Match stats
CREWE ALEX ..................... 0 CARLISLE UNITED .............. 1 (Devitt, 90)
POSSESSION Crewe Alex.....................49% Carlisle ..........................51%
GOAL ATTEMPTS Crewe Alex......7 (1 on target) Carlisle .........20 (8 on target)
CORNERS Crewe Alex.........................6 Carlisle .............................. 6
FOULS Crewe Alex.........................6 Carlisle ............................ 12
THE REFEREE Lee Swabey (Devon) ............ 6
CARD WATCH YELLOW – Crewe: Nolan (foul, 29), Hunt (foul, 61), Akinfenwa (dissent, 59). Carlisle: Bennett (foul, 18) Devitt (dissent, 83), Yates (foul, 84), Gerrard (excessive celebration, 90). RED – Crewe: None. Carlisle: None.
THE CROWD Attendance ................. 2,467
MATCH RATING Entertainment .................... 7
who dived to his right.
That was a real boost to the Alex, and they did look threatening when they moved forward. But there were no finishing touches to crosses that came in from both sides, and United keeper Adam Collin had little to do.
At the other end, good blocks from Nolan and Perry Ng were important to keep the likes of Hope and Yates at bay, with Garratt’s main work off the half behind him.
Nolan was booked for complaining to the referee about what looked a foul on Pickering, while Bennett was cautioned for a lunge on George Ray.
Kirk saw a 25-yard curler tipped wide by the keeper in the Alex’s first real attack of the second half, while Garratt had to make smart saves from Grainger and Yates to keep it level.
On 57 minutes the manager made a double substitution, adding Ainley and Bowery to the action in place of Finney and Porter.
Ainley added pace and threat. His early forays fizzled out, but as the game wore on Crewe started to look the most likely.
Good crosses from Pickering and Miller, on for Nicholls, were expertly defended at the far post.
On 78 minutes Ainley sent Hunt down the right and his cross looked perfect for Kirk, but the midfielder was beaten to the ball.
United came back into it towards the end, but the way they won it was fortunate in the extreme.
A back-pass from O’connor put Garratt in a spot but the keeper’s attempted clearance was poor and it came back off Devitt’s body and trickled over the line. Crewe (4-4-2): Garratt; Hunt, Ray, Nolan, O’connor; Kirk, Ng, Pickering, Finney (Ainley 57 mins); Porter (Bowery 57 mins), Nicholls (Miller 75 mins). Subs not used: Richards, Raynes, Jones, Whelan. Carlisle (3-5-2): Collin; Gerrard, Gillesphy, Jones (Sowerby 73 mins); Grainger, Yates, Slater, Devitt, Liddle; Hope (Campbell 81 mins), Bennett. Subs not used: Gray, Miller, Glendon, Egan, Mccarron.