Carlisle United 0-2 Colchester United
On 27th April 2013, I made the trip to Brunton Park to watch Carlisle United take on Colchester United in the final game of the 2012/13 season. Carlisle United were mathematically safe following their win over Doncaster Rovers earlier in the month, but their visitors were still in danger, and required a point to stay up.
My day started at 8:30am when Father Donnelly collected me. Following a quick pit stop at McDonalds, we set sail for Carlisle. During our drive, we encountered all four seasons; torrential rain through Yorkshire before bright sunshine in Cumbria. We arrived in the Great Border City just before midday, and headed for Casa Romana for lunch with my grandparents. Following the meal we had a quick wander round town, where we were entertained by an over-enthusiastic ‘Big Issue’ seller, who was shouting such gems as:
“The Big Issue, much bigger than that dog over there!”
“If you buy The Big Issue, Carlisle will win 5-0 today I promise you!”
Maybe not purchasing the publication was my downfall.
Following a quick wander around Carlisle, we embarked on the short walk down Warwick Road bound for Brunton Park. Having not purchased our tickets in advance, we had free reign of which stand we wanted to go in. I chose the East Stand, and just after 2pm we headed inside the ground.
I was immediately taken by surprise at the number of travelling fans who had made the journey up north. A healthy contingent of U’s fans had already gathered before I entered the ground, and this number swelled as a kick-off approached. The home crowd was also large in number, as Capital One had stepped in and offered free tickets to a number of youngsters in the area, meaning the community areas of the ground were full. Many supporters were also taking advantage of the club’s £5 shirt offer, with a sea of blue, green, purple and yellow a sight to behold at Brunton Park!
Those who arrived at Brunton Park early enough got to witness what I will call ‘The Little Dribbler’. A young mascot, surely no more than three years old, embarked on a run the length of a half, running through the player’s warm up before shooting past Mark Gillespie. It took a combination of all three Carlisle goalkeepers to remove him from the field!
Carlisle warm up alongside the little dribbler!
The Cumbrians made only one change from the side that lost 3-1 at promoted Bournemouth, with Jon-Paul McGovern dropping out the squad completely and Paul Thirlwell taking his place. Colchester went with an attacking side, which included the talents of Jabo Ibehre, Gavin Massey and George Porter.
Cheered on by their vocal travelling support, The U’s started the game the brighter side. With only a minute on the clock a long ball was headed down by Billy Clifford, and Ibehre volleyed narrowly wide.
It was the visitors who were making all the early running, with the pace of Clifford and Porter causing numerous problems for the Carlisle defence. A pass from Gavin Massey found Clifford, who ran from his own half before taking aim from 25 yards. Mark Gillespie had to be alert to tip the ball round the post, as the visiting fans sounded their appreciation.
Rory Loy’s contract is set to expire in the summer, and the Scottish frontman had done himself no harm in his quest to win a new deal with an impressive performance at Bournemouth the previous weekend. The ex-Rangers man had Carlisle’s only chance of the opening fifteen minutes when he collected Matty Robson’s pass before shooting on the turn, only to see his effort fly wide.
The game moved mainly to midfield after this chance, with both sides remaining solid at the back. The Cumbrians were trying to play their usual passing football and a neat move involving Lee Miller and Rory Loy created a chance for Liam Noble. The midfielder had time to curl his shot from 25 yards, only to see it clear the crossbar by a narrow margin.
Many Carlisle fans were disappointed with where the side found themselves at the end of the season, with some poor defensive displays earlier in the season the main cause for Carlisle’s lowly league position. There was a flashback to these days of despair when following a George Porter cross, the Carlisle defence failed to clear properly. The ball eventually fell to Gavin Massey, but his shot was straight at Mark Gillespie.
Massey was proving a tricky customer, and following a skilful run his cross looked to hit the hand of a Carlisle player before going out of play. Despite protests from the Colchester players, the referee signalled for a corner. Greg Abbott seemed to think the ball had struck a hand, and I thought similar.
Liam Noble had hit a bit of scoring form during April, with three goals in two games against Doncaster and Oldham. Following a midfield tussle, he was fed by Matty Robson and his shot from a tight angle was tipped over the bar from Sam Walker. The resulting corner wasn’t cleared properly, and a James Berrett cross was met by Lee Miller at the back post, but his header was always going over.
The game was goalless at half-time, and the best word to describe the opening half was ‘uninspiring’. Neither side had created a golden goal scoring chance, and the score was probably a true reflection of the game.
Despite having nothing to play for, Carlisle were still determined to finish the season with a flourish. A neat one-two between Lee Miller and Matty Robson culminated in the latter shooting from 30 yards. The shot was well wide, and didn’t trouble Sam Walker. In an attempt to pose more of an attacking threat, Greg Abbott withdrew midfield anchorman Paul Thirlwell, and replaced him with ‘The Beast’ Mathieu Manset.
Massey celebrates
The removal of Thirlwell from the centre of the park seemed to have the opposite effect desired, and Colchester began to boss the midfield areas. The U’s were able to have more and more possession, and deservedly took the lead on 63 minutes. George Porter’s quick feet were enough to beat Jordan Mustoe, but the wide man saw his shot blocked. Marcus Bean followed up the rebound but his effort hit the bar, before Gavin Massey was finally able to finish the job with a header finding the bottom corner. The away fans descended into pandemonium as three points would be more than enough to secure their League One survival.
Greg Abbott responded by replacing Rory Loy, who had done very little, with Youth team striker Alex Salmon. It was his more experience compatriot Lee Miller who had the best chance to draw Carlisle level, but his glancing header from Mustoe’s cross was straight at Walker.
The Blues were trying to find a way back into the game, but were unable to find a way past Sam Walker, who was the subject of a fantastic chant, entitled ‘He’s seven foot tall’. Despite a string of corners and plenty of possession, Carlisle could not find the elusive equalising goal.
Colchester doubled their lead with eleven minutes remaining. Many Carlisle fans may have felt Mark Gillespie was partly at fault for the first goal, and it was a similar situation for the second. Following a corner that the Cumbrians failed to clear, a looping David Wright cross was met by the head of Tom Eastman. The defender managed to jump higher than Gillespie, and power his header home prompting wild celebrations amongst the travelling supporters and staff.
The game quietened down following the second goal, with Carlisle resigned to defeat and Colchester’s survival ensured. The only chance of note in the final ten minutes was a free kick from Liam Noble that forced Walker into a tremendous save, as the goalkeeper tipped Noble’s effort around the post.
Colchester take their shoes off for the lads!
As the referee blew the full time whistle, the Colchester fans, players and staff went wild. Their League One status was secured for another season, and the visiting side deserved the applause the home crowd gave them when they eventually made their way down the tunnel. The Carlisle side re-emerged shortly afterwards and completed a lap of honour in front of the home fans. For some it may have been a goodbye, as twelve of the Blues’ player’s contracts expire during the summer. Andy Welsh has already announced he is leaving Brunton Park during the season, much to my dismay.
One final note has to go to Colchester United. They always say ‘save the best until last’, and the away support from the U’s today is one of the best I’ve seen in recent years. All visiting fans were a credit to the club, with humorous chants entertaining me throughout! They also resisted the temptation to enter the pitch, which is much appreciated. Congratulations to Colchester!
My next away game for Carlisle United may be a while away yet, but the football continues over the summer here on Donnelly’s Away Days! Tomorrow (April 28th), I’ll be back at the Keepmoat Stadium for Doncaster Rovers Belles v Chelsea Ladies, take two!
Great write up!