Northampton Town 3 Carlisle United 2: Bastien Hery was right. “The hardest part is staying there,” the midfielder had said of Carlisle’s rise into a play-off position.
Having steadily inched into the top seven, United must now start another climb: beaten last night by a Northampton side who found a Cumbrian weak-spot at set-pieces.
Punished twice by Dominic Calvert-Lewin, either side of a lucky Sam Hoskins effort, Carlisle are back down to ninth. An evening that was progressing nicely – especially when Alex Gilliead shot them in front – came apart in the space of 18 harsh minutes.
United need not fixate on the suggestion of foul play that accompanied Calvert-Lewin’s crucial equaliser for Chris Wilder’s team. Several Carlisle fans behind the goal felt Mark Gillespie had been impeded as the 18-year-old sank a header into the keeper’s net on the stroke of half-time.
But the warning was there regardless. Calvert-Lewin had not come in for enough defensive attention as he brought Northampton level. By the 63rd minute, déjà vu: another left-sided corner, another unguarded finish from the teenager.
This was nowhere near secure enough work from a side with promotion thoughts. Without the organising presence of the injured Michael Raynes, Carlisle’s collapse reduced Gilliead’s second goal in four days (and Charlie Wyke’s late consolation) to footnotes, while in general United’s star loanee Gilliead found nothing like the freedom he had enjoyed whilst destroying Exeter at the weekend.
With the Newcastle dynamo unable to torment Northampton, it was a game that required others to do the deadly work for the Blues. In this respect it is no exaggeration to say they could have been four-up at the break. But for all Derek Asamoah’s admirable chasing and forcing of chances that would have been unavailable to others, his finishing lacked quality.
And so the season continues, maddeningly hard to predict. At least it was a night off the heat for Carlisle’s owners, who were no doubt relieved to sit down here at a club with greater off-field problems than their own.
United have their mystery tycoon and a carload of scepticism. At the Sixfields Stadium, not only have a bunch of mystery Indian investors taken flight, but Northampton are also the subject of a winding-up petition by HM Revenue & Customs, with chairman David Cardoza also being asked to explain a delay in repaying a £10.25 million loan to the council.
The cause of much of the crisis, a half-finished east stand, was directly opposite Keith Curle and his staff as they settled down for work. While United’s rulers have their own issues, the mood around Curle’s team has brightened.
But, to Wilder’s credit, Northampton have also stayed steady on their choppy seas, and started this game by putting Carlisle on the defensive, a pair of early Joel Byrom shots thudding into David Atkinson.
The opening frenzy had Curle gesturing to some of his players to calm things down, in their 4-1-4-1 formation. Wilder’s team were intent on pressing at pace and forcing errors from Carlisle’s passing game.
One came in the ninth minute, when Troy Archibald-Henville miscontrolled a Gillespie pass and John-Joe O’Toole tested Gillespie’s agility from 25 yards.
There was little early ball for Gilliead on the right, with United forced to defend their lines and Asamoah’s solo running up front the main outlet. When Curle’s defenders and midfielders eventually settled, breaking up some Northampton play, there was an opportunity for the veteran, scampering clear of his man, but he couldn’t work a good angle and his finish lacked purpose.
His next chance, after Northampton had lost defender Ryan Cresswell to injury, was better – but, alas, the same result, when Danny Grainger’s accurate low cross was slotted wide.
These chances were more realistic than anything Northampton had forced, despite the hosts’ territorial pressure, and then came the breakthrough, when another Blues burst saw Bastien Hery robbed, but Jason Kennedy immediately hunted the ball back and slotted it to Gilliead in space. The teenager’s finish was low and nerveless.
It also capped a period where the home fans had grown a little cranky at their placid attacking. There followed a livelier period in which Gillespie saved bravely at the feet of Marc Richards and Archibald-Henville firmly denied Hoskins.
Asamoah remained alert to breakaway chances, and should have made it 2-0, but failed to put a bouncing ball past keeper Adam Smith. The Ghanaian next belted one against the post from 25 yards.
Ominously, Carlisle were totting-up the near-misses, and were then punished for them as, deep into first-half injury-time, Calvert-Lewin jumped to head home.
That cold leveller tempered the 254 travelling fans’ optimism. As did events in the second minute of the second half, when Northampton suddenly bundled their way in front, as Hoskins, in plenty of space, saw his shot hit a visiting body and loop cruelly over Gillespie.
Now seeking a comeback, there would have to be a little less patience about United’s play, and ideally more of the ball at Gilliead’s toes. While Tom Miller picked up a suspension-triggering fifth booking of the season for a foul on Adams, Grainger’s low shot struck Kennedy’s heel.
The pace of the game increased, as Carlisle pushed harder and Northampton, often through Nicky Adams, aimed for the extra spaces on the break. Who would crack next?
Regrettably, it was United. After Archibald-Henville’s intercepted pass had led to a corner, Calvert-Lewin arrived onto another inswinger, and this time buried it with his foot.
So much for Carlisle’s safety on their travels. For the first time since Plymouth away in the opening month, the Blues had been far too helpful to a home side – and Northampton’s record at their three-sided ground did not offer much hope for a salvage job.
Curle put on Wyke and Steven Rigg in an attempt to spark something, while Gilliead moved to the left in search of a better time. Miller went close, as did another sub, Joe Thompson, while Adams’ jinking runs almost sorted the result for good at the other end.
Eventually Wyke sneaked one home in the final minutes – a welcome sight, after the striker’s comeback from injury. But there wasn’t enough time for salvation. So back down a couple of places United go, to start again.
– After a couple of good early saves, seemed to be impeded as Calvert-Lewin equalised, deflection wrongfooted him as Hoskins scored, and Calvert-Lewin had another free run to beat the keeper from a second corner.
– Battled at right-back and later got forward to try and help a Carlisle comeback. But second-half booking means the defender is now suspended for Wycombe trip.
– Strong start, where the centre-half got in the way of early danger as Carlisle moved in front. Given a more difficult workout as Cobblers came back into things.
– Back in the side to replace the injured Raynes, he was strong aerially in opening stages, but made a few errors on the ground as Cobblers turned things around.
– Given another outing by Curle after his Morecambe struggles, Newcastle loanee took time to get into the game at left-back. Looked steady enough before United were undone at corners.
– One of United’s better performers, as Grainger aimed several good crosses into Northampton’s box, but to no avail as Carlisle failed to take enough of their chances.
– Taking Joyce’s place in midfield, Dicker kept Carlisle ticking over in first half as they steadily saw off home threat. But was later sacrificed as set-pieces undid the Blues.
– Played key role in Gilliead’s opener as he stole back possession near the home box. Industrious afterwards, but couldn’t do any further damage as Northampton got in front.
– Got into some useful positions between midfield and attack, and did some good pressing, but the Frenchman couldn’t deliver an effective enough end product for United.
– Although his first half involved more defending than attacking, he still finished nervelessly for his second goal in four days. But teenager was often frustrated on the wings and didn’t see enough ball to damage hosts further.
– Recalled up front, the veteran caused mayhem with his pace and persistence, but not his finishing, and was eventually replaced after United went behind.
Subs: Charlie Wyke (for Gillesphey 65) – Welcome late goal; Steven Rigg (for Asamoah 65) – Tried to unsettle defence; Joe Thompson (for Dicker 76) – Close with late effort. Not used: Dan Hanford, Luke Joyce, Antony Sweeney, Alex McQueen
Goals: Gilliead 30, Wyke 90
Booked: Archibald-Henville, Miller
Northampton Town: Smith, Furlong, Buchanan, Brisley, Cresswell (Diamond 20), Byrom, Adams, Hoskins (Potter 74), O’Toole, Calvert-Lewin (Taylor 85), Richards. Not used: Clarke, Watson, Hackett, Lelan.
Goals: Calvert-Lewin 45, 63; Hoskins 47
Booked: Calvert-Lewin
Ref: Graham Horwood (Bedfordshire)
Crowd: 3,642 (254 Carlisle fans)
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