Shrewsbury Town 1-0 Carlisle United: big match verdict

Masochists, the lot of them. Loyal, determined, passionate, committed masochists, who are, in spite of everything, continuing to spend their afternoons handing over money to watch Carlisle United lose.

There are, apparently, other recreational activities available. Yet 559 folk once more opted for this. Seriously, the Blues are the luckiest club in England to have them: this many supporters, this many miles, this little reward, this sense of dull inevitability the moment a referee peeps his whistle at 3pm.

From that sound onwards, you know it’s going to be a rerun; like an afternoon watching Dave with the comedy removed. Carlisle run, Carlisle try, Carlisle fail, Carlisle lose. From the last 39 available points, Paul Simpson’s team have accrued three.

Morgan Feeney clears under pressure from Jack Diamond (Image: Richard Parkes)

From 38 games this season, 25 have delivered defeat. Can it be right that as many as 13 have not? That number makes you hit Google just to check.

And it's true, but that was only from the bad part of the season, as opposed to this completely desolate one. Truly, there is no hope for this team other than for it to be put out of its misery. Come Easter, we’ll more or less be there: one of the quickest kills, in terms of relegation, that a side can suffer.

Yet this cannot be a case of a bad job being written off the minute the letter R nestles next to their name. Unless Carlisle can produce something – anything – that measures up to League One standard, even League Two's average, over the eight games left, there can be no faith of a bounce-back, other than the blind variety.

Mal Benning battles with Luke Armstrong (Image: Richard Parkes)

The risk, plainly, is that a losing way is now in United’s bones for longer than this desperate short term. There will be a summer overhaul, one which hopefully does not spare the horses. The big picture, referred to again by Simpson after this game at the Croud Meadow, appears positive under the Piataks.

Yet there is no precedent for a Carlisle side going down this badly, this vertically, and zipping straight back up. Against a Shrewsbury side who appeared value for their own mediocre status in the division, United laid on an entirely empty first half, a relatively better second, and all the way along a bottom line of insufficient quality, from back to front and all parts in between.

Jon Mellish stretches for the ball (Image: Richard Parkes)

Restocking it with better, individually and culture-wise, is going to be a mighty task. Simpson remains backed by the Piataks, yet he too needs the cushion of results for those losing faith to keep hold of it, or at least enough.

No such cushion was available on this chilly, drizzly Shropshire day. For those travelling fans there was sport to be had in the jeering of Morgan Feeney’s every touch, and that occupied them for the long periods when United’s efforts could not.

On Shrewsbury’s ‘Military Matchday’, the Blues marched out in their fruit salad kit and embarked on 45 minutes fit only for a court martial. With four United changes taking little dynamic effect, the hosts gradually gained dominance of the ball without seriously hurting United to begin with.

Dan Butterworth shoots for United (Image: Richard Parkes)

Taylor Perry emerged as a decent running threat for Paul Hurst’s team, while ref Simon Mather gave his yellow card some frequent outings: at this point the game’s most influential participant. Any inroads were made by the team in blue, Tom Bayliss ghosting to the turf under Harry Lewis’s challenge, Mather declining penalty shouts, then Perry pouncing on Harrison Neal’s slow control only to be denied by Carlisle’s Shrewsbury-born keeper.

Lewis then snaffled attempts by Bayliss and Mal Benning, and it was tempting to take comfort from this, even if weeds were starting to grow in the Shrewsbury half on account of Carlisle's lack of positive passing, lack of wide-area pace, shortage of any evident method to work their way up the pitch.

Microscopic mercies, though. Eventually the hosts did score, when Bayliss fed Dan Udoh, he turned against Sam Lavelle and rifled low past Lewis, the keeper just not defiant enough at his near post.

Harrison Neal goes up for a header (Image: Richard Parkes)

Sigh. As the bottom of the net rippled, you feared the futile exchanges ahead. Lewis denied Carl Winchester a quick Shrewsbury second, before Lavelle, with the last kick of the half, blew a free chance when Dan Butterworth’s mishit shot found him and the flag stayed down. Marko Marosi denied the defender. Half-time then arrived as respite.

After the break, Carlisle’s ball-play did improve and they went more persistently after a side whose body language, and indeed recent record, suggested they were unaccustomed to closing out home victories. They had more territory, more moments, but never convincingly. Butterworth, with their best move, pressed Tom Flanagan before spinning away from Feeney and stinging goalkeeper Marosi’s palms.

Not enough, though, followed it, even as they saw and circulated more of the ball. Midway through the half they tried the different route of Ben Barclay’s long throws, but that was just one more blunt instrument, and while Shrewsbury were now becalmed as an attacking force, Carlisle were not sharp enough to puncture them.

Morgan Feeney keeps Luke Armstrong in close attention (Image: Richard Parkes)

In periods like this United are curious observers, at best, when it comes to the idea of taking advantage of positions. As they passed and looked and crossed and scratched their heads, Udoh went close for the Shrews on the break. Lavelle headed Jordan Gibson’s cross at Marosi for Carlisle and Lewis, at the last, saved from home sub Tunmise Shobowale.

Otherwise…ah, what does the detail matter? Defeat is defeat, whatever route it takes, and right now it’s the only direction United know. Until that changes, whenever that might be, this will continue to scar the eyes of everyone still brave enough to keep watching, enduring and suffering.