Carlisle United vs. Swindon Town Official Matchday Thread

This is a post from a regular Carlisle fan and good poster on TFF. It is in depth and may go on too long for a few of you, but I thought it was well worth the read.........

Well, where do you start eh, it’s always hard to explain a proper dogfight game to fans who aren’t usually involved in them but for the first time this season we seen a proper down to earth dogfight game, lacking quality, but full of passion, fight, battle, tension, nerves, worry and of course drama.

Going into the game of course it was moreso pressure on Carlisle with us sitting nearer the drop zone than Swindon and also Carlisle being on home, a draw would suit them well, it HAD to be a win for Carlisle.

To be fair to our side and manager they couldn’t have started off better, we needed to get the fans alert, passionate and behind the team and to do that they had to ‘come out the blocks’ as the old saying would be and Carlisle did just that, right out from start with a lot of energy and effort, it put Friday and Monday’s lax performances to shame, 4-4-2 but without the useless Graham finally dropped after 15 games from Hell and in goes Scott Dobie, local lad and moreso a master of the art’s in great escapes, he was involved in the Jimmy glass season survival, the one after that and the one after that, all which went to the wire…..who better to lead our line for this battle.

And dobie looked up for it, as did Bridges both working their socks off, midfield were scrapping aswell as we hussled and pressed, quality again lacking and could be seen in the lack of chances, infact the first chance I think was Swindon’s due to our usual defence way of backing off and letting the other guy have his shot without much worry.

Still we started to create chances, mostly shots from Bridges a lot of them either outside area or just inside but most going wide, we did though break through early and took advantage of this pressure, ball came in from the left and Swidnon left Bridges with time and space in the box, he turned and finished very well for 1-0.

With our confidence up Carlisle pressed like hell for that vital 2nd goal which never seems to come, all in the ground knew we usually couldn’t keep a clean sheet if we got £1 million for it, so it was 2nd goal or bust, Determined pressure from our right winger robbed their full back of ball and sent him away into the box, he laid ball across to bridges who hit ball ok, but with not enough pressure to get past keeper, we got afew corners, a lot of crosses in, Swindon had backs to wall, but our lack of quality in the final 3rd was costing us as I cannot tell you of many chances.

Infact as a good first half nearer end Swindon should have equalised, I don’t know how they didn’t, ball went into box and their player was there, right in front of goal, no challenged, nice simple header into net, somehow he messed up his header and it went over to the collective relief of the home crowd, half time 1-0, we were working extremely hard, we were playing well, Swindon were restricted, just that damned 2nd goal. Half time scores were a mix, Brighton was a worry, but all others were ok at the time.

The 2nd half started and now crept in nerves and worry, Swindon started very brightly and to be fair to them they never came to us for a draw, and just upped the ante as soon as 2nd half started, Wilson smartly blocking off our wingers to cut off our attacks, we now had to try through centre but you could tell very early that heavy, hectic first half had done a lot of damage as our players looked shattered……absolute shattered and it was clear it may well be a case of ‘pray and hope’ than think we could grab another goal.

After a couple of Swindon chances Carlisle got about their best chance to finish it, we broke from a Swindon corner with some pace, our left back got inside the box, he drilled ball across face of goal, but no one was near all expected a pull back, header just after from corner also went over, but that was about it for us.

Now fans were getting nervous, news also going around that Northampton were back in their game and it was getting tense, suddenly crowd although trying to back team had their grumbles, Swindon had a fantastic chance when our defence didn’t deal with a ball up field Swindon guy ran through on goal, our keeper saved it but it went out to one of their players for the rebound and yet he hit it wide, the sighs of relief were probably heard in Brighton.

Swindon pressed and pressed, it seemed we were panicking completely now, sitting deeper and deeper, one of our midfielders Lu8msden who has hardly player for a year, looked completely and utterly shattered to point where he could hardly move, plays a simple pass badly and they break into attack, the ‘Aaarrrrrrggggh, you bloody idiot!!!!’ being screamed from the stands, thankfully it led to nothing and shot went wide, our keeper then saved again from a shot, cross comes in he gets and we clear again.

You can hear in the crowd the frustration and news of Northampton winning wasn’t helping, Swindon getting corner….then another corner…..then a sodding other one, screams of ‘out….out, get it ****** OUT!!!!!’ from about 5,000 people around me, we subbed off a couple of our tired players but it still left about 4-5 on the pitch, somehow……….god knows how but somehow our Keeper pulled off a world class save to keep it 1-0 as we were hanging by a thread, from yet another nervy corner, a header went right into the top corner and just…on the line…he hooked the ball out, it looked a certain goal, people were now in panic mode all across the ground but were also trying to urge the side on..’united, united’ rang out as the team kept trying to give it one last effort.

We even got another chance, break on the left, cross to back post, player there but rubbish header over, alas that was our last chance of the game, Swindon chucked more and more forward, clearly they must have known Brighton and Northampton were winning and that defeat was going to be a disaster for them as they went goal or bust at times, but our side had no effort left to capitalise on this.

Ball went across box and a Swindon guy tried to handball the ball into the goal, spotted by the referee while some of the Carlisle fans were pretty much up for grabbing some rope, finding the nearest tree and lynching the guy for doing such an evil deed in such a vital game, again Swindon got a never ending stream of corners and crosses into the box, scrambled away with still cries of get the damn thing out coming from the stands.

Into injury time…………..4 bloody minutes, oh no!, we still holding on, amazingly people starting to leave early……..WHY??? The quality was dreadful but the sheer tension was at fever pitch, …..again hoofed clear and again to the Swindon player and knocked back, but again clearer out manager, coach and fans all trying to get the players to push further up the field, we get the ball going forward, rather than run to corner flag our right winger makes a right mess of it and back it comes again, scrambles all over place….foul….free-kick!!!! Right on the edge of the box, right at the front of goal, crap, crap, crap why can Carlisle never do it the easy way, silence in the ground just about as all know this is pretty much a do or die moment, will the wall hold this time unlike Oldham when they just allowed ball through them………….shot taken…..deflection……GOAL!!!

1-1 and ooooh the groans and desperation was everywhere, except the away end where they knew how big a goal it was, afew fans now streaming out, fans with head in hands, utterly, utterly downbeat. Final whistle goes and the players slump to the ground in despair as if that has just relegated them. Fans turn to each other pretty much confirming that they thing that is that as luck simple isn’t going our way at all, if Fate is deciding who goes down Carlisle has to be favourites because if we were destined to survive that free-kick goes wide. Ground a horrid place of murmurings and depressed silence, in ground and walking home.

Football is a cruel, cruel game at times, you see it work for you and be cruel to someone else and see if when it’s cruel to you, yesterday I think hit us hard, most last positive thoughts of survival ended once that free-kick went in, even them fans I speak to who re the most positive optimists I know were deadbeat and struggling to think of how we would survive this season, it was a real killer goal and will be hard for manager to pick players up after it, even hours later most people who you know are Carlisle fans are depressed, don’t want to watch football, don’t want to talk football, just about kicking their TV in once match of day comes on laugh.gif reminds me of the old Ripping Yarns episode when he comes home from the game and destroys his living room after a crushing defeat.

But would I want to change the situation……………nah, it’s this drama and passion which is why we follow lower league football where the quality is rubbish, sitting in that home end sensing the passions and reactions from many other people with similar thoughts is what makes the game good, to have one goal pretty much knock the stuffing out of you is them sportive reactions which make the game.

Aah well looks tough for us now, but a Carlisle relegation battle will go to the wire and we can still survive, gap closed but Brighton, Northampton and Crewe still need the points which they don’t get given on a plate so a lot of work yet.

And Carlisle go to Cheltenham, probably….hopefully with Cheltenham having to win to still have a chance (if they are down Saturday it means we’re also in bottom 4 as brighton, Northamton have won) isn’t that just your typical finish to have to go to a win or bust game for both sides to somehow claw out the win…….it’s them sort’ve games Carlisle do end up winning when your at your lowest point of no return, I would not bet against that win yet,

Fair play Swindon, you worked hard, never gave up and had a real go, got a deserved goal in end, should now see you safe I think.