Carlisle United 1 Nottingham Forest Under-21s 2: The road to different times at Carlisle United started here: an obscure night in a devalued competition, a game watched by 1,102 souls, the post-Paul Simpson era getting under way with a 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest’s Under-21s that offered certain refreshment in performance but also that old losing feeling, which is clearly in no hurry to leave Brunton Park behind.
An energetic performance, with more than enough chances to give United's caretaker regime a winning start, was curtailed by a 93rd-minute goal from the visitors' Archie Whitehall, soon after 18-year-old Jake Allan had seemed to have written a brighter Carlisle headline with a debut strike.
As a guide to what might comes next…it was always going to be limited. The game saw lots of pressure from United, some elusive positivity in particular from Dominic Sadi and any amount of scoring opportunities. The confidence-building victory, though, eluded them, so next it’s off to Valley Parade and league battle with Bradford City. No pressure, lads.
This is very much the holding period before Carlisle, as their owner Tom Piatak stressed earlier in the day, execute the “reset” he felt was needed once it was decided Simpson’s race was run. A sporting director and head coach will eventually oversee games like this and all else on United’s football side.
Until then, a certain strangeness will linger in the air, so dominant was Simpson on this patch. The ground felt rather odd without him, in his place an academy manager and two under-18s coaches – Steven Rudd, Mark Birch and Jamie Devitt – were charged not just with keeping things going but trying, if at all possible, to wring some improvement out of an under-achieving side.
They did so, to an extent, in a cup that appears no less warped than it ever did since it was hijacked in 2016 – Nottingham Forest’s team sheet included players with squad number 98, and a total collective squad number of 1,152, from an elite division whose under-staffed clubs argued successfully for the abolition of FA Cup replays. Poor lambs.
On the latest night of the lower leagues having to roll over for this nonsense, Carlisle’s team sheet featured eight changes, a night to savour for 18-year-old full debutant Sam Hetherington, another debut for fit-again Cameron Harper, a first start for Sadi, a return from injury for Dylan McGeouch and an outing in goal for Gabe Breeze also part of the reshuffle.
A few senior figures were stood down for the night, while a notable name in Forest’s XI was Fin Back: a two-time loanee in these parts during Simpson’s reign.
As the Blues began their warm-up, strength and conditioning coach Adam Kwiecien overseeing the early limbering up which had previously been Jake Simpson’s domain, it was interesting watching the caretaker dynamic. Devitt was the one often dipping in for a quick word with a player or two. He and Rudd later got involved with the subs’ passing rondo, with smiles aplenty: keeping spirits high certainly no bad thing.
The interim trio were applauded off after the warm-ups and, when the action got under way, Birch and Devitt took up position in the technical area, Rudd opting for the dugout. They saw an opening spell which had United on top without being able to crack one of their number of decent chances: the night's theme, all in all.
Luke Armstrong had the first, fed swiftly by Jack Ellis but denied by keeper Aaron Bott. "Aggressive, front-foot football" that Piatak has demanded? To a point, yes...early days and all that, though.
Sadi and Harper were next with attempts and, after Joe Gardner had shown an early glimpse of his Forest danger when cruising away from blue shirts, Carlisle produced a deft link-up between Dan Adu-Adjei and Sadi, before Mellish sent it long for Adu-Adjei to set up Hetherington; a defender back to deny the teenager as he checked onto his left foot.
United were reasonably forceful in their pressure and certainly not passive in their play, taking time quick set-pieces and a few bold risks on the ball, resultung in shots for Adu-Adjei and Harrison Neal. But they could not deny the dangerous Gardner when Forest U21s broke just after the half-hour, the midfielder's shot deflecting in off Ellis for the opening goal after an advantage was played and a cross broke his way.
From there Carlisle were less impressive, less lively, even though Adu-Adjei and Sadi were involved in further half-chances. At the break, United’s caretakers introduced another young debutant – 17-year-old Freddie O’Donoghue – along with Ben Williams, as Harper and McGeouch were replaced.
Sadi, who showed flurries of elusive skill all evening, got United going down the right early in the second half, and Armstrong was then denied by Bott after a positive Ellis cross. Adu-Adjei, next, failed from a free header and after Breeze had impressively kept out James Sinclair, Armstrong saw two attempts stopped by Bott, the latter after a good Hetherington delivery.
Carlisle had, in general, built themselves back into the ascendancy and much of it was entertaining fayre again, but still they couldn’t find the scalpel, Armstrong again thwarted by Bott when Forest U21s failed to play out from the back, it clearly being one of those nights where United's record signing would not get the filip of a goal he and they needed.
Adu-Adjei then pipped Bott to the ball but couldn’t volley on target, Sadi blasted another one wide and then he curled one inches past the post when fed by Hetherington, who did himself credit with his debut display.
Sadi’s skill and control remained bright, occasionally bewitching, and once more he supplied Adu-Adjei to go close before Sadi himself shot wide on the run. Sadi, whose invention during this relentless pressure often delighted those watching, was involved in everything except a goal – yet Allan, who’d only been on for five minutes, showed everyone the way, collecting a drifting cross, dropping the shoulder then drilling sweetly home at the Warwick Road End.
The caretakers showed their delight, one of their bright academy sparks lighting up the night. If you're going to score a first professional goal, do it with this much style. Substitute Whitehall, though, then arrived to bury a last-gasp chance, any potential for an offside decision ignored by the officials, and after all the change, and an invigorating splash of youth, the familiarity of defeat still clung to United.
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