Carlisle United's eventful previous trip to St Mirren

The idea of pre-season games being little more than a gentle warm-up was certainly not in play that July. The contest at the Saints’ former home of Love Street featured in a Scottish tour for United which saw plenty of red (cards) as well as blue (language).

Perhaps it was the feisty battle for places in Mervyn Day’s Division Two side after the previous season’s promotion. Maybe there was something in the water north of the border. Either way – it was a livelier occasion than one often gets at this time of year, coming at a time of supposed Carlisle progress but with some definite turbulence rumbling beneath the surface.

United had ventured to Glasgow University for the week to help them tune up for the 1997/98 third-tier campaign. They did so with a squad that included the iconic French defender Stephane Pounewatchy, a glut of home-grown stars such as Rory Delap and Tony Caig, and a new £100,000 midfield signing in former Leeds United man Andy Couzens.

The mighty Stephane Pounewatchy works out during Carlisle's pre-season trip to Scotland in 1997 (Image: News & Star)

So far, so encouraging. Yet there was an unsettled air about aspects of United’s summer with, for instance, the future of fan favourite centre-back Dean Walling very much unclear. ‘Deano’ was transfer-listed by Carlisle after rejecting a new one-year contract and United’s preparations for life without Walling were moving to the extent of having Scarborough defender Jason Rockett on trial, and seemingly poised to sign a deal.

Walling declared himself unhappy with the length and terms of United’s offer, stressing he had always given Carlisle 100 per cent but had his family to think of. He remained with the squad in Scotland, yet the thought this might be the only cloud looming over the Blues was very much exploded by a bruising game in Renfrewshire.

It was, in one respect, a very good occasion for some at United. Striker Lee Peacock, who was Paisley-born before moving to Cumbria in his early teens, had family and old friends in the crowd at a ground where he had always wanted to play.

Peacock was a proud 70th minute substitute for Ross Milligan, a recent recruit from Rangers. By that stage, the game had long rumbled to the sound of a running battle between Couzens and Saints midfielder Tommy Turner.

It had also, up to that point, seen a positive Carlisle performance. Day’s United were the better side, Delap a lively threat in attack and the Blues’ defence coping with the danger posed by St Mirren’s Junior Mendes, a future United striker.

Pounewatchy and Allan Smart came close for Carlisle, the latter also having a goal disallowed for offside while the game also saw two brothers in opposition: United’s Owen Archdeacon joined on the pitch by younger sibling Paul in Saints’ black and white.

United eventually opened the scoring after 66 minutes, when Milligan drove down the right and saw his cross dummied by Warren Aspinall for Delap to volley home from 20 yards. That proved the only goal as both managers made further changes, Peacock and Matt Jansen among the United arrivals...but the tinderbox finally received its match with nine minutes to go.

Turner’s latest challenge on Couzens was high, the veteran’s studs showing but this seeming to attract little attention from referee George Clyde until an angry Couzens kicked out in retaliation.

United's Andy Couzens, left, and St Mirren's Tommy Turner, right, clashed in the 1997 friendly (Image: News & Star / PA)

Clyde summoned the Carlisle midfielder and promptly showed him a red card. This incensed United, and further individuals drew the attention of the officials. Pounewatchy had to be restrained by team-mates as he remonstrated, the Gallic giant getting a yellow card for his troubles, while United assistant manager Joe Joyce was also reprimanded for his comments on the touchline.

The game ended with Walling also tackling himself into the book for a foul on Archdeacon junior and, all in all, the hot-tempered finish took some of the shine from an otherwise constructive United performance, which happened in front of a 1,020 crowd.

Day was livid in his post-match interviews. “That was a good game ruined by inept refereeing,” the Carlisle boss said. Day even threatened to cancel United’s remaining games in Scotland, against Ayr United and Livingston, “if that is the standard of Scottish referees.”

The manager did not condone Couzens’ retaliation but said the referee had “arrogantly” refused to discuss the other aspects of the incident, namely Turner’s high challenge. “He treated me like an overgrown schoolboy,” fumed Day. “I feel, after 25 years in the game, I deserve a bit more respect than I got from Mr Clyde.”

The hope was that United would soon move into calmer waters as their pre-season trip continued. Alas, at Ayr, things boiled over again. This time it was Pounewatchy in trouble, the defender sent off after just 20 minutes for punching home defender Gregg Hood.

It was an eventful encounter at Love Street... (Image: News & Star)

Day was again aggrieved, but more this time with his own player, saying big Stephane should have gone down after being elbowed. “Instead he retaliated stupidly and we are left with ten men.”

Smart and Jeff Thorpe hit the goals in a 2-0 win but the angry nature of these games was clearly getting to Day.  “I can’t believe our indiscipline and I have let the players know how I feel,” he added.

United’s trip north in general had been of good spirit, despite some joking complaints from players about the ‘Colditz’ nature of their basic university digs. In the evenings the squad played Trivial Pursuit and staged a talent show, which saw Couzens perform card tricks and Walling carry out impersonations, while Joyce and physio Peter Hampton engaged in a ventriloquist act.

When it came to doing the talking on the pitch, things grew more turbulent once United were back below the border and the Football League season started. Carlisle, battling to find their feet at the higher level, plunged into disarray in September when Michael Knighton, the owner, controversially sacked Day, then installed himself as manager along with the coaches David Wilkes and John Halpin.

The campaign never recovered sufficiently, despite some superb performances by the coveted Jansen and Delap, who were sold in January. Carlisle declined to relegation and the Knighton era entered its long crisis period. Perhaps, as the feathers flew in Paisley, we should have known what was coming.