Harrogate Town 1-0 Carlisle United: Edmondson penalty miss costly

The sub had the chance to level in the 75th minute against his home-town club when Taylor Charters was fouled by home keeper Mark Oxley.

But Edmondson fired the penalty wide of the right-hand post as Simon Weaver's side went through thanks to Sam Folarin's first-half strike.

The outcome did not flatter the League Two side, who were sharper and speedier than Paul Simpson's Carlisle in key areas, and it is eight meetings now without success for the Blues against the Sulphurites.

United boss Simpson made four changes to Saturday's side, with Dylan McGeouch getting a first start along with call-ups for Ben Barclay, Jack Ellis and Charters in the first round tie.

Callum Guy dropped to the bench, Paul Huntington and Fin Back were not in the squad while Owen Moxon was not involved after suffering a dead leg in the Fleetwood league game.

Edmondson returned to the squad while Dan Butterworth was also on the bench after his recovery from injury.

Harrogate boss Weaver made seven changes to the side that beat Doncaster Rovers in their League Two opener, with ex-Blues defender Rod McDonald missing out with an eye injury.

The Sulphurites were also, for a second successive game, without striker Luke Armstrong, who made himself unavailable for selection at the start of the season amid strong transfer interest.

Harrogate celebrate the winner (Image: Barbara Abbott)

Carlisle forced the first real chance when a neat passing move ended with Charters testing home keeper Oxley with a right-footed attempt from 20 yards.

But the hosts were brighter in general, the pace of Folarin and trickery of Abraham Odoh causing increased problems as things went on.

United needed Barclay to bail out McGeouch after the hosts caught the midfielder on the ball and Matty Daly almost went through.

Odoh then beat Barclay with some audacious skill as Daly arrived to test Holy.

Carlisle could have led on 19 minutes when Jack Armer stretched to meet a Jon Mellish volley but cleared the crossbar.

And soon after the home side pounced when Mellish lost the ball and Folarin was sent on the attack, the frontman curling a low finish past Holy.

Alfie McCalmont tested Oxley at the other end but the home side were otherwise much brighter in the final third, Folarin going close a number of further times and Warren Burrell denied a second when he failed to beat Holy from a George Thomson free-kick.

Carlisle wasted one chance on the break when Jordan Gibson gave Luke Plange too much to do, and came close at the end of the half when McCalmont pounced on a poor Oxley clearance and sent Mellish through.

But the home keeper got enough on his finish to send the ball spinning onto the crossbar as United went in 1-0 down at the break.

Simpson made a four-man substitution at half-time in a bid to overhaul Carlisle's performance, with Guy, Edmondson, Sean Maguire and Jack Robinson all coming on at the expense of McGeouch, Lavelle, Armer and Gibson.

Carlisle forced a 56th minute chance for Charters which the home defence blocked, but Harrogate wree soon back at them through Folarin, who almost set up Levi Sutton, Odoh, who tested Holy and Thomson, who was a whisker away with a free-kick attempt.

Dan Butterworth came on for his debut (Image: Barbara Abbott)

United failed to make the most of an Edmondson break, as his cross gave Plange too much to do, and Simpson then turned to Butterworth, as he came on for his debut at the expense of Plange.

Harrogate boss Weaver withdrew dangermen Folarin and Odoh with 20 minutes to go, Jack Muldoon and James Daly coming on.

Carlisle then had the perfect opportunity to level 15 minutes from time when Maguire sent Charters into the box and the midfielder was upended by Oxley.

But Edmondson slotted the penalty low and past the right-hand post as Harrogate's lead survived.

A mix-up at the back - indecision between Barclay and Holy - let home sub James Daly in but the angle was too tight for him to score a clinching second.

Matty Daly then got behind the defence, Mellish getting back to deny him, and at the other end a deflected Butterworth volley was saved by Oxley.

Matty Daly fired over the bar in the final stages of six added minutes but Harrogate saw through their latest night of success against the lacklustre Cumbrians.

Harrogate: Oxley, Mattock, Burrell, Ramsay, Foulds, Falkingham (Cornelius 78), Sutton (L Gibson 78), Thomson, Folarin (Muldoon 70), Odoh (J Daly 70), M Daly. Not used: Thomas, Sims, O’Connor, Horbury, Gibson, Ilesanmi.

Goals: Folarin 23.

United: Holy, Barclay, Lavelle (Maguire 46), Mellish, Ellis, Armer (Robinson 46), McGeouch (Edmondson 46), Charters, McCalmont, J Gibson (Guy 46), Plange (Butterworth 72). Not used: Breeze, Garner, Harris, Whelan.

Ref: Matthew Corlett.

Crowd: 2,177.