, curled it over the wall and wide, by a fraction.

But this didn’t stop Carlisle’s momentum. Tom Taiwo was next to drive forward, aiming a pass for Madden which the Irish sub chested and crashed over. Then Welsh whipped over a further corner which Livesey soared to win, forcing Day into his dramatic goalline block. Then a Simek cross reached Zoko, and then Welsh, but their respective shots from promising positions drifted by without troubling the target.

All it required was some cold blood in the box and the Blues would have been home. But it didn’t come, and in Mousinho – on for Luke Freeman after 73 – Stevenage had a lucky charm of their own. As they suddenly broke forward, with Agyemang prone in the centre circle, Long located the sub behind Carlisle lines and the man whose goal won last May’s League Two play-off final had space to put his shot in off Collin’s crossbar.

In a game low on final precision you feared that was that, and the suspicion remained even as the frantic final stages played out – Roberts going close from distance, Welsh shooting wide from 25, Long curling close, Wilson taking a Taiwo cross off Welsh’s toe, Mark Beck (on for Michalik with five minutes left) almost meeting a Madden centre, and then, finally, an agonising moment of indecision between Beck and Zoko as the ball dropped invitingly between them.

With Zoko facing away from goal and the teenage sub eyeing the target, it begged for a hearty swipe from Beck. But the youth-teamer forgivably deferred to the 28-year-old pro, allowed Zoko to retain the ball, and the opportunity for last-minute heroics passed as the Ivorian was engulfed by defenders.

“He’s got a lot of respect for Francois, as the senior man, but next time I’ll tell him to knock him out of the way and shoot,” said Abbott, as Carlisle’s latest, exhausting mission finally died of politeness. Now they need something remarkable at Sheffield Wednesday to get fun back on the menu.

ADAM COLLIN - Saved superbly from Lascelles and did nothing to suggest his recent fine form is fading.

FRANK SIMEK - Did some sterling defensive work in first half and tried tirelessly to help in attack after break.

PETER MURPHY - Sometimes overrun in difficult first half, stronger after break but no heroics against Stevenage this time.

DANNY LIVESEY - Denied a goal by Day’s reflexes, skipper put himself on the line for the cause at both ends.

LUBO MICHALIK - Competed strongly when Stevenage tested Carlisle’s back line but unable to prevent Mousinho pouncing.

TOM TAIWO - A box-to-box display from the midfielder, who couldn’t be faulted for effort and drive.

JAMES BERRETT - Not at his best as Stevenage started sharply but improved noticeably as Carlisle got on front foot.

LIAM NOBLE - Full of positive intent but couldn’t make United tick in first half, then sacrificed as Abbott made changes.

JP MCGOVERN - Put in a couple of useful crosses but was another victim of Abbott’s half-time readjustments.

FRANCOIS ZOKO - Threatened to cut loose a couple of times without fully eluding Stevenage’s strong defenders.

JORDAN COOK - Kept looking for gaps and full of positive running but no joy inside the home penalty area.

Subs: Paddy Madden (for McGovern 46) – Positive effort, pushed Laird back; Andy Welsh (for Noble 46) – Added some left-sided impetus; Mark Beck (for Michalik 88) – Nearly got on end of things in frantic finish. Not used: Matty Robson, Paul Thirlwell.

Booked: Zoko, Berrett, Madden.

Stevenage: Day, Lascelles, Laird, Ashton, Roberts, Bostwick, Long, Wilson, Freeman (Mousinho 73), Reid (Slew 57), Agyemang (Myrie-Williams 90). Not used: Julian, Shroot.

Goal: Mousinho 77

Ref: Brendan Malone (Wiltshire)

Crowd: 3,438

First published at 11:28, Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk