What did we learn from Carlisle United's win at Barrow AFC?

1 1-0 TO THE CUMBRIANS…

Ah, a good old hard-fought, hard-earned 1-0 on the road. It’s the scoreline that hits many a manager’s sweet spot, especially at this time of the year.

It was Carlisle’s fifth 1-0 win of the league campaign, and their second away from home.

It provided some other welcome stats, not least the club record-equalling 20 league clean sheets in a season, and a new individual record for a keeper in Tomas Holy’s 20 shut-outs.

The close-range finish by Ben Barclay, left, ended a four-game wait for an away goal (Image: Richard Parkes)

In the context of a promotion challenge, that’s all impressive stuff. Also important was the urgent need for goals on the road which Ben Barclay’s close-range backheel finally satisfied.

Before their trip to south Cumbria, United had gone four away games without scoring, a run stretching back to Ryan Edmondson’s late winner at Swindon Town on March 11.

After that, they ventured to Bradford City, Gillingham, Leyton Orient and Walsall without netting.

Timely, then, to get that monkey off the back considering the potentially decisive last game of the campaign comes away from home: at far-away Sutton, on May 8.

2 UNSUNG HERO (AGAIN)

It seemed that few people were talking about Carlisle’s number 17 after Saturday game. Which is perhaps the greatest compliment he could receive.

Corey Whelan has, after all, slotted back in seamlessly having had very little first-team football indeed in 2023.

Until last Tuesday, the defender’s most recent start was on the left of Carlisle’s back three in December’s 2-1 defeat at Northampton Town.

Corey Whelan, second left, has slotted back into the defence seamlessly (Image: Richard Parkes)

All of a sudden he has become a fixture again: performing well against Stockport County in midweek and then contributing plenty to United’s latest clean sheet.

Really, Whelan is the perfect example of a model pro and once again underlines why Paul Simpson was so consistently praising him in pre-season and then in the early weeks of the campaign proper.

In two games in the space of five days, he’s played on the right of a back three and as part of a central two as circumstances and Simpson’s decisions have dictated.

This adaptability is easy to overlook, but Carlisle have drawn on Whelan’s resourcefulness repeatedly this season and Simpson must be grateful for the 25-year-old’s readiness once more.

While Ben Barclay got the goal, and Paul Huntington was as ever the more obviously dominant defender, Whelan deserved his share of the plaudits for the south Cumbrian shut-out.

3 A FEW WILD CLAIMS

Barrow boss Pete Wild, in post-match interviews, was fervent in his argument that only one team should have won Saturday’s game.

The home side, he reckoned, were just a little ruthlessness away from putting Carlisle to bed.

The latter point is arguable, but the idea Barrow swamped United in a one-sided attacking contest is on pretty flimsy ground.

Pete Wild, the Barrow manager, felt his side were the only ones that should have won the game, but the stats are more nuanced than that (Image: Richard Parkes)

On a statistical basis alone, things are in Barrow’s favour (aside from the most important stat of all) but not emphatically so.

They had 56 per cent possession versus United’s 44, yet only had one more shot than the Blues (15 to 14). They forced one more corner (five to four) yet Carlisle actually created more than their hosts from open play (12 attempts against 11).

Further data from WhoScored.com confirms that more of the action was in United’s territory than Barrow’s (36 per cent in the Blues' defensive third, against 29 per cent at the other end), yet the Bluebirds took nearly half their shots (47 per cent) from outside the box: another figure that reflects well on Carlisle’s resolve in protecting their domain.

United also, it should be acknowledged, troubled Barrow on the counter-attack and were themselves just one piece of devil away from finishing them off in this way.

Different strokes, and all that. It would be wrong to say the hosts played poorly, or that Carlisle were on top. But also wrong to go down the David Lloyd v Zimbabwe route (“we flipping murdered ‘em”), as Wild practically did.

4 SIMMO’S CONUNDRUM

Having tweaked things tactically in the last two games, what should Paul Simpson do now as he prepares to take on Salford City?

At least the Blues boss, unlike at Gillingham, can assess his alternatives from a position of success this time.

At Priestfield last month, Simpson went with a three-pronged attack which did not work, leading him to flip straight back to the preferred 3-5-2.

Has JK Gordon earned another chance in United's attack? (Image: Richard Parkes)

Now United have earned four points from reverting to a back four (from half-time against Stockport) and going at opponents with different attacking and midfield numbers.

On Saturday it was 4-3-3, with Jon Mellish into the middle and Ryan Edmondson and JK Gordon either side of Kristian Dennis up top.

When United were at their best in the game it was possible to see the attributes this could apply to their game: Edmondson, as well as Mellish, gave Carlisle extra size and muscle in Barrow’s half, while Gordon had the pace and awareness to attack space between the lines and could, with sharper finishing, have really tested the hosts from a couple of first-half breaks.

United could not, though, sustain much in the way of hold-up play in the second half, leading Simpson to make changes including the introductions of Joe Garner and Omari Patrick to the attack.

This refreshed the Blues, especially Patrick, who showed his pace and drive on the counter and came very close to wrapping things up with a second goal.

The call facing Simmo now is intriguing, given that, yes, Carlisle still need wins if they are to go up automatically, but also knowing a draw with Salford would more than likely be enough for the play-offs.

Could this lead to a reversion to the system on which United have depended more than any other? Or do they remain more obviously on the tactical front foot, and go for broke?

5 PLATFORM IS THERE

It’s amazing what a couple of Ws can do to your state of mind and the way your form chart looks.

All of a sudden, Carlisle appear in perfectly good promotion or play-off form again: six wins, five draws and two defeats from 13 games.

Not a record to see them streaking clear, Orient style, but certainly creditable numbers from a period which, given the clutch of goalless outings, has led to an amount of frustration.

United are one of just two sides in the top seven to be unbeaten in their last five league games (Image: Richard Parkes)

The good news, looking at the bald figures, is that United are now unbeaten in five. Keep that run going for one more game, and a top seven position is pretty much theirs.

Whether they can go further, and claim an automatic spot, will more than likely require a couple of victories over Salford City and Sutton United.

Yet in terms of the foundation to be in the conversation, Simpson’s side are in the right sort of resolute nick.

Of the top seven, only Stockport can join United in saying they haven’t lost in their last five. So can Mansfield Town in eighth, but Northampton Town, Stevenage and Salford City can’t (nor can Leyton Orient, but they won’t be greatly fussed about that).

The knowledge Carlisle are taking some beating is far from the worst factor to be carrying into the last 180 minutes of the campaign, and who knows what after that.