There are, on occasion, those opening-day games when the result is secondary. This was undoubtedly the case back in August 2002.
The real victory had already been won. Michael Knighton’s increasingly fraught ownership of Carlisle United was no more, a protracted takeover by John Courtenay was complete - and fans were bursting to get back to Brunton Park.
“We won the war together and now we’ll win the peace together,” wrote Courtenay in a joint statement with the fledgling supporters’ trust CCUIST, which already boasted more than 1,000 members.
The new dawn had seen Roddy Collins reinstalled as manager and a host of signings made, including seven on the eve of the August 10 opener against Hartlepool.
As Collins confirmed the additions of Ryan Hevicon, Ryan Baldacchino, Brian Shelley, Trevor Molloy and John Burns, plus the returns of Michael Jack and Peter Keen, there were also serious numbers in the stands.
Some 10,684, in fact, greeted the new era. There was a spirit of celebration, balloons around the stadium, legends on the pitch beforehand, and also drummer Kevin Archibald, who had been among those banned by the old regime.
“The day we get our football club back” announced the News & Star front page, and all a perfect occasion needed to be totally complete was a positive United victory.
Well, you can’t have everything. Carlisle were, at this stage, a club closely acquainted with relegation battles in the basement division and one only just emerging from a long period of crisis.
Chris Turner’s Hartlepool United were a club with greater stability and, after making the play-offs the previous season, high ambitions. Their side for the opener included two future Blues players in Antony Sweeney and Tony Williams, with a further two in Paul Arnison and Kevin Henderson coming on in the second half.
By that point, the Monkey Hangers had established control and let down some of those blue balloons. That followed a hopeful United start which had seen Richie Foran come close to converting a Molloy free-kick.
The latter man then unveiled some impudent skill after a short corner, back-flicking the ball over his own head and rounding the Pools defender to collect it, but it was, alas, a case of show without punch for United.
Moments after Molloy’s trick, they were behind. Hartlepool had threatened through Gordon Watson before a fresh outbreak of hesitancy at the Carlisle back let the visitors in. Mark Tinkler arrived to side-foot the ball home and, having scored in the 43rd minute, Turner’s side then added another after the half-time break.
Ritchie Humphreys was the man who made it two. After Jack had failed to deal with an Arnison cross. Humphreys pounced, and hammered the ball past keeper Keen.
By the 72nd minute it was 3-0, Tinkler getting his second after another assist from Arnison, and it left United seeking a consolation goal to take from a day which had been so much brighter off the field than on it.
They got one, 10 minutes from time, when Mick Galloway sent a lofted pass down the middle of the pitch and his fellow sub Brian Wake, the former Tow Law Town striker making his Blues debut, ran clear and showed composure to slot the ball past Williams.
The prospect of a grandstand finish was never really on, despite late attempts from Wake and Molloy, yet supporters still went home happy to have experienced that long-awaited fresh start at United.
It was not all sweet and innocent, given that nine Blue fans and a Hartlepool supporter were arrested on the day for public order offences after outbreaks of violence. The majority, though, had appreciated the occasion. “It was a fine day,” Courtenay said afterwards. “We had some great individual performances. You can’t expect the team to gel just yet. But I was encouraged and know we are going in the right direction.”
Collins, too, was typically hopeful. “We are at about 40 per cent,” the manager said. “When we get it right, when teams come here they will be far inferior to us.”
It was far from the only bullish claim Collins would make that reality did not quite bear out. United, in the event, were to require a Wake hat-trick at Shrewsbury in their penultimate game to avoid relegation to the Conference, whilst Hartlepool went up in second place.
All, though, could be forgiven on the opening day, which, even if not successful, remains one of the most refreshing, significant and necessary in the club’s recent history.
United: Keen, Birch (Galloway), Maddison (Hevicon), Whitehead, Andrews, Baldacchino, McDonagh, Jack (Wake), Foran, Molloy, Shelley. Not used: Nixon, Burns.
Hartlepool: A Williams, Marron, Lee, Westwood, Robinson, Clarke, Tinkler, Humphreys, Sweeney (Arnison), Watson (Easter), E Williams (Henderson). Not used: Provett, Bass.
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