Jon Colman reports from Brunton Park

Last updated at 15:39, Friday, 05 September 2008

Carlisle United 4 Yeovil 1: The transfer window can be boarded up as long as John Ward retains his ability to supply Carlisle United with new players from within.

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The manager is currently keeping his talent search in-house, and in Cleveland Taylor’s performance on Saturday there was memorable rebuke to those who believe that taking a plunge into the market should be a reflex action at this time of year.

Already this season we have devoured the tale of Danny Carlton’s emergence as a credible first-team player after the frustrations of the previous campaign. The second coming of Taylor is the latest yarn to bounce off the presses, and it is equally riveting.

Danny Graham can be thanked all day long for the most clinical of hat-tricks which cut down Yeovil, but United’s comeback was shaped by the persistence and quality of Taylor on the right wing. That’s a sentence which rarely elbowed its way into print last term, when the former Scunthorpe player laboured for fitness and form. Now, regenerated by an excellent pre-season, he is finally displaying the best of his talents.

On Saturday they were such that Russell Slade’s players will need to knock back heaps of Somerset cider to recreate the headache Taylor inflicted on them in the second half. “Cleveland is unpredictable, but he has got that pace and desire to run at people and he has been involved in three goals that won us the game,” said Ward.

“Danny will get the match-ball, a lot of credit and rightly so. But there are a lot of reasons why you should credit Cleveland for this victory.”

Let’s list them. One: the textbook cross which provided Carlisle’s second goal - a sniper’s finish from Graham after Yeovil goalkeeper Asmir Begovic had failed to hold Carlton’s header.

Two: the pacy run which drew a foul from Lee Peltier in the box, allowing Graham to snaffle his hat-trick from the spot. And three: another purposeful drive down the left of the Yeovil area and a tidy cut-back which enabled Gary Madine to clip home his maiden first-team goal.

Taylor, substituted in injury-time to a surge of applause, is entitled to ask how many of the clapping thousands were booing him a few months back. Too many supporters too quickly leapt across the line between fair criticism and blatant catcalling where the winger was concerned last term. “That’s all in the past now,” said the 24-year-old, but he can take great satisfaction in the way he has forced his critics into reverse.

However, the detail on how Taylor, Graham and the rest of Ward’s goal-hungry players eventually barbecued Yeovil can only pour onto the page once we have registered the story of a sluggish first-half, when United seemed to have mislaid their normal rhythm and swiftness of thought.

A sliding effort from Graham - gathered by Begovic - was the only incident of note before the Glovers cracked open Carlisle’s defence in the 15th minute. There was a corner shoddily-conceded by Evan Horwood, a run and low delivery from Paul Warne with which the Blues failed to deal, and when Ben Williams’ parried Marc Bircham’s low shot, Gavin Tomlin stroked in the rebound.

United, cuffed aside last Tuesday in the Carling Cup by Emmanuel Ledesma, QPR’s loanee from Genoa (aided by a couple of others borrowed from Real Madrid and Fiorentina), were now peering at the ignominy of being felled by a striker who fetched up in Yeovil this summer from Fisher Athletic. A dangerous header from the redoubtable Terry Skiverton quickly brought more anxiety, but it was around the half-hour mark that Ward’s players finally started to stir.

Peter Murphy, advancing from a quick free-kick, drew an alert save from Begovic with a deflected drive. Taylor then served Graham with an excellent cross which deserved better than an off-target header. The big striker then failed to test Begovic from promising territory after excellent work from Carlton.

United were not yet flowing, their football patchy and too often in the air, but the chances continued to arrive. Finally, so did their equaliser: a spasm of penalty box pinball, a lofted ball from David Raven, a nod from Danny Livesey and then a pummelling left-footed finish from Graham on the brink of half-time.

Slade’s response was to add the brawn of Lloyd Owusu to his attack at the onset of the second half. Moments later, the Ghanaian forced a diving save from Williams, who had conceded the ball with a poor clearance. But this was not to be a half of Cumbrian apprehension. In the 58th minute, United sped into the lead. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson found Simon Hackney with a telling pass, the winger laid the ball to Taylor, Carlton attacked his cross with a good, downward header, and when it squirmed away from Begovic, Graham battered the chance high into the net.

After substitute Andre McColin headed just wide after a Yeovil counter-attack, Carlisle flew back at their visitors and earned their third. Peltier’s trip on Taylor to the left of the box offered referee Graham Laws an uncomplicated decision, and Graham dispatched the penalty with equal simplicity.

The effect was the deflation of Yeovil who had previously performed with a high level of spirit and discipline. Perhaps they didn’t deserve to be impaled by a fourth, but try telling that to young Madine, who replaced Graham in attack and then planted his debut goal into the bottom left corner, after meeting Taylor’s pull-back just inside the box.

Madine’s arrival as a first-team goalscorer was one of several encouraging sub-plots to a day dominated by Graham. Others included Paul Thirlwell’s authoritative display in the midfield disputes and Carlton’s unheralded efforts as an industrious foil for the hat-trick hero. “They’ve got a considerable partnership going there,” observed Ward on his strikers.

What United have got going is some heartening form to send them spinning into a demanding-looking September. Expect Southend, Scunthorpe, Leeds and Walsall to threaten Carlisle’s well-being at the top of League One. But also expect the Cumbrians to breeze into those battles with confidence in spades.

A couple of defeats could make this sound absurd, but Ward is entitled to let tonight’s deadline pass quietly. A tally of 11 goals in four league games is the manager’s weapon to wield against any suggestions his team requires additional creativity and penetration (which they will receive in any case when Scott Dobie returns from suspension in a fortnight).

Let it keep coming. Let there be more examples of the width and energy with which United played in the second half here. And let there be plenty more match-defining contributions from Taylor, whose happy story of self-improvement beats a panic buy every time.

BEN WILLIAMS - Couldn’t be faulted for Yeovil’s opener and dealt with the visitors’ other sporadic efforts. 6/10

DAVID RAVEN - Another sturdy performance. The visitors got little joy down Carlisle’s right. 7/10

EVAN HORWOOD - Still needs to raise his game but this was far from one of his worst days. 6/10

DANNY LIVESEY - A commanding presence, particularly in the second half. 7/10

PETER MURPHY - Not his most eyecatching display but helped Livesey keep things tight at the back. 6/10

MARC BRIDGE-WILKINSON - Industrious rather than inspirational, although played one or two splendid passes to create Carlisle attacks. 6/10

PAUL THIRLWELL - Snuffed out Yeovil’s midfield threat after the break with some typically forceful tackling. 7/10

SIMON HACKNEY - Pacy running kept Glovers defence on the back foot. Mixed bag of set-piece deliveries. 7/10

CLEVELAND TAYLOR - His most influential United performance to date and deserved his huge ovation. 8/10

DANNY GRAHAM - Clinical finishing for a deserved hat-trick. On other days he might have doubled his tally. 8/10

DANNY CARLTON - Worked tirelessly alongside Graham and his contribution to the cause should not be underestimated. 7/10

Subs: Michael Bridges (for Hackney, 79) - A couple of flashes of skill. 6; Gary Madine (for Graham, 85) - Confidently tucked away his debut goal. 7; Luke Joyce (for Taylor, 90) - On at the death to allow fans to salute Taylor. 6. Not used: Chris Howarth, Richard Keogh.

First published at 11:45, Monday, 01 September 2008
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk