By Jon Colman

Last updated at 11:26, Saturday, 28 November 2009

MK Dons 3 Carlisle United 4: After staggering away from such a typhoon of a game it’s easy to forget the most important facts.

Tom Taiwo, right, walks past Carlisle United manager Greg Abbott

So let’s start at the top and state that Carlisle United taking three points from Milton Keynes Dons’ home ground is a stupendous result in anyone’s language.

Before you get down to analysing the technicolour storm that broke out here last night, it's necessary to observe that the Cumbrians claimed victory at one of League One’s most daunting venues, where Paul Ince’s team had won their previous six engagements.

What United achieved is a result which throttled at birth the disquiet that had arisen from Saturday’s bleak defeat at home to Swindon. How they achieved it took the breath away.

Milton Keynes is a grid-based town but this game refused to adhere to any normal guidelines. Instead, melodrama kicked convention off the page. Concrete cows, those notorious MK landmarks, is a handy term for Ince’s static defenders at the moments Greg Abbott's side danced into a three-goal lead inside the first 20 minutes.

Then there was the bovine charge that got the home side back to 3-2 before the first half had even closed, and then three-apiece two minutes after the interval. Cue United’s own gutsy response, and a winning strike from substitute Joe Anyinsah, who had himself been dropped from the starting line-up as Abbott tried to right the Swindon wrongs.

Any other business? Yes, plenty. A league debut in goal for Adam Collin, who was blameless for the three goals Carlisle shed; an injury-time red card for Tom Taiwo which Abbott had cause to dispute after the event; a first goal since August for Kevan Hurst, who vindicated his return to the side at Anyinsah’s expense; a brace of scoring headers from Vincent Pericard, whose tally now stands at four.

More: a hasty Dons debut for Nigel Quashie, signed on loan from West Ham by their former midfielder Ince and rushed into battle as a first-half substitute amid the chaos; two goals in a minute from Luke Chadwick, once of Manchester United; a flapping goalkeeping display from Willy Gueret, who used to lord it over Carlisle in Swansea’s colours.

And, it needs to be said, a genuine triumph for Abbott, who had the guts to retain his much-criticised system of utilising Pericard as a lone centre-forward, and then made the tactical tweak to 4-4-2 after Adam Clayton’s knee injury (introducing Anyinsah into attack and shifting the impressive veteran Graham Kavanagh back to help reclaim important midfield ground) which allowed Carlisle to win the game a second time.

Many frazzled watchers staggered home last night of the view that they had just witnessed a game which defied analysis. Not quite true, because the way Abbott rewrote his team’s strategy midway through the second half was one of the big reasons they were able to absorb the Dons’ stomping figthtback and eventually rebound. “It’s not about systems, it’s about players,” insisted the United manager, who will chalk this up as one of his most important triumphs after the acid public response to the Swindon defeat.

Substantial hints were dropped that this was not going to be an exhibition of the defensive arts after 26 seconds last night, when Ian Harte’s poor pass allowed Chadwick to slide Sam Baldock clear of Carlisle’s defence, only for the local-born frontman to lift his shot over Collin’s target. Moments later, Martin Devaney beat Evan Horwood to a bouncing ball and sent over a menacing cross which evaded several bodies in the box.

From this jittery start came United’s remarkable surge.

First, in the fifth minute, a cleared free-kick was retrieved by Harte, who duly sent Kavanagh scampering down the right with a well-aimed pass. The player-coach’s composure from this point was admirable as he waited for Hurst’s arrival, played in the winger and saw the ex-Scunthorpe man sidestep a defender and clinically slot home.

United’s noticeable midfield snap duly brought about their second, in the 17th minute, as Mathias Doumbe hacked down Matty Robson on the left, Kavanagh bent in the set-piece and Pericard stepped into generous space to glance the ball past Gueret.

Three minutes later, after Danny Swailes had poleaxed the big Frenchman, Harte curled over a matching free-kick from the right and Pericard again applied the scoring header as Ince’s rear men again disappeared from view.

As we were working out whether to salute Carlisle’s set-piece expertise for their startling advantage, or pinpoint the organisational shortfall in the home defence – fairness suggests we highlight both – the Dons set about their belated reply, which came after another spasm of indecision which saw Gueret fumble a header from his captain, Dean Lewington with Kavanagh fractionally unable to pounce.

Back, at last, flew Ince’s troops. In the 35th minute, Devaney’s cross for Aaron Wilbraham was cut out by Harte but Chadwick belted the loose ball past the unsighted Collin from the edge of the box. 3-1.

Then the Dons retrieved possession almost from the restart and when Devaney buzzed down the right and crossed low, Carlisle’s shambolic attempts to clear coughed up a chance for Chadwick, which Collin blocked, only for the ex-Man U man to snaffle the rebound.

The first half had not yet breathed its last when Danny Livesey raced back to thwart Baldock and Collin superbly tipped wide a fierce Jason Puncheon free-kick. Then, two minutes after the restart, the prevailing hosts wiped out the remainder of Carlisle’s lead when Chadwick’s pass allowed Baldock to sprint past Harte and blast low past the exposed Collin.

Carlisle’s defensive generosity in that 12-minute spell will be the subject of much training ground scrutiny from Abbott before Norwich roll up in the FA Cup on Saturday. But due attention must also be paid to their second coming in this game which most viewers presumed was now heading Ince’s way.

Clayton, moments before being withdrawn, extended Gueret with a curling shot, then the young midfielder was replaced by Anyinsah as the influential Kavanagh dropped back to observe Abbott’s tactical demands, which delivered handsome dividends once United had drawn the sting from a Chadwick shot – held by Collin – and an off-target Baldock drive.

Carlisle’s fourth and winning goal, in the 66th minute, again had its roots in Kavanagh’s set-piece skills and the hosts’ iffy defending: this time, the player-coach’s corner was helped on by Pericard to the unattended Anyinsah, who stabbed in from close range.

That such a fizzing game produced no more successful attempts after this point was the night’s remaining surprise. Robson battered a volley against Gueret’s legs after a Taiwo cross, while the hosts bombed successive balls into Cumbrian territory but bounced off a newly-resolute rearguard, their best remaining attempts being a misdirected Swailes header, a edge-of-the-area dither by Puncheon (clinically terminated by Harte), a hanging free-kick in injury-time which Collin claimed with admirable authority, and a final corner cleared, appropriately, by the ubiquitous Kavanagh.

By that point, Pericard had battered a golden hat-trick chance against the bar from Anyinsah’s pass on the break, and Taiwo had collected his second booking of the night (the first yellow was brandished for a foul, the second for allegedly delaying a Dons free-kick, which Abbott later protested had been a case of mistaken identity).

That regrettable red card took its place among umpteen dramatic episodes which were crammed like sardines into the confines of a single match, leaving you wishing that Valium was on offer along with the pies and hot beverages at this glittering stadium with a name like half an email address.

The sacking of stadium:mk isn’t a headline that will shift many papers, so let’s get back to the most significant news, which is that Carlisle showcased their many strengths and weaknesses here but still prevailed through the force of their character: a most welcome conclusion from the wildest of nights.

ADAM COLLIN - Didn’t appear at fault for Dons’ three goals, made couple of vital saves on a gutsy league debut.

RICHARD KEOGH - Defended with all his heart for the cause after recovering from illness.

EVAN HORWOOD - Competed all night although Dons’ sharp attackers drew him out of position on occasions.

DANNY LIVESEY - Couple of crucial interceptions, though shedding three goals in 12 minutes will have hurt the skipper.

IAN HARTE - Left for dead by Baldock for Dons’ third but laid on Pericard’s second goal and made some important challenges. 6

TOM TAIWO - Much sharper. Always urgent in the middle of the park, possibly unfortunate to be sent off.

ADAM CLAYTON - Steady and mature effort in a sometimes frenzied midfield before injury forced him off.

MATTY ROBSON - Not always in the game but took up some dangerous positions and twice could have scored.

KEVAN HURST - Vindicated his recall with classy goal and used the ball well when it came his way.

GRAHAM KAVANAGH - Attacking masterclass in first half-hour, experience later proved crucial in midfield.

VINCENT PERICARD - In the right place to score twice, his muscular line-leading probably deserved a hat-trick.

Subs: Joe Anyinsah (for Clayton 53) - Often threatened, won game for Blues. 8; Not used: Peter Murphy, Scott Dobie, Gavin Rothery, Michael Burns, Tony Kane, Lenny Pidgeley.

Goals: Hurst 5, Pericard 17, 20, Anyinsah 66

Booked: Clayton, Taiwo, Kavanagh. Sent off: Taiwo

MK Dons: Gueret, Doumbe, Lewington, McCracken, Swailes, Howell (Quashie 36), Devaney (Easter 72), Puncheon, Chadwick (Johnson 79), Baldock, Wilbraham. Not used: Searle, Powell, Ibehre, Carrington.

Goals: Chadwick 35, 36, Baldock 47

Booked: Swailes

Crowd: 9,459 (327 Carlisle fans)

Ref: Gavin Ward (Surrey)

First published at 11:19, Wednesday, 25 November 2009
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk