BBM’s boys earn
HAD Steven Pressley known the prize at stake – a plum third round tie at Manchester United – his frustration levels might have bordered on the unhealthy.
The Carlisle manager was apoplectic over the decision – or lack thereof – not to award his side a second penalty, minutes after they had grabbed a lifeline via a spot kick to make it 2-1 midway through the second half.
It was a strong claim, for sure, but to suggest Carlisle deserved to progress rather than Dale would have been stretching it a tad too far. The visitors enjoyed plenty of possession in the first half but rarely threatened Robert Sanchez in the home goal.
They certainly finished the game in the ascendency, but it was a win-orbust approach by that stage, partly fuelled by a sense of injustice at not being awarded the second spot kick when Harry McKirdy – the impressive substitute who had already earned their first penalty – saw his cross cut out by the arm of Jimmy Keohane.
The Bluebirds deserved the applause of the home supporters in the Main Stand as they exited the field after 95 minutes of play – but Dale had done enough to earn that sumptuous tie at Old Trafford.
Brian Barry-Murphy made five changes to his starting eleven from Saturday’s draw against Blackpool.
Calvin Andrew, Jimmy Keohane, Matty Done, Tyler Magloire and Aaron Morley all came in, with Ryan McLaughlin returning to the substitute’s bench after a spell out through injury.
It provided a rest for Jim McNulty and MJ Williams while Ian Henderson and Rhys Norrington-Davies were unused substitutes and Ollie Rathbone featured in the final 25 minutes.
A slightly heavy touch early on from Saturday’s hero, Sanchez, in controlling a back pass threatened to let Hallam Hope in on goal, but the confident keeper recovered quickly, side-stepping the striker and quelling the danger.
Stephen Dooley had Dale’s first effort of note, buying himself a yard just inside the box and shooting low on target but a relatively easy collect for Adam Collin.
The home side opened the scoring in spectacular fashion in the 11th minute when Aaron Morley gathered the ball in space 25 yards from goal and sent a wonderfully measured curling shot against the inside of Collin’s post and into the net.
Morley was involved minutes later with a floated pass into Callum Camps which the midfielder in turn fed to Matty Done, who pulled his leftfooted effort wide of the post.
Done was on target when he scored Dale’s second on the half hour mark, seizing on Byron Webster’s air kick and racing through unmarked to draw Collin off his line before applying a clinical finish.
After the break, Morley and Dooley were narrowly wide with curling efforts from the edge of the area while Rathbone saw a 20-yard drive charged down.
Dale were comfortable and looked like scoring a third until the visitors grabbed a lifeline out of nothing in the 70th minute.
McKirdy seized the ball just inside the Dale half and raced through the retreating defence before being upended by Eoghan O’Connell. Jack Bridge hammered the resulting spot kick down the middle of Sanchez’s net.
McKirdy, looking every inch a lower league version of Jack Grealish, should have been awarded a second spot