Carlisle United had to settle for a goalless draw at AFC Wimbledon – but what did we learn from the game?
Let’s take a look…
1 BLANKETY BLANK
From a defensive point of view, it was a very solid afternoon on the road for the Blues.
A 12th clean sheet took them just one short of their entire total in the league last season.
It was also a fourth shut-out away from home – the same number they mustered on their travels in the entirety of 2021/22.
Unlike against Harrogate Town the previous Saturday, when Carlisle were unable to find a way to win, at least they didn’t locate a way to lose.
There was a strong defiance about most of their work, and it was typified by Morgan Feeney.
Carlisle’s captain was often throwing himself in the way of Wimbledon shots, whilst his tally of eight aerial challenges won was double the next best in the United side.
He made more clearances than anyone else, and though Wimbledon had ten shots, and three on target, it is hard to think of a time when Tomas Holy had to be at his best.
The foundation was certainly there, even if things came up short at the other end.
2 STRIKING A BALANCE
According to statistics website WhoScored.com, more of the play was in Wimbledon’s defensive third than any other area over the 90 minutes.
Some 39 per cent of the action took place there, compared with 32 per cent in the middle and 28 per cent at United’s end.
(Not sure what happened to the other one per cent, but never mind…)
These numbers matched what the eye saw, as Carlisle were, not for the first time, adept at winning the ball high up the pitch and keeping their opponents back.
They stole possession well in their best periods and prevented a sturdy home side from establishing any periods of dominance.
This is not to say they made the very best use of such work when it came to really hurting Wimbledon.
It was a second consecutive goalless outing in the league for the first time this season, and only the second time in Paul Simpson’s second reign.
They will be out, on Tuesday night, to avoid extending that run to three blanks for the first time since last January.
Carlisle are, at least, still creating chances at good levels. 12 shots, and four on target, reflected reasonable creative efforts, while their seven corners were, on balance, better than those against Harrogate. Their expected goals (xG) of 1.5, compared with their hosts' 0.8 on Saturday (and compared with their own 1.4 against Harrogate, according to Experimental365) reflects the better quality of those chances too.
The question Paul Simpson may ask is whether any greater variety could have benefited the Blues, with creative options like Jamie Devitt and Alfie McCalmont left on the bench.
The fact Carlisle are the division’s top scorers suggests, though, they get things right more often than not - and offers ample evidence that they’ll be back on the goal trail soon.
3 SENIOR SERVICE
Joel Senior was back in action after a two-game breather on Saturday, and got through 90 hard-working minutes with no ill effects.
Senior’s return was timely in the absence of Ben Barclay, who is sidelined with yet another injury.
The way the wing-back went to the bitter end for the Blues in south London suggested Simpson played it right in taking Senior out of things for a short period.
He needed to be fully refreshed and ready to run all the way through, particularly when pacy Dons sub Saikou Janneh pushed the ball down the left and set off at speed.
It happened late in the game, yet Senior showed a dogged persistence to stay with his man and avert danger with a challenge.
A leggier defender at that stage might have struggled, and on such moments - and finely-judged decisions - can games turn.
United are going to need Senior for a spell again with Barclay now out for two weeks, and with Jack Ellis and Fin Back not yet ready to step back into the side.
The former Burnley and Altrincham man’s efforts on Saturday showed he is ready for that demand – and Simpson can probably reflect that he has done him a favour at the right time.
4 THE GIBSON FACTOR
One player who did more than most to push United towards victory was midfielder Jordan Gibson.
He was prominent in most of the Blues’ best work at the Cherry Red Records Stadium, and might easily have contributed to an all-important goal.
Gibson is key to Carlisle’s aim of winning the ball back high up the pitch, and his pressing, in tandem with his colleagues, was clear once more here.
He was also at the heart of their most creative work, including the run and cross which, on another day, might have been converted by Kristian Dennis.
Gibson, the stats show, also kept very high standards in terms of his distribution. His pass completion percentage, whether in tight corners or across more broader space, was an impressive 76 per cent.
This is all the more notable considering Gibson, more often than not, is Carlisle’s leading dribbler and someone who, along with Owen Moxon, might try and beat a man with something inventive even if a simpler pass is on.
It doesn’t always work, and a creative player will always come with frustrations, but Saturday saw Gibson sharp and effective, and a player Wimbledon had to be mindful of from minute one to 90.
5 FAN POWER
This last point isn’t about analysis at all. It is simply to comment once more on the power of Carlisle’s support – and underline why this season offers an opportunity they must do their level best to convert.
Seriously: 1,024 fans at Wimbledon, a 662-mile round trip for many, is magnificent.
It reflects, as much as anything, how Simpson has totally restored belief at Carlisle. The manager also took part in a Q&A by United’s London Branch supporters on Friday night, and by all accounts left those in the room as impressed as ever.
The Blues show their appreciation to that superb travelling support #cufc @newsandstar pic.twitter.com/X9kC4gIrEu
— Jon Colman (@joncolman) February 11, 2023
No surprise there. It is quite some time since the Blues have travelled in such numbers, with such force, and another truth in football is that good times can be more fleeting than you think.
No sooner were Carlisle winning a title under Simpson back in 2006 than he was gone and, while crowds continued on an upward trajectory for a while, it eventually had its limit.
The manager is again putting the Blues on a positive course that could last, but in terms of seizing a chance, they must do everything possible to do that here and now.
Who knows what 2023/24 might look like? Who knows how League Two changes, where certain players go, where momentum either takes the Blues or doesn’t?
They have 16 games left to make the absolute most of what they have this season: a side at the top end of the league, with a refreshed and revitalised fanbase, and a purity of belief.
Play things right, and it ought to be quite some finale.
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