Carlisle United v Stockport County: things we learned

1 MUCH ADU ABOUT DAN

Carlisle United supporters have long been calling for the addition of some raw pace to their attacking options.

Dan Adu-Adjei appears to possess some of that. More clear on Saturday, though, were the positional instincts of a true centre-forward.

Inside 28 minutes the 19-year-old loanee from AFC Bournemouth earned three cast-iron goalscoring chances.

Adu-Adjei missed early chances - but kept going and eventually took one (Image: Barbara Abbott)

The first two went begging, the third was finished with smart technique. All three, at the very least, showed Adu-Adjei’s antennae to be twitching in very much the right areas.

Chance one displayed promise as part of a strike partnership with Charlie Wyke as he read his more experienced accomplice’s flick.

Chance two demonstrated his ability to get right between the posts in anticipation of a quality delivery, which duly came from Cameron Harper.

Chance three offered signs of good anticipation in the penalty box – an art any coach will tell you is hard to teach – as well as some pleasing composure in the finish.

On top of that, there was some good character in how the new boy kept going in successful search of that goal despite missing chance one and two.

It may only have been 45 minutes, and only a friendly, but these were still encouraging things to see in terms of a young striker’s bottom line.

2 WIDE ANGLES

This was a good day for United’s new wing-backs, who showed the home supporters good things on their respective Brunton Park debuts.

Archie Davies and Cameron Harper are going to have very important parts to play this coming season and both looked well equipped against Stockport.

After the collective turned in poor displays in the previous two games, there was improvement across the park here, and the way Davies and Harper drove United down their respective flanks was crucial to their play.

Cameron Harper gave a positive performance down the left (Image: Barbara Abbott)

Both were alert to breaking balls, both adept and energetic at turning defence into attack. Both also offered some good, well-flighted and well-paced set-piece deliveries.

This was all backed up and indeed helped by a frontline that was at times able to pin Stockport’s defence, and a midfield that showed good appetite in the press, deep in the visitors’ territory.

Dave Challinor’s side did not offer the same kind of elusive possession game as practised by Rochdale and Gateshead, and County’s intensity levels did not seem especially high across the 90 minutes here.

Carlisle, though, can still be credited for how they denied them comfort, especially in the first half. They worked collectively to keep much of the game in the opposition half and there was better balance to their play than we had seen in the previous seven days.

All in all, it was much better, the way forward a sight clearer.

3 LAPSES

If pre-season is about establishing patterns, then one in particular has been set in the wrong sort of way and it is something of which the Blues must be mindful.

At Rochdale, they conceded in the 49th minute. At Gateshead, in the 48th. Against Stockport, the 50th.

This does not reflect well on how Carlisle are starting the second half of games, however good or bad they may have been before then.

It could be a degree of coincidence and one always runs the risk of reading too much into certain things, especially in non-competitive matches.

Jack Diamond set up Stockport's leveller for Kyle Wootton early in the second half (Image: Barbara Abbott)

Nothing, though, is to be gained from any sequence of being caught cold, which Carlisle certainly were at Gateshead with Owen Oseni’s opener, and also at the weekend when they rather carelessly offered up an opportunity which Jack Diamond and scorer Kyle Wootton accepted for Stockport.

At least United’s response to that equaliser was good, the Blues quick to re-establish some control of the game and apply some forceful pressure which eventually made County crack again, with Luke Armstrong’s well-taken winner.

That lead threatened to wobble late on when Stockport found some room between United’s wide and central defenders on both right and left.

More devilish finishing from the guests could have diluted the positivity supporters took away from Brunton Park on Saturday.

This is not, though, a team that has yet established a winning way, so the benefits of Saturday may still be important, as much psychological as technical – provided Carlisle can also be hot on the looser aspects of their game.

4 BANKING ON BARCLAY

Carlisle United’s Mr Versatile is, of course, Jon Mellish, and he gave a trademark performance for all seasons here: an attacking weapon and a defensive figure in equal measure.

Yet have the Blues unearthed a second positional chameleon in Ben Barclay?

Okay, it’s a little early to be casting the former Stockport man as another Mr Ben(n), a man who can wear a different costume each day of the week.

Ben Barclay did well in a midfield role after coming off the bench (Image: Barbara Abbott)

Yet the 27-year-old did show good composure and positional intelligence when asked to spend the majority of this game patrolling deep midfield.

Barclay was introduced from the bench in the 18th minute after Dylan McGeouch tweaked his groin, Simpson preferring this idea to the more familiar alternative of pushing Jon Mellish forward into the position, and often it was Barclay’s job to protect the area in which Jack Diamond was looking to operate.

This plan was most successful in the first half, when Diamond was peripheral, less so the second when the former Blues loanee found more room.

But Barclay, all in all, did a disciplined job and there was enough in the role to suit perhaps the most comfortable on the ball of all United’s central defenders.

It’s unlikely to be a plan for the long term, and would still be a risk of sorts at Gillingham. Yet Simpson plainly admires Barclay's skill set and, as a Plan C at the very least - and, given the injuries, the Blues look like needing one of those - it need not be written off on this evidence.