Rookie Carlisle Utd duo keep Wembley final dream alive

Last updated at 12:04, Wednesday, 11 November 2009

Chesterfield 1 Carlisle United 3: Carlisle’s stand-out performer from this clinically-earned victory in the Derbyshire mist? Easy – Adam C.

Adam Collin

Now the hard part: working out whether it was the goalscoring debutant Adam Clayton who gets the biggest garland, or the less demonstrative but undeniably effective Adam Collin a few dozen yards further back.

Clayton, the young loan midfielder who gave a good impression of controlling the midfield acres against more experienced opponents, certainly shone brightly through the falling fog here last night.

But his efforts, and those of his triumphant team-mates, would have registered a little less had Collin not made the first convincing statement of his own budding career as a goalkeeper of Football League repute.

Other sub-plots grabbed the gaze at Saltergate, such as Peter Murphy’s goalscoring burst from the bench, but it was Clayton and Collin who jostled for the spotlight as Greg Abbott’s team sliced their way into the northern semi-finals of the ‘Paint Pot’, putting them 270 minutes away from the technicolour splash of a Wembley final.

Let’s not waste any more column inches trying to decide which of the rookie duo should get the highest merit marks. A more important argument is the one taking place in Abbott’s head now: does he ditch the starring pair in favour of more experienced replacements (Graham Kavanagh and Lenny Pidgeley, both rested last night) when league combat resumes this weekend?

Or does Carlisle’s boss succumb to the entirely forgivable temptation to field both, again, at Bristol Rovers in three days’ time? Manager-speak classifies this as “a good problem to have”.

Let’s see how Abbott untangles it, whilst the rest of us reflect on the bad problems his team laid out for Chesterfield at their rickety old ground.

Saltergate, soon to be vacated by the Spireites, was the unglamorous setting for a genuinely engrossing cup tie. Sure, its entertainment value was probably lost on poor Gregor Robertson, the home winger stretchered off in the first half with a double fracture to a leg after a 50-50 challenge with Tom Taiwo. That regrettable development aside, there was much to absorb 2,878 paying punters as League Two aspirants went into battle with League One’s 15th-placed collective.

The seven-minute stoppage required to deal with Robertson’s injury came at the end of 20 minutes of mediocre jousting between the two sides, notable only for Vincent Pericard’s fluffed attempt at a volley from Ian Harte’s testing free-kick. When play eventually resumed, however, the contest leapt into life. Harte, again holding strong at centre-half, made a vital interception from a cross aimed for the dangerous Jack Lester, and received a boot to the head for his troubles.

At the Chesterfield end, Matty Robson stirred with a dynamic run past two defenders and a fizzing cross which Kevan Hurst turned over the bar at close range, when a goal against his former club appeared likely.

More Carlisle wastefulness soon arrived, as Robson intercepted a loose pass and fed Joe Anyinsah, whose first shot was blocked by the sliding Ian Breckin, before the frontman pulled his next effort off target from a promising position.

Chesterfield, snappy and urgent, seemed in good shape to punish United for this. One surge from Scott Boden down the right wing led to a deft touch and then a shot from Lester which the alert Collin beat away.

Then, in the depths of injury-time, they struck: United cleared a corner, but John Sheridan’s men worked the ball to Boden, who tumbled in the box under Taiwo’s ill-timed lunge.

Darren Currie, Robertson’s replacement, buried the penalty into the bottom-left corner, and the fear rose that Carlisle would be going the way of so many other League One clubs; in other words, out of the JPT’s northern half at an unreasonably early stage. That anxiety didn’t abate when the hosts were setting about United in the second half’s early minutes: Lester being denied by Collin, who then superbly pushed away a Drew Talbot header, before Breckin battered the bar with a close-range header. Few observers predicted then that Carlisle would win the game at a canter.

But that was the effect of their dramatic improvement over the final half-hour.

First, they took their equaliser, which came via a Richard Keogh press down the right, a searching cross from Taiwo and a determined header from Matty Robson which squeezed past Tommy Lee at the goalkeeper’s far post.

Then, after Collin had again thwarted Talbot, Abbott’s side nosed in front. Lee parried a Pericard missile, but from the resulting corner, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson - on for Hurst - picked out Murphy. The Dubliner had himself been on the turf for five minutes in place of Harte, but there was little evidence of bench-warming rust in his confident leap and header which sailed into the top right corner of the net.

Happily, United’s ruthless work was not yet done. To the 78th minute, and a Chesterfield corner. The set-piece was quickly dismantled by the Blues defence, at which point Anyinsah sent Robson scampering down the left, before the galloping Clayton accepted the winger’s pass and bashed home the most pleasing of counter-attacking goals.

Observers of the weekend collapse against Morecambe from a two-goal advantage will have been heartened by Carlisle’s work from this point onwards: a skilful locking-down of the game, and almost a fourth goal (Lee saving well from Robson) which would have been a fraction hard on Chesterfield, who contributed plenty to this tie until United’s quality finally put daylight between themselves and the basement division’s sixth-best outfit.

Two bunches of numbers now leap from the page: Carlisle’s four-game unbeaten run (three victories and one draw) which has climbed from the ashes of a seven-game winless streak, and the fact that just three matches separate the Blues from a welcome pageant to Wembley next spring.

Should they be kept apart in the northern semi-final draw (which also features Accrington and Bradford) the odds say Carlisle will face-off with Leeds for the right to play under the giant arch. Fate indeed seems to be bringing these old play-off foes back to the table with another hefty prize at stake.

The way the Cumbrians polished off a genuinely troublesome opponent here last night suggests a readiness for the challenge, as does the emergence of the Adams from the margins. The best thing they can do now is offer up more evidence of progress in Bristol on Saturday, by sending the Pirates the same way as the Spireites.

ADAM COLLIN - Ex-Workington man performed with the confidence of a veteran, commanding his area and making some good stops.

RICHARD KEOGH - Sometimes dragged out of position but combative as ever and grew in influence after the break.

EVAN HORWOOD - Another impressive night’s work from the left-back, who has been consistent since his return to the side.

DANNY LIVESEY - Given some aerial problems by the awkward Talbot but led a strong defensive effort in second half.

IAN HARTE - Had to be alert to limit the threat of the classy Lester, did his duties well before hip injury saw him subbed.

TOM TAIWO - Culpable for Chesterfield’s penalty but supplied equaliser and his partnership with Clayton impressed.

ADAM CLAYTON - Used the ball responsibly and effectively, and capped a fine night’s work with an emphatic debut goal.

MATTY ROBSON - At the forefront of Carlisle’s attacking efforts, headed their vital equaliser and laid on Clayton’s clincher.

KEVAN HURST - Somehow failed to find the net against his former club, kept trying to create things down until withdrawn in second half.

JOE ANYINSAH - Should have scored in first half but helped keep Blues on front foot and brought team-mates into the game.

VINCENT PERICARD - His presence continues to serve United well, even if he couldn’t find the target on this occasion.

Subs: Marc Bridge-Wilkinson (for Hurst 61) - Quality set-pieces; Peter Murphy (for Harte 64) - Confident in defence, and a goal; Richard Offiong (for Pericard 71) - Looked sharper. Not used: Lenny Pidgeley, Tony Kane

Goals: Robson 62, Murphy 69, Clayton 78

Booked: Livesey, Anyinsah

Chesterfield: Lee, Picken, Page, Breckin, Austin, Boden, Allott, Niven (Gray 85), Robertson (Currie, 27), Lester, Talbot (Bowery 85). Not used: Crossley, Hall.
Goal: Currie 45 pen

Booked: Allott

Ref: Carl Boyeson (East Yorkshire)

Crowd: 2,878 (222 Carlisle fans)