What did we learn from Carlisle United's Sutton United stalemate?

Let’s take a closer look.

1 United’s aim off

It was not a great day for troubling the opposition goal. Ryan Edmondson’s goal was in fact the only occasion Carlisle got an attempt on target in the game.

Only once in their previous 19 league games had they mustered just a single effort on target – the 2-0 defeat at Stockport County.

Scorer Ryan Edmondson can't keep this shot on target (Image: Ben Holmes)

Paul Simpson’s side normally tend to be more threatening than that, and while their total shot count of nine was not their season’s lowest, it didn’t compare with some of their much more dangerous showings at Brunton Park.

It reflected a more frustrating game in general that United’s shots tally of nine was just over half what they managed in their preceding league game at Salford City.

And it was the third fewest attempts they’ve had in a home league match across 2022/23 so far.

Sutton, in fact, had more efforts both in general (11) and on target (five).

They are all numbers that underline the fact Carlisle struggled to make much happen all afternoon.

2 Cornering the market

One plus from an otherwise flat afternoon was further evidence of United’s creativity at set-pieces.

After a variety of corner routines led to two goals at Salford, another helped them go in front against Sutton.

Owen Moxon sends a corner into the Sutton box (Image: Barbara Abbott)

This time it was a well-worked short corner between Jordan Gibson and Owen Moxon, before the latter’s floated cross found Edmondson behind the Sutton defence.

There were other occasions when United’s work on their set-piece repertoire was visible.

At times they clustered all their players in the Sutton six-yard box as Moxon prepared to deliver. At others they had players position deeper in the penalty area.

The fact they are scoring fairly regularly from corners is both useful for United to know, and helpful to keep their opponents guessing.

It can be argued they missed the further variety of Taylor Charters’ left foot on Saturday, but in general, the set-piece training ground work, overseen by assistant manager Gavin Skelton, is bearing positive fruit.

3 Middle ground

United had the edge in possession against Sutton, although not dominantly so, likewise with the success rate of their passing.

Statistics, though, can sometimes come up short when it comes to assessing the crucial ebb and flow of a game.

Callum Guy makes a break in midfield (Image: Ben Holmes)

It felt, in the many stages when Sutton clogged up midfield, that United did not have the ability to dominate that area of the pitch, or work out ways to divert the play elsewhere.

The introduction of Jamie Devitt in the second half was one late attempt to change course, and perhaps a Devitt with more games in his legs, and more time on his hands, might have given United a different dimension.

As it was, little truly altered. It was not Owen Moxon’s most creative game in a United shirt while Callum Guy, after an aggressive start, fizzled out in the second half in his first game back after tonsilitis.

Simpson tried other avenues, Jordan Gibson floating in the number ten position then heading out wide, but there was seldom a sense of Carlisle attacking as a truly effective unit.

If anything, Sutton’s work and pressing was the better of the two sides, until they fell back on more of the time-wasting antics which have been the subject of so much comment since Saturday.

United, whatever their players and Simpson attempted, lacked someone to take authority against an obdurate but struggling opponent in the core of the pitch, or alter the patchy nature of things in other advanced areas.

4 Edmo quick off the mark

It is good to see Ryan Edmondson finding some goalscoring form in his stop-start first season for the Blues.

Saturday was the second time recently that he has netted in consecutive games, and was another example of classic centre-forward work.

Ryan Edmondson, left, scored his latest goal, but it was a quiet afternoon for top scorer Kristian Dennis, right (Image: Barbara Abbott)

All five of his Carlisle goals have been first-time finishes, the result of good movement to meet crosses or passes, and highlights that, while he is often deployed in a left-sided attacking role, he remains most effective in those No9 areas.

Hopefully he can build on this and continue a pursuit of Kristian Dennis as United’s top scorer.

Saturday was not a fruitful day for the latter. Dennis tried to involve himself in United’s attacks, offering himself for link-up play, but at the business end only managed a single shot.

According to WhoScored.com, he only touched the ball 27 times; the lowest figure of Carlisle’s starting XI.

Finding ways to make the two frontmen flourish in tandem could hold the key to getting United back into more potent shape for some big winter fixtures ahead.

5 Qualified criticism

Paul Simpson reminded us after the game that Carlisle are in the early stages of a long journey here, and that frustration at games like Saturday’s should remain in context.

A quick glance at the league table easily underlines his point.

Paul Simpson on the touchlne (Image: Ben Holmes)

Carlisle are fifth, with 33 points from 20 games. At the same stage last term, they had less than half that tally (16) and were third bottom.

This emphasises the work Simpson has already carried out to make United a more competitive, characterful team.

At least, too, when Carlisle now play poorly, they don’t often lose this season.

The question is where their mixed current performance levels can take them.

League Two is, as ever, very tight, with four points separating the teams in fourth and tenth places.

United, over the rest of December, can either find themselves even better positioned, or further back in the pack.

Three games against fellow contenders will examine their mettle now. Barrow (fourth), Northampton Town (third) and Bradford City (sixth).

Nothing to fear, given the Cumbrians’ efforts so far. But a clear enough examination of the capabilities within Simpson’s mid-season squad.