Carlisle United coach on reserve victory against Morecambe and midfielder's injury

The midfielder had to be helped off the pitch with a worrying-looking injury after an hour of the 2-1 Central League Cup win over Morecambe.

Dixon was visible upset as he left the field, with concern over his knee.

The promising home-grown player has already battled back from two long-term knee injuries during his time at Brunton Park.

Birch said: “They took him straight in the changing room, icing him up and we’ll see how he is.

“Fingers crossed it’s not as bad as what it sounded at first.

“Hopefully it settles down because we don’t want any bad news for him. He just needs that little rub of the green, but hopefully it’s not too bad.

Josh Dixon, bottom centre, is helped off the pitch after his injury

“The good thing is he’s started playing games, this is his second in the space of a week, so let’s not talk about the negatives, let’s see the positive that he got through a game on Monday, he did 70 minutes here, and let’s all hope it’s only a knock and not anything worse than that.”

United’s victory, thanks to goals from Sam Fishburn and Gime Toure, saw them through to a semi-final against Preston North End.

Carlisle had to come from behind to win the encounter at Penrith’s Frenchfield Park.

Birch was pleased with how the team stuck to the task and turned things around.

“When were a goal down the game was too structured, there wasn’t enough chaos, so we threw a load of forwards on to try to change that,” he said.

READ MORE: REPORT: Injury mars Carlisle United's reserve victory over Morecambe in Central League Cup

“We wanted to bring a bit more unpredictability to it, and that worked for us.

“You take that little chance of getting caught on the counter attack [when you do that] but it’s pleasing – within the chaos, the lads have got to work hard, they’ve got to understand it becomes running football, you go forward, you sprint back, you go forward, and that’s what we did in the end.”

Toure was the only senior player in the side, with young pro Dixon also in a side otherwise comprised of teenagers.

Gime Toure: Hit United's winner (photo: Barbara Abbott)

United’s youth players stepped up at a time Paul Simpson’s senior fringe men were travelling to Walsall for the first-team clash on Good Friday.

“I think we started the game quite well and we were the team that was on top for the first half hour,” under-18 boss Birch reflected.

“We lost a little bit of patience and belief because we didn’t get the early goal, and I think if we’d got that the game would have been easier for us.

“We keep reminding these players that if they’re having success at doing certain things they need to keep doing them and not change the way they approach it. That’s when they get frustrated and the mistakes come in, and that’s what they need to avoid.

“Morecambe started the second half better than we did, we didn’t follow the runners, we committed too many men forward too soon and we lost a little bit of shape. That allowed them to get into the game and take the lead.”

Fishburn brought United level after a sweeping attack down the left, with Toure then rifling the winner from the right of the Morecambe box.

Carlisle had other chances to add to their tally and Birch added: “It’s the story of our season [in the youth team].

“We’ve always said we’re not ruthless enough in front of goal at times, with the amount of chances we create every game, even when we’ve won games by five or six, the amount of chances we miss…it can come and bite you on the backside every now and again.

“But today we stuck in there, saw the game through to the end and came out rightful winners.”

United now have the chance to reach the reserve cup final for the second season in succession, the Blues having lost to Bournemouth in last year’s final at St George’s Park.

“We just want to go as far as we can and keep the season alive,” Birch added.

“You don’t want the season to die away and just be waiting to the end of the season.

“This is what you want. People say it’s development football but we’ve also got to teach the lads about winning games and what it’s like to have that winning feeling.

“You want them to experience what success feels like and that’s what you get from these competitions.

“Last year we felt the lows when we got to the final, but we lost, so let’s see what feeling we get from the next round of this one.”