Latics fall apart again

Photo: Pictures by ALAN HOWARTH

RUNNING GAME: Athletic forward Josh Parker is beaten to the ball as he makes a run down the right.

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Athletic 2, Carlisle 4 after penalties (1-1 at full time).
Early promise evaporates as Dickov’s men crash out

IT took a penalty shoot-out to separate the teams on the night, but this was a performance to cast worry into the minds of Athletic’s faithful.

While Paul Dickov’s men started the game brightly to take a lead through hard-working Reuben Reid’s first-half penalty, things started to fall apart after the break for the second game in succession.

Just as Sheffield United had suddenly asserted control upon the resumption of play on Saturday, so Carlisle did likewise in an entertaining Carling Cup tie deserving of a larger audience than the 1,786 who showed up at Boundary Park for what was designated as a Category ‘B’ game.

Jon-Paul McGovern’s classy free-kick equaliser was certainly A-Class, as was some of the passing and movement of Greg Abbott’s men as they sliced Athletic apart with clinical precision time after time

without ever managing to find that crucial finishing touch.

For their part, with the up-to-then James Wesolowski looking tigerish in midfield on his debut before tiring, Athletic suddenly had no answer other than to knock hopeful long punts to the willing forward runners Matt Smith — who twice crunched headers against the crossbar — and Reid, who ran the channels and worked back with plenty of enthusiasm. It wasn’t a good enough response.

Starved of the possession they used intelligently at times in the opening half-hour, Athletic were pushed deep into their own territory.

Simply getting to extra-time was an achievement in itself in the circumstances — Alex Cisak was by far the busier of the two goalkeepers on the night — though once there, both sides could have staved off a shoot-out thanks to attractive opportunities coming their way.

United substitute Rory Loy forced a great diving save from Cisak with a swivel and first-time shot standing on the penalty spot.

Smith used all his neck muscles to dig out a header from Dean Furman’s corner which looped onto the crossbar for his second goal-frame hit of the evening.

McGovern’s wicked deflected cross produced more wild swipes than an air guitar competition before finding its way into Cisak’s arms and another replacement, Josh Parker, went close with a crafted long-range strike that whizzed only a yard over the top.

In the final analysis, though, this shoot-out lottery ended with a result grounded in fairness.

Carlisle were the better side overall. Athletic can certainly defend with the best of them, but at the moment aren’t doing enough to take the initiative as a consistent attacking force over 90 minutes.

The home team did open up positively.

Chris Taylor should have done better than spurn a good opportunity arriving at the far post after seven minutes, volleying Kieran Lee’s cross harmlessly over and wide after Reid battled to gain possession.

Reid then hit a left-foot drive from 20 yards that forced Adam Collin into a smart save and Zander Diamond had an effort blocked inside the area before Dean Furman drew Athletic’s penalty.

Latching onto Paul Black’s intelligent throw, the Athletic captain allowed the ball to run across him and invited the rash challenge which came from the obliging Liam Noble. Reid issued his kick high to Collin’s left to given him no chance of halting its progress.

Carlisle had a shout for a penalty of their own when Jean-Yves Mvoto appeared to at least tweak at the shirt of Danny Livesey in the box.

And as Carlisle pressed hard before half-time, Noble headed Taiwo’s cross a sliver wide of the far post before hitting a low drive which forced Cisak into a diving save following one of a number of terrific breaks by the outstanding Francois Zoko.

With Andy Welsh appearing on the field as a second-half substitute, Carlisle were suddenly more of a potent force attacking down the wings and took a hold on proceedings.

A pair of good crosses by McGovern and Zoko preceded the former player’s equaliser, which was a delicate and accurately-struck dead ball delivered too close to Cisak’s right-hand post to be stoppable.

Craig Curran flashed a shot narrowly wide as Carlisle applied the pressure and Mvoto deflected away a superb centre from James Berrett on his own six-yard line before Parker was introduced in an attempt by Dickov to get traffic moving in the opposite direction.

But still the Cumbrians advanced. Lee hacked one off the line after Curran had appeared certain to score when poking towards goal, the same player hitting a low effort to force a parry from Cisak after the danger was only half-cleared.

On a rare foray as the 90 minutes ticked down, clever play from Taylor on the right ended with a cross that found Smith’s forehead on the six-yard line. The tall striker, visibly tiring by that point, will believe he should have scored rather than hitting the bar with his effort.

Zoko wasted a good chance with a tame shot after beating a poor offside trap and Tom Taiwo’s fierce low shot possibly deserved better than to flick the far post and head out of play.

Extra-time came and went and in the shoot-out, Carlisle missed once to Athletic’s twice in front of the visiting fans situated in the Rochdale Road Stand.

Successful kicks from Carlisle’s McGovern and Welsh were answered by Furman and Smith. Matty Robson’s effort was saved by Cisak, as was Taylor’s, excellently, by Collin.

Berrett and Loy, either side of a Parker failure, secured the visitors’ passage to round two.