Last updated at 12:33, Monday, 25 January 2010

Carlisle United 0 Stockport County 0: At least five thousand punters eventually got something more than a burst of controversy, some enigmatic refereeing and a barrel-load of frustrations for their dosh.

Joe Anyinsah

At least Stockport’s goalkeeper, Owain Fon Williams, gave us all something to applaud at the very end of an afternoon’s hair-pulling exasperation in the January chill.

This tight, tetchy duel always looked likely to pivot on a solitary moment, a lightning bolt of inspiration.

It seemed to have come in the depths of injury-time, when Adam Clayton strode forward from midfield and belted a show-stopping drive towards the top corner of the visitors’ net.

It was duly met with a breathtaking leap and a fingertip flick from Fon Williams which went straight in at Number One in the chart of the most remarkable saves this Cumbrian season has seen.

No apologies for relegating Saturday’s brace of red cards, twin brushes with the woodwork and other matters to later paragraphs.

Other than a common yearning for victory, what a football supporter hopes for when he hands over his ticket before 3pm is to see something that steals the breath. It may have denied Greg Abbott’s team victory, but it is right and fair to acknowledge that Fon Williams’ save was quite the finest thing we saw at Brunton Park two days ago.

County’s goalkeeper is generally recognised as one of the few platinum players in a beleaguered side. If the Hatters do take the plunge to League Two in five months’ time – a scenario which was only challenged slightly by their first point in 13 games here – then money says their gifted custodian won’t necessarily go with them.

The justifiable gripes being voiced by Carlisle’s supporters at close of play was that Fon Williams was not extended often enough. Other than his late dramatics that thwarted Clayton, Saturday’s other significant saves were actually made by Adam Collin, United’s former Workington Reds gloveman whose maturity and quality continues to catch the eye.

Beyond an early flurry in the second half, and a late bombardment after Scott Dobie and Jabo Ibehre had both been dismissed, Carlisle were unable to muster the kind of penetration needed to account for Gary Ablett’s gutsy troops. It means the hoped-for Cumbrian surge back up from League One’s foothills remains on hold, as the quest moves 350 miles down the country to Exeter tomorrow.

Today intention is not to offer Chris Sarginson excessive column space, since the Staffordshire referee’s centre-of-attention display was equally questionable for both camps.

Yet it can be said that Mr Sarginson was entitled to flourish his red card in the 71st minute at Dobie, whose raised hand at Danny Swailes may not have been the most grievous of crimes but clearly put the Carlisle striker at risk of dismissal. Ditto Ibehre, who left a lingering leg in a challenge with Ian Harte and duly placed himself in needless peril of a second yellow card.

Both men are experienced enough to know better, even if there were mitigating circumstances (in Dobie’s case, the finger-wagging Swailes ought to have been cautioned himself for his agitating actions after the Carlisle man had gone to ground in the penalty box).

Dobie’s three-match ban means United now advance to Devon – and to subsequent games against Leyton Orient and Colchester – without their most experienced forward. Abbott, already pursuing striking reinforcements after Vincent Pericard bolted for Swindon, can be expected to hit the phones with extra gusto this week to boost a frontline which now comprises Joe Anyinsah, Richard Offiong and the returning Gary Madine (who himself may be off again if Coventry can table a satisfactory offer before the end of the transfer window).

These are the lower-end skirmishes that have often proved troublesome for the Blues, as opposed to cup jollies to Elland Road where space is more plentiful and the quality of men like Graham Kavanagh can glow. Notable on Saturday was the fact it was Kavanagh who was withdrawn by Abbott at half-time for Dobie in a deliberate tactical shift.

The reason was that United’s passing and movement was not of sufficiently high quality for their player-coach to find the kind of gaps he needs to scatter his attacking class over a contest.

It was less an indictment of Kavanagh’s first-half efforts than a comment on the mediocrity of Carlisle’s general performance from minutes one to 45, and on Stockport’s hustling endeavour. Abbott, who is sometimes accused of insufficient boldness when it comes to the deployment of his subs, quickly saw the need for corrective action and Carlisle’s perkier display after the break vindicated his move, until Dobie was dispatched by Mr Sargison.

County, with five new recruits, seemed duly emboldened from the off, and were generally a match for Carlisle in the opening squabbles, despite the stand-out quality of Clayton in midfield and the threat of United’s first back-to-front surge, which saw Kevan Hurst feed the recalled Anyinsah, who was hauled down by Michael Raynes before Ian Harte took unsuccessful aim from the resulting free-kick.

Creative class was at a premium at both ends, but Stockport did stir after 20 minutes, first with a sharp turn and shot from Jemal Johnson which rippled the side-netting, then a brisk run down the let by Danny Pilkington and a cross which Ibehre bundled towards goal, Collin springing to his left with a splendid reflex save.

Clayton then smashed a 25-yarder over Fon Williams’ target, but the need for a catalyst in blue was apparent. Abbott’s half-time tweaks and a motivational blast seemed to be serving its purpose at the onset of the second period, which saw Hurst dip a volley against the inside of the post after some excellent work from Anyinsah. Moments later, Anyinsah sped into promising territory from the right but was denied by the sliding Swailes, and the frontman then dropped a header onto the roof of the net after a corner.

Richard Keogh, whose appetite always impresses, plummeted a sight easily from Carlisle’s next foray (a stricter referee might have shown a second yellow card to the right back in this instance), while Stockport, breaking with purpose, then fashioned half-chances of their own for David Perkins and Ibehre, the latter looping a fine effort onto the top of Collin’s bar on the hour.

Plausible penalty claims from Anyinsah rose and died after the frontman steamed into the box and was apparently impeded by Swailes and then Michael Rose, before Collin excelled himself to keep out Johnson when the American striker skipped onto a deflected through ball.

We then witnessed the second red card of Dobie’s career (the first, at Orient last season, was for a similarly trifling offence), an incident which led Abbott to send Richard Offiong into the contest, and then Madine, once Ibehre had also been banished.

The pursuit of victory became more persistent in those closing stages, with Madine’s presence occupying extra Stockport defenders, Matty Robson arrowing a brace of efforts narrowly wide, Harte twisting past two defenders and testing Fon Williams from range, Offiong speeding through to the left of goal but scuffing a weak shot off target and then – after Johnson had sliced a promising Pilkington pass at Carlisle’s end – the game closing with Clayton’s missile, and Fon Williams’ save to treasure.

Abbott’s pre-match claim – that Stockport’s desperation for points would make them thornier opponents than Leeds – was duly vindicated. The main question now arrowing towards the manager is this: how does he assemble a team that can triumph in such congested games as this? One of his answers may be to bring to a successful conclusion his pursuit of the strapping no9 Carlisle so patently need.

Hard judgement says that five points have been mislaid in United’s last two league engagements, however heartening their midweek cup efforts may have been. Last Saturday they were hustled out of town by Brentford.

This time they were thwarted by their own sterility, some admirable Stockport stubbornness and a dash of brilliance from the travelling goalkeeper.

Since we would rather not be saluting opposition players on a weekly basis, it drops to Abbott and his team to give us something better to talk about: starting in the tight, rustic boundaries of St James Park, Exeter, rather than an inspiring coliseum like Elland Road.

jcolman@cngroup.co.uk

ADAM COLLIN – Two vital saves to keep out Ibehre and Johnson and looked confident in all his duties.

RICHARD KEOGH – Commitment shone through once again, fortunate to escape second booking for dive.

EVAN HORWOOD – Passing often went astray but left-back tightened up his game after the break.

DANNY LIVESEY – Steady enough in defence but Blues back line didn’t always have a comfortable afternoon.

IAN HARTE – Showed his quality on the ball at various stages, no joy with set-pieces on this occasion.

TOM TAIWO – Battled away but not with his usual impact in a tight midfield contest.

ADAM CLAYTON – Probably United’s best outfield player, used the ball well and so nearly won it at the death.

GRAHAM KAVANAGH – Couldn’t find the spaces to cause County damage and was sacrificed at the break.

MATTY ROBSON – Birthday boy wasn’t at his best but persisted and came close with two late efforts.

KEVAN HURST – Hit the woodwork early in second half, otherwise limited influence down the right.

JOE ANYINSAH – Did his best to make things happen with some strong running and hold-up play.

Subs: Scott Dobie (for Kavanagh 46) – Frustration led to red card and ban; Richard Offiong (for Hurst 79) – Couldn’t convert only real chance; Gary Madine (for Horwood 87) – Added presence on return. Not used: Lenny Pidgeley, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, Peter Murphy, Paul Thirlwell.

Booked: Horwood, Keogh, Anyinsah; Sent off: Dobie

Stockport: Fon Williams, Mullins, Rose, Swailes, Raynes, Partridge, Vincent, Pilkington, Perkins, Johnson, Ibehre. Subs: Turnbull, Tansey, Gerrard, Griffin, Halls, Edwards, Rowe.

Booked: Ibehre, Raynes; Sent off: Ibehre

Ref: Chris Sarginson (Staffordshire)

Crowd: 4,966

First published at 11:25, Monday, 25 January 2010
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk