Carlisle Utd 1 Barnet 1: It was a wonderful goal - and maybe also a hint at the ability that many feel remains within this Carlisle squad, yet has been locked away over a few trying weeks.

One touch, to set it up, and then another, to sweep the ball over the Barnet goalkeeper: that description barely does justice to Shaun Miller's overhead volley, which was worthy of winning several games, never mind drawing this one.

From the moment Shamal George aimed the ball forward from a handful of yards outside Carlisle's own penalty area, the ball didn't touch the turf until after it had smacked into Craig Ross' net.

It was United's first goal in three league games; it may not be bettered in eight more months. Nor was it an 18th-in-League-Two sort of goal. It deserved higher billing.

This, then, is the challenge facing Carlisle and Keith Curle now. Sort out their general form, and consistency, so that moments like that can grace a more suitable stage. If Miller is capable of that, and certain others can also produce the quality their careers suggest, the Blues should not be toiling to get away from the wrong end of the fourth tier.

All journeys, though, must begin with a single step. United had stumbled into great difficulty with some disturbing defeats to Lincoln, Accrington and Coventry and for periods on Saturday it seemed the tension of that run might beat them again.

The first half, in particular, was a grind. Later, though, enlivened by substitutions, they gained a reward for persistence. A couple of moments of fine Ross goalkeeping - how many times has that sentence been written at Brunton Park? - then denied them an even better outcome in injury-time.

It cannot mean that all their problems are solved. At least, though, another defeat didn't bring more to their doors. There was immense relief in Miller's celebration as he ran behind the Warwick Road End goalposts and roared to all sides of Brunton Park, and that feeling must translate into a more confident showing when United go to Crewe next weekend.

Before that great moment, a gloomier script had seemed set. Carlisle conceded early, and badly, and spent much of the rest of proceedings as though they were unable to change the afternoon's course. There was anxiety in the stands, mistakes on the grass, even the uncomfortable sound of some supporters cheering when two of their players (Hallam Hope and Reggie Lambe) were taken off.

One wondered if Curle's latest formation, a midfield "diamond", was ever going to shine. In the event, it was the later changes that did the trick, as a switch to 4-4-2, with Nicky Adams adding orthodox wing play, Jason Kennedy some focus on the other side and Richie Bennett some energy down the middle, helped create enough pressure eventually to make Rossi Eames' team crack.

The old debate now will concern whether United should be starting games the way they finished here. Good luck second-guessing Curle at Gresty Road. But at least Miller ought to be sure of his spot. "It just popped up nice and I thought, 'why not?'" the striker said of his golden strike.

It was, in a sense, a jewel in the gloom. To start with, Carlisle toiled and Brunton Park's lowest Saturday crowd for nearly two years reflected their recent run. Nor were 3,970 home supporters given much reason to increase the volume from an initial murmur.

Curle's idea, he said, was to pack the midfield to disrupt Eames' 3-5-2 passing game, yet United also needed to generate some confidence from a standing start and, when it was elusive, they fell behind.

Not for the first time lately, they were opened down the middle, as Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro reacted to a flick and dinked the ball past Mark Ellis before sweeping through on goal. His one-two with the right-hand post was not intended but he made calm work of the rebound from a tight angle.

As the rain fell, this was not what United or Curle required, and from there it was often very painstaking without much flow or control. Certain passes went badly astray, Miller and Hope were chasing too much that was aimless and even when Carlisle did force a succession of corners, they couldn't find holes in Barnet's box.

Overall quality was often desperately low. The visitors were not exactly pummelling the Blues as they contained their lead, though David Tutonda's run past three players, requiring Tom Parkes to intervene, was one risky moment, while Jamal Campbell-Ryce, lurking between attack and midfield, was at times a canny threat. He kept George alert with a curler after Kelvin Etuhu had been intercepted upfield.

There were a few boos at times when United failed to string passes together, also when Barnet recovered the ball and saw Akpa Akpro drill it across the six-yard box. They did end the half with a little flurry - Miller denied by Ross, Lambe drilling wide and Ellis thumping one close from 25 yards - but it needed to be much more substantial, much more appealing.

Initially, after the break, it was little better, and George's reflexes got a more serious workout when Shaq Coulthirst took aim. Before the hour, though, Curle finally acted. Bennett replaced the struggling Hope, swiftly followed by Adams. United's lines of attack became more apparent and even if it took time to work, they did have more forward-thinking focus when dominating possession.

The risk, though, was that it still wouldn't work and Barnet would smuggle another. A brace of poor passes by Parkes and Ellis saw a visiting counter-attack which ended with Akpa Akpro shooting over from the left of goal. Michael Nelson then treated himself to a free header but George held on.

Kennedy was on next, though, and it must be said that Carlisle's subs took greater effect than Barnet's, with John Akinde barely into his return from injury before he limped off again, in understandable distress and with Curle putting a compassionate arm around him.

By then, United had at last found what they were looking for. First, there were some better forays, such as the moment Miller ambushed Harry Taylor and Adams almost made something happen with a back-post cross.

Bennett, whose fuel tank seemed to have been topped up, was everywhere: once cutting out a cross in the centre-half position, next chasing back into midfield to win back possession, then meeting an Adams cross with an airborne header.

Ellis, too, was in amongst things, somehow allowing a Miller header to slip through his legs when destiny beckoned. These scrapes were excruciating at times but once Miller had cushioned and scissored United level, the final stages were reassuringly gung-ho.

They could quite easily have won it at the death. Ellis had a hanging header cleared off the line, Bennett - clean through - was tackled at the moment of truth, and then Ellis forced the save of the match from Ross in the 96th minute, the Barnet keeper tipping away the defender's header.

It was, in its own way, as impressive as Miller's goal, so both teams had match-savers in their ranks. Now, though, after this necessary glimpse, it is Carlisle's winning qualities that need to come back out of hiding.