By Jon Colman

Last updated at 12:31, Monday, 14 December 2009

Carlisle United 1 Wycombe Wanderers 0: Carlisle’s guest of honour on Saturday was a chap who has viewed the surge and dip of United’s fortunes for 91 years, but the even the splendid Harry Brockbank had probably forgotten how it felt to see the Blues win a league game by the scoreline that appeals to managers the most.

Danny Livesey gets patched up

One-nil to the Cumbrians, the result that radiates defensive stubbornness and attacking opportunism, had not in fact featured on the local menu in League One since November 22 last year until Greg Abbott’s side served up this narrow victory on Mr Brockbank’s 100th birthday.

What at first threatened to be a majestic stroll to victory over their Buckinghamshire guests turned into a royal scrap for superiority after the half-time break, but the fact Carlisle held onto their fourth triumph in five games in the face of some dogged Wycombe pressure entitled Abbott to draw some refreshing conclusions about his team’s improvement.

Right at the top of the manager's tick-list was the second successive clean sheet they secured: a highly welcome development after so many weeks when the gate has been left swinging open. United have long needed to add this sort of defiance to their armoury, since it allows them to take the maximum dividend when a single burst of set-piece expertise offers the only route to the opposition target.

Even Vincent Pericard, who made the day’s decisive contribution with his scoring header from Ian Harte’s exquisite free-kick seconds before the break, was keen to hand over the laurels to the men at the back. “I want to stress something,” said the French striker. “The most important thing now is that we are getting clean sheets.

“We are a team that is scoring goals, but to be getting clean sheets as well is important for our improvement.”

With a brace of further chances that he might easily have snaffled on Saturday, Pericard could have ejected the Chairboys from this contest long before Carlisle were slipping into the trenches for the game’s final, bruising minutes (a scrap which brought an injury-time debut for young Tom Aldred after Danny Livesey was forced off with a bash to the head). So the obligation to be more ravenous in front of goal remains, even for the towering Pericard.

But it is heartening to know that one rippling of the rival net can, on occasion, be enough. “My pet hate is gifting goals,” said Abbott. “At the minute, we seem to be eradicating that.”

With seven points now protecting the Blues from the division’s bottom four, United are also steadily wiping away the danger of another survival scuffle. The same number of points separates them from the play-offs, a target openly discussed by both Abbott and winger Kevan Hurst this week.

Carlisle’s trajectory since the autumn has allowed them to contemplate such distant goals. Banking tough 1-0 wins is just the way to keep them on that promising road.

United’s recent rise can certainly be traced to Pericard’s arrival. Ever since the sturdy Frenchman pitched up in mid-October to give their attacking play some focus and strength, Carlisle have won eight games from 13, losing just thrice. Their latest triumph seemed to be on its way from an early stage on Saturday, as Abbott’s team opened up vibrantly and fashioned a golden chance for Pericard, who steamed onto Hurst’s flick and ran clear of the Wycombe defence, but shot unconvincingly at their goalkeeper, Scott Shearer.

The Blues’ urgency impressed. With one press down the right, Adam Clayton and Pericard worked a crossing chance for Hurst which led to Matty Robson heading over.

Moments later, Graham Kavanagh put Robson through a malfunctioning offside trap, only for Hurst to sky the winger’s low centre. From their next attack, Pericard released Robson and the ex-Hartlepool man skidded his shot against the post.

Gary Waddock’s visitors, who have perked up noticeably since the new manager assumed Peter Taylor’s position, stirred with a Craig Woodman cross which Matt Harrold headed wide, and then an Evan Horwood slice forced Adam Collin into an alert interception. But otherwise United remained the prevailing force, turning defence into attack with pace (Peter Murphy, restored to midfield for the ill Tom Taiwo, was often influential in this respect) but not yet summoning the final, clinical touch.

Evidence: a tidy move involving Clayton and Richard Keogh, ending with a scuffed Kavanagh shot; a Hurst cross which just evaded Clayton; a Kavanagh pass which led to a blocked Robson effort; and a Pericard flick to Hurst which was terminated by the most dubious of offside calls.

If their flowing play wasn’t going to work the trick, it was therefore time to fall back on the reliability of Harte’s left peg. So it was that the 45th minute tug by Chris Westwood on Pericard allowed Carlisle’s Eire veteran to bend a tempting set-piece into the Wycombe box, and then the net via Pericard’s climbing flick.

Half-time enabled us to reflect that, of United’s last 24 goals, nearly half (11) have arisen from the delivery of a dead ball. There, in numerical form, are the fruits of some diligent training ground work from Abbott and his troops. Yet Wycombe’s response after the break meant there could be no wallowing in that impressive stat.

Finally, Waddock’s men retrieved some of their snap. With two early surges, Kevin Betsy threatened Carlisle’s well-being but was first denied by Murphy, then his pass to Matt Phillips was met with a brave block by Horwood.

United counter-attacked more sporadically now: Robson wriggling through two yellow shirts but planting his cross out of his team-mates’ reach; Horwood fizzing a dangerous ball forward which Pericard sluggishly failed to reach; then the ex-Juventus man fastening onto Kavanagh’s pass in the six-yard box but being brilliantly denied by the sliding Lewis Hunt.

Territorially, Wycombe were growing more persistent. Twice they fashioned headed chances for John Akinde, but the striker first missed the target, and was then denied by the stretching Collin before Livesey headed away the remaining danger. Carlisle, with Murphy now sacrificed for a second striker in the form of Scott Dobie, again broke through Hurst, Robson and Clayton, none of whom could conquer the gutsy Shearer.

Then came the final skirmishes, which saw Akinde waste a fine crossing chance after Harte’s slip, before Livesey took his leave after bravely nodding away a Matt Phillips effort, allowing Aldred to throw his teenage frame into the survival effort. Horwood, who impressed throughout the second half, then made the day’s final interception when he raced back to thwart the raiding Akinde.

The rate at which League One’s third-bottom side kept thrusting forward tells you this was far from the most comprehensive performance Carlisle have assembled. There was much about Saturday’s second half that ought to engage Abbott’s mental gears when he returns to the workplace today.

But it’s an over-zealous judge who docks too many merit marks in the wake of this victory. In 2009/10’s early phases, United were slipping from winning positions with infuriating regularity; now they are hitting upon different ways of getting three points in the can. If that hollers progress, then staying in the 1-0 habit will allow the Blues to keep on shouting.

ADAM COLLIN - Wasn’t faultless, but caught confidently to help relieve pressure on more than one occasion.

RICHARD KEOGH - Put plenty of urgency into his defending and did his best to help the attacking effort.

EVAN HORWOOD - Probably United’s best player after break, his wholehearted defending was also of high quality.

DANNY LIVESEY - Plenty of strong, no-nonsense defending from the skipper, who received a bash to the head for his troubles.

IAN HARTE - Caught out a couple of times by pacy attackers, but put in plenty of solid defending and supplied perfect ball for winner.

PETER MURPHY - Used the ball calmly and sensibly from his midfield berth, and showed a couple of classy touches.

ADAM CLAYTON - Was an excellent, driving midfield force in the first half and kept trying to create after break.

GRAHAM KAVANAGH - Player-coach linked much of Carlisle’s attacking play with some measured midfield passing.

MATTY ROBSON - Woodwork denied the winger a goal, while he impressed throughout with his persistence.

KEVAN HURST - Showed plenty of appetite for the contest and was always a willing outlet down the right.

VINCENT PERICARD - Expert run and finish to take his tally to six, and the influential striker could easily have had more.

Subs: Scott Dobie (for Murphy 75) - Involved in closing stages, Tom Aldred (for Livesey 90) - Late debut for the teenager. Not used: Lenny Pidgeley, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, Conor Tinnion, Michael Burns, Tony Kane

Goals: Pericard 44

Wycombe: Shearer, Hunt, Woodman, Westwood, Phillips, Oliver, Davies, Mousinho (Doherty 59), Betsy, Harrold (Pitman 80), Akinde. Not used: Duberry, Bloomfield, Young, Green, Beavon.

Booked: Davies

Crowd: 4,528

Ref: Peter Quinn (Cleveland)

First published at 11:22, Monday, 14 December 2009
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk