Accrington Stanley 1 Carlisle Utd 1: The fluent victory Carlisle United could sorely do with was never likely to come at the Wham Stadium: a tight ground used to more robust contests. Yet an ugly win eluded them too, against 10 men, and the need for reinforcements is now shouting ever louder.

A draw against a dogged Accrington Stanley is not, in isolation, the reason concerns are growing among some fans about a promotion push which has lost momentum since the turn of the year.

But it was clear enough in Lancashire that United are stretched right now, both of numbers and ideas, and while this result was not a disaster, it is two points from four games with a side that looks like it could do with the refreshing effect of a new face or two.

With four players having recently left, three more transfer-listed and one absent here through international duty (Reggie Lambe), the door surely now needs to open the other way. Keith Curle suggested he could afford one signing this week but only a big crowd against Barnet next Saturday would loosen up funds for a couple more.

This, financially, is how precarious things are at a club which still sits in an automatic promotion place (Portsmouth, the nearest challengers, had their game at Crawley frozen off). Those with glasses half full still point to the table and observe that any improvement in form can only keep Curle's team firmly in the hunt.

This outlook should cool talk of wheels coming off and suggestions that a good season is descending into trouble.

At the same time, United are not in winning form and frankly were not remotely creative or clinical enough on Saturday against a depleted Accrington, who are hardly the rich kids of League Two yet nearly sneaked what would have been a very dispiriting winner during injury-time.

At the opposite end of the ground, Carlisle's many travelling fans were probably fearing the worst at their distant view of the home side, having withstood lots of blue pressure, forcing a persistent number of corners and pushing United into some last-gasp defending.

One near-post save from Mark Gillespie prevented a complete mood collapse as they went back up the M6. But Curle still has work to do to get a small squad back to confidence, with a string of games against fellow high-fliers not too far away.

It didn't happen here against a side whose promotion push last season has not been repeated in 2016/7, even if John Coleman seldom sends out a team of soft touches. For his part, Curle sent out a changed side again, with Joe McKee the most notable starter: a full league debut in the same week the midfielder had been made available for transfer.

Understandably it took McKee a while to settle into the game in United's 3-5-2 system, but after an attritional start things seemed to fall Carlisle's way when Matty Pearson outmuscled Shaun Miller in the corner but then went dangerously into his next 50-50 with Macaulay Gillesphey.

Ref Chris Sarginson's red card was flashed some 10 minutes later than the 34-second shock that greeted Jabo Ibehre at this ground last season. But it still gave Carlisle the majority of the game to make the most of their extra man.

In this enviable situation, they seldom convinced. Their immediate response was positive, with some consistent pressure down the left, often through Nicky Adams - and then their 20th-minute goal, as Jason Kennedy showed familiar commitment to meet a cross and saw his gamble rewarded when the ball hit the post and home defender Omar Beckles bundled it into the net.

Yet this is not a Carlisle side used to dominating sides defensively, and there had been earlier scares when Shay McCartan's pace had exposed the recalled Michael Raynes, before their equaliser which arrived just two minutes after United's goal.

It was, to be fair, a gem of a free-kick from McCartan, which soared and dipped just under Gillespie's crossbar - and it was perhaps in keeping with United's current fortune that it was the scorer's first goal since last March.

Yet McCartan also earned his moment in a bright individual attacking performance which engaged United and made one glad that Luke Joyce, against his former club, was at least in solid and calming form in front of that back three.

At times after this, things opened up for United, but at other stages they were too basic and forced in their efforts. Adams curled a shot over the bar while Charlie Wyke missed a very makeable header from the winger's cross. McKee, meanwhile, was starting to make slightly better use of the extra space.

Accrington, not surprisingly, were less adventurous, but at times broke with intent and drew sloppy fouls. Gillespie was, though, not particularly busy, Billy Kee not at his most dangerous and Rommy Boco kept at arm's length by United's defensive trio.

The onus was plainly on Carlisle to lay siege to the home end for 45 further minutes and hope at least one decisive gap would open up. Attacking a packed away terrace, they did not have the wit to break down a determined Stanley. Joyce and McKee struck a couple of shots sweetly but sent them straight down the throat of keeper Marek Rodak.

McCartan sped onto a chance and shot narrowly over for Coleman's side, but United then applied further pressure and also upset the home support with the number of free-kicks they were awarded.

Shaun Miller, moving to the right, had a briefly dynamic spell in which his goalbound shot was blocked by Beckles before he crossed for Kennedy, who was denied superbly by Rodak.

But at other times United just couldn't put all the links together. Occasionally Adams would cut infield and dink the ball over the defence only to find nobody in blue there. Sub Ibehre also threw himself into the campaign but, a couple of headers aside, was mainly restricted to chasing Stanley men to try and retrieve possession.

The cross and corner count was high, but the final 20 minutes were particularly poor in terms of chance creation. This tempted the hosts to think they could ambush the Blues in a frantic finale, Harvey Rodgers dropping a header onto the roof of the net, Seamus Conneely denied by a bobble, Kee warming Gillespie's gloves and then most of the Accrington team involved in that injury-time flurry as corner taker Sean McConville tried to rouse the home crowd.

At least United's keeper, saving from Rodgers, kept that late bid at bay. But now surely Carlisle need to put some of their own on the table. This is no longer the points-gathering force of October and it is going to take some skill and care to get the Blues back that way.