CREWE ALEXANDRA 0 CARLISLE UTD 1 Devitt does it for Blues in dramatic cup finish
A GOOD FA Cup run can be a financial godsend – and thankfully for Carlisle, their prayers were answered right at the last minute yesterday.
The Cumbrians were back to something like full strength with just Tom Parkes and Kelvin Etuhu missing for the firstround clash at Gresty Road.
There was more good news with confirmation that a raft of loan players had been granted permission to play.
Prolific Fleetwood forward Ashley Nadesan was the only one to fall foul of that rule.
With a nice £36k cash windfall up for grabs for the winners, both Crewe and Carlisle went into this one determined to be involved in tomorrow’s second-round draw, and the performance reflected that with attack top of the menu.
There was no shortage of early chances. Jamie Devitt was first to go close for Carlisle when he volleyed a half clearance from a Danny Grainger throw at the target. Ben Garratt watched closely until it flew wide of his post.
Veteran striker Chris Porter was then heavily involved as he twice beat the offside trap with Crewe looking lively on the ball. His first cross evaded everybody, so he opted to shoot when he next went through. That had power, but it was always heading wide.
Another snapshot from Devitt had Garratt worried when Carlisle played their way into a dangerous area courtesy of good work from Hope and Yates. The thundering volley had the stopper beaten but there was relief all round for the hosts when it smashed into the side netting.
Sheffield United loanee Regan Slater created something from nothing midway through the half when he intercepted a loose ball before bearing down on goal. He dropped his shoulder and unleashed a terrific shot, but Garratt got just enough on it to tip it past the target.
Carlisle kept up the pressure and a direct run from Yates took him past two challenges as he sent Hope on the overlap. His clip took him past Garratt, and the referee blew his whistle as striker Richie Bennett tumbled over dramatically when his ankle was tapped by the prostrate stopper. He had thrown himself full length in an attempt to get something on the ball. The frustrated goalkeeper made immediate amends as he guessed correctly to save Grainger’s chestheight spot-kick.
Crewe cut Carlisle open when Kirk weaved his way past Liddle to take the ball wide. His deep cross was met on the full by Finney and it needed a block from Gillesphey to stop it from finding the bottom cor- ner. Crewe thought they’d broken the deadlock when Kirk found a yard of space. His measured shot from distance needed a fingertip touch from Collin to help it on its way.
Garratt was the difference once again when Bennett fed a lovely pass to the unmarked Hope. He controlled it before sending a fierce effort at the top corner, but the keeper somehow got there to make the parry. Danny Grainger looked for one of his trademark leftfoot explosions when the ball was eventually came his way, but the keeper was well positioned once more to deal with it.
It needed a howler from Garratt in time added on to bend the tie in Carlisle’s favour. Devitt was chasing a seemingly lost cause but it turned into a match-winning exploit as the keeper smashed the clearance on to his shin. The rebound was heading just one way and the Cumbrian contingent celebrated as it bobbled over the line.