Carlisle United returned to winning ways against Gillingham – but what did we learn from the 1-0 victory?
Let’s take a look...
1 RELISH MELLISH
Jon Mellish became the first Carlisle player to score a league goal this season that wasn’t called Kristian Dennis.
The defender - skilfully set up by Jack Armer - was rewarded for his anticipation and determination with a good run and deflected finish to win the game early in the second half.
Mellish’s defending was also sound, and there were few arguments when he picked up the official man-of-the-match award.
The stats back up that call given that WhoScored.com had Mellish as their highest-rated performer in the game.
The former Gateshead man has started the season well and his ability to be an attacking threat even from a centre-back position was apparent on Saturday.
His average position on the pitch was further forward than his fellow central defenders while, in terms of the day job, he won more tackles than anyone else in the rearguard.
His importance to Paul Simpson’s team, early in 2022/23, seems clear.
2 HUNTING SEASON
Paul Huntington made a seamless introduction to the Carlisle United XI at the heart of their defence.
All the 34-year-old’s experience was on show as he marshalled the back line, and took command of many defensive situations.
Huntington gave the Blues extra authority when defending in the air, and on this evidence he is also going to be a vocal organiser in Paul Simpson’s side.
Huntington, in his 71-minute outing, made more clearances than anyone else and didn’t commit a single foul.
Alongside Mellish and Corey Whelan, he helped form a solid barrier, and then made way for Morgan Feeney to make a combative return from the substitutes' bench.
Gillingham are a goal-shy team at the moment, but Huntington’s stature and style look ideal to help Carlisle through tougher League Two tests than this.
Now he’s getting up to speed fitness-wise, you can imagine him being one of the first names Simmo writes on his team-sheet for league battle.
3 FINDING A WAY
While Carlisle’s average of one goal a game still needs work – seldom yet in 2022/23 have they looked like ending the long wait to get three in a league match – it was important that they found a way to get three points against Gillingham.
The Cumbrians had not won since the opening day, but thanks to Mellish they can now reflect on a respectable start of won two, drawn two, lost one.
Saturday was one of those situations where the end justifies the means, where the destination is more important than the journey.
No, Carlisle did not play anywhere near their best, but they ended the afternoon as winners.
This keeps spirits up, ensures the ongoing work to improve things can be done from a decent position confidence-wise.
Managing to get over the line without Kristian Dennis having to drag them there was also important.
The need for an improved variety of goal threats is apparent. Now their attack-minded centre-back (Mellish) is off the mark, hopefully others can follow his lead.
4 HARD WORK
Watching Saturday’s game was, for long spells, exactly that. The first half in particular was a poor, patchy spectacle, with Simpson commenting on a “nervousness” around Brunton Park.
It felt like one of those occasions which needed either a random spark or a degree of fortune to ignite it.
Thankfully Carlisle got a bit of both from Mellish, and from there the pressure was too much for a low-scoring Gillingham side to defy their recent form.
United could not have expected similar results had they been taking on a side in better nick, and the overall quality of their 90-minute play will clearly have to improve.
Their expected goals from the game, 0.42 (according to @xG_Data), was their lowest of the season so far.
Dennis managed just the one shot in the game, as did Omari Patrick, while six Blues attempts in the game in total (according to the Press Association) was a modest offering.
A team more accustomed to scoring than the Gills would surely have taken one of their small cluster of chances – Lewis Walker’s second-half header was the best.
Yet they didn't, and Carlisle can now hope that getting certain players back to fitness can not just restock their options, but give them a greater sense of assurance when trying to get back to the high-octane stuff of the season’s very early showings.
If they do that, and results continue to follow, we can look back on this period as one where they rode some bad injury luck without suffering too much damage.
5 HIGH BACK
Over the years at Brunton Park we have seen tall but under-performing players who seemed to jump smaller than their height.
Then, by contrast, there are those who seemed to have springs attacked to their boots.
The most famous was the great Hugh McIlmoyle – not a giant in stature, but a magnificent operator in the air.
A more recent example was Matt Jansen: best known for his silky skill, but also possessing of an excellent leap despite not being the tallest forward ever to wear the blue shirt.
It is a clear advantage when a player can defy a certain lack of feet and inches. Fin Back is not diminutive, but nor does he exactly tower over most attackers who cross his path.
On Saturday, though, the battling Nottingham Forest loan man showed what is possible when you are that bit more determined than your opposite number.
Back was totally committed in his aerial work, getting above Neil Harris’s forwards when the situation demanded it, intercepting or simply outjumping to prevent Gillingham claiming a small territorial win.
WhoScored.com says Back won six aerial contests against the Kent outfit – more than any other player.
His tenacity on the ground at right wing-back has been clear from the outset, but increasingly so is this other string to his bow too.
6 HOME GUARD
Carlisle’s record at Brunton Park since Paul Simpson returned as manager remains strong.
Saturday was their tenth game on home soil in Simmo’s second coming.
Their record reads Won 7, Drawn 1, Lost 2.
Twenty-two points from a possible 30 is excellent going, particularly considering the paltry home efforts that preceded Simpson’s return in 2021/22.
If they can retain anything like that sort of average across this season, they’ll have every chance of being in amongst things at the right end of the table.
The next item to tick off will be an away victory, but for now, United’s strength on home soil needs to remain on the agenda.
They are back at Brunton tomorrow against Manchester United’s Under-21s in the Unmentionable Trophy, and then take on bottom side Rochdale at CA1 four days later.
Each result like Saturday’s bolsters the kind of aura they’d very much like to restore for the long term on Warwick Road.
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