Carlisle United 0-1 Cheltenham Town: Holy costs dire Blues

Only goal difference now keeps Paul Simpson's side off the foot of the table after Liam Sercombe's first-half goal proved enough for the Robins.

The visiting midfielder pounced from close range after keeper Holy somehow spilled the ball into George Lloyd's path as Cheltenham got in front on a windswept Cumbrian afternoon.

Carlisle created painfully little at the other end and are now second bottom after a seventh league game without a win in front of 7,814 fans.

It was a third costly error in consecutive games from United's keeper while it was an 11th league game out of 22 when Simpson's side have failed to score this season.

Tomas Holy's 26th-minute error led to the only goal (Image: Ben Holmes)

United boss Simpson resisted the temptation to bring fit-again Owen Moxon straight back into his side, instead naming the midfielder on the bench.

He was joined among the subs by another Cumbrian back from injury, Taylor Charters, as Simpson named an unchanged starting XI which saw Jack Robinson get another opportunity in midfield.

Darrell Clarke's Cheltenham side included two changes, with Rob Street back from suspension and Liam Smith also called up, Lloyd dropping to the bench and Ben Williams banned.

United, watched by impending new signing Luke Armstrong, started on the front foot immediately with Alfie McCalmont almost wriggling through in the first minute.

Cheltenham were then forced into an early change as striker Will Goodwin stayed down hurt after an attack, and limped off to be replaced by Lloyd.

The sub was soon into the action and had a goal disallowed for offside after the Robins, with a strong wind at their backs, had played their way into the box.

It was often a wind-blown and unattractive spectacle with both keepers struggling to keep the ball in play at times.

Cheltenham appeal successfully to offside after Jon Mellish netted for Carlisle (Image: Ben Holmes)

United then thought they'd got an opener when Robinson's free-kick was glanced on, attacked by Sam Lavelle and, after a deflection, hammered into the net by Jon Mellish, but the offside flag denied the defender.

Other opportunities were only of the ambitious variety, Jordan Gibson cutting in from the left but shooting waywardly, and Luke Plange, breaking inside on the other flank, sent a low shot too close to keeper Luke Southwood.

Neither side were in particular control but Carlisle and their keeper then contrived to hand the visitors the initiative.

First, Cheltenham got free down the right and Josh Emmanuel had to make a crucial block in the box. But as the ball spun to the right, Holy dived to try and keep it in play - but only succeeded in spilling it back out into the path of Lloyd, who squared it and Sercombe, getting in front of Mellish, scored from close range.

The Blues struggled to regain any impetus after going behind.

Robinson pulled a 25-yard shot wide and was denied with a header in the box, but Carlisle struggled to put much anything convincing together in the Cheltenham half.

Jordan Gibson on the attack for the Blues (Image: Ben Holmes)

And the Robins almost fashioned another when Will Ferry and Sercombe got the better of United too easily down the right and Street, with his back to goal, saw his resulting shot spin wide.

Gibson tested Southwood with a curler in first-half added time but Carlisle went into the break behind, and hoping a second 45 minutes with the wind would help them come back into things.

Other than a Gibson shot which deflected wide, though, Carlisle failed to create anything in the opening stages of the second half and, come the hour mark, it was time for Simpson to make changes.

A triple substitution followed with Moxon, Ryan Edmondson and Sean Maguire all into the action for McGeouch, Joe Garner and Plange.

With United still unable to force any chances Simpson then turned to Dan Butterworth and Charters, the latter making his first appearance since early September.

With 15 minutes to go Maguire and Gibson combined before Jack Armer met the latter's cross and saw his volley go wide off a defender.

Later, Maguire went down in the box as Eliot Bonds jockeyed for the ball but the penalty appeals were very ambitious and rightly ignored by ref Declan Bourne.

Carlisle's attacking efforts continued to leave a lot to be desired throughout and, when a glimmer of a chance came in added time when keeper Southwood spilled a Mellish cross, Cheltenham prevented Edmondson and Maguire from pouncing.

United sent defender and captain Lavelle forward in their desperation for anything late on, but it was to no avail, as the Blues slumped to defeat in their final home game of 2023, with Cheltenham now level on points with the Cumbrians, who go to third-bottom Fleetwood Town on Boxing Day.

United: Holy, Emmanuel, Armer, Lavelle, Mellish, McGeouch (Moxon 61), Robinson (Charters 71), McCalmont (Butterworth 71), Gibson, Plange (Maguire 61), Garner (Edmondson 61). Not used: Breeze, Barclay.

Booked: Lavelle, Moxon.

Cheltenham: Southwood, Long, Davies (Bradbury 56), Freestone, Smith, Sercombe, Pett, Bonds, Ferry, Street (Keena 81), Goodwin (Lloyd 5). Not used: Pardington, Hammond, Thompson, Butler-Oyedeji.

Goal: Sercombe 26.

Booked: Bonds, Freestone, Long.

Ref: Declan Bourne.

Crowd: 7,814 (172 Cheltenham fans).