Carlisle United 1 Fleetwood Town 2: Deadline-day signing Omari Patrick scored on his first outing as the Blues’ reserves were beaten by Fleetwood.

The ex-Bradford striker netted an equaliser with a confident finish after 29 minutes of the Central League Cup game at Frenchfield Park.

That was the highlight of Patrick’s 80-minute run-out as he pushes his case for a first-team debut against Swindon this weekend.

His goal came between two Harvey Saunders strikes as the League One visitors got the better of an experienced Blues side at Penrith’s Frenchfield Park.

The game also saw new loan keeper Marcus Dewhurst make his first Carlisle appearance, the Sheffield United loanee playing the second half, while the Blues suffered an injury scare when Stefan Scougall limped off after just 12 minutes.

Another January signing, Max Hunt, captained the side in defence while there were outings for Mo Sagaf, Olufela Olomola, Jon Mellish and Jack Iredale, although another out-of-favour player, Nathaniel Knight-Percival, was not involved.

Blues head coach Chris Beech watched from the stands, with coaches Gavin Skelton, Eric Kinder and Mark Birch in the dugout and Workington Reds boss Danny Grainger also an interested spectator at Frenchfield Park.

United lined up in a 4-4-2 formation with Patrick up front alongside Olufela Olomola, but the game was only five minutes old when Scougall went down after a challenge and eventually had to be substituted after 12 minutes.

The midfielder was holding the back of his left leg as he failed to run the injury off, Adam Walton coming off the bench.

Olomola saw a shot blocked after Sagaf attacked from the left, but Fleetwood then opened the scoring on 18 minutes.

It came after Olomola had been penalised for a challenge on halfway, the visitors then quickly sending the ball down the left channel, and Saunders beating the onrushing Louis Gray with a measured finish from a tight angle.

Carlisle responded with some better periods of play with Patrick showing a good touch on his first Blues outing.

Iredale almost set up Olomola with a diagonal ball before the Blues levelled just before the half-hour mark, Patrick supplying a clinical low finish from the left to beat keeper Billy Crellin after being involved in the initial attacking move along with Olomola.

A Hunt clearance in front of the line denied Saunders a Fleetwood second, before Olomola and Walton, attacking from right-back with Liam Lightfoot pushing up into Scougall’s midfield position, went close for the Cumbrians.

United then brought on new loan keeper Dewhurst for the second half, Patrick shooting just wide in search of his second goal soon after the break.

At the other end, miscommunication between Hunt and Dewhurst almost allowed Saunders onto a ball over the top, but the United defender got back to deny Fleetwood’s scorer.

Patrick showed a good burst of pace to win a corner against James Hill, Hunt heading Taylor Charters’ delivery just over the bar, and later the new boy again linked with Charters to find Olomola at close range, but the Scunthorpe loan man couldn’t turn it in.

Dewhurst struggled with a couple of kicks but showed confidence to claim a testing cross, before the crossbar denied Barry Baggley a Fleetwood second.

After Hunt blocked a Hill finish, though, the visitors did double their lead, when Saunders ran onto a ball down the left and sent a low shot across Dewhurst.

Charters looked for a leveller with a powerful 25-yard shot which Crellin could only spill behind for a corner, the Fleetwood keeper saving Patrick’s resulting header.

Olomola was next to be denied by the visiting No1 as the Blues failed to find a late equaliser.

United: Gray (Dewhurst 46), Lightfoot, Iredale, Hunt, Mellish, Lightfoot, Birch, Scougall (Walton 12), Charters, Olomola (Wilson 90), Patrick (Leslie 81).

Fleetwood: Crellin, Goldsborough, Rydel, Smith, Hill, Holgate, Matete (Boyle 85), Garner, Saunders, Morris, Baggley. Not used: Makepeace, Czajor, Johnston, Patterson.