Volunteers give Blues Hope and more glory
KEITH Curle’s Carlisle are united with the local community he reckons, after they repaid the efforts of snow-shovelling volunteers by beating Grimsby.
Hallam Hope and Mark Ellis fired the hosts to a fourth consecutive win – which came despite Hope also missing a penalty – and the Cumbrians manager insists the run of form and charge up the table has not surprised him.
“This was the evidence of a football club with everyone pulling together,” Curle said.
“It was a football community working together.
“When you have one of the players’ parents [Kris Twardek’s] clearing snow you can see that people are buying into what we are trying to achieve.
“I always felt there was a good run coming. We have a changing room that is competitive and challenging.
“Other teams above us have games in hand, but we have got to play those teams too.”
Carlisle wasted little time getting stuck into the struggling Mariners, who had incoming manager Michael Jolley in the stands, and were ahead after three minutes.
Ashley Nadesan broke the offside trap to run onto Mike Jones’ long ball before pulling it back for Richie Bennett and, when James McKeown saved, Hope smashed in the rebound.
Jamie Devitt was inches away from doubling the lead on 34 minutes, but his fierce 25-yard strike, straight down the middle, cannoned clear off the bar with McKeown beaten.
Ellis headed in the second on 72 minutes, from Devitt’s inswinging corner, though McKeown was furious not to have been given a free-kick for a foul in the middle. It could have got worse for Grimsby with five minutes remaining, after Luke Summerfield’s clumsy trip on John O’Sullivan in the area, but McKeown parried Hope’s penalty wide to his left. Grimsby caretaker boss Paul Wilkinson said: “It’s frustrating again. In the first five minutes we gave ourselves a mountain to climb.
“Second half, we started really brightly and it was probably the tale of our season – we haven’t taken our chances and we haven’t been ruthless enough.
“Then they get their goal from a corner. It was a blatant foul – their lad’s blocked Macca, but the referee thought it was one of our players. When things are going against you, they go against you.”