CUSCLB Match Report by Andy Dixon
There's Only One Team in Bristol!
With some sense of foreboding I made my way to the 'Hen and Chicken' in Bedminster. Foreboding because Carlisle had just lost at home to Exeter. Bristol City are a quality team and I have to live here! My two brother in laws are City season ticket holders and they had brought their wives along for a 'gloat', so my wife Sal came along with her sisters to offer me moral support. The Hen and Chicken is a trendy pub and just a short walk from Ashton Gate. A pint or two later and suddenly we are out in the light drizzle in amongst the crowd heading towards the ground. One of the City supporting relatives steps into Coral's to place a bet for his dad - City to win 4-0. My other mate shows me his slip which has City to win 4-1. At odds of 22/1, I offered to take their bets for them. I never bet on football, and if I did then Carlisle wouldn't be one of my bets. They are like a condom carrying priest - You just never know!
We all agree to meet back at the pub post match so that in their words, 'We can laugh at you'.
Anyway, my mates leave and take their place in the Carling Atyeo stand whilst we enter the away end to join a sparsely populated Cumbrian contingent. I find Geoff Graham and exchange greetings. As the game kicks off I am expecting an early onslaught from the hosts, however, as time goes on, it never materialises, and it is the Black shirts that begin to impose their authority on the game. The Chav contingent from the home section acknowledge our presence with the 'Just a small town in Scotland' , yawn.
The Cumbrian repost is an immediate one 'You're Welsh and you know you are'. 'Speak English' and 'You're going home on a tractor' The irony of the latter two clearly lost on them!
Carlisle press forward dangerously and a Raven effort lands on top of the net, and just before half time a shot from the edge of the area by Taiwo glances the post as it goes wide.
The half time whistle goes and you know what? - Carlisle are in this game, they are doing well. However my mind is cast back to QPR at the same stage last season, when the same was true at half time.
Carlisle, through good wing play from Robson and Hurst were enjoying a steady supply of crosses which would surely have been converted with a recognised striker. Dobie and Anyinsah were combining well together and holding the ball up for others to join in.
The second half follows the same pattern. Carlisle are now stringing passes together and looking menacing going forward. Murphy and Livesey are comfortable in the centre of defence and Harte and Raven are preventing crosses.
Almost midway through the second half it happened. Robson burst down the left and despatched an excellent low cross into the area. This time the end product was there as Dobie was first to it, and managed to guide it past Gerken in the City goal. I'm going mental and begin for the first time to look forward to my post match pint. At this stage the result is irrelevant. Carlisle have made me proud and I can go into the pub head held high regardless of the outcome. Not for the first time I really expected Bristol City to come at us again. The next ten minutes would be vital. Again they disappointed their own fans and surprised me. A bit later Joe Anyinsah gets the better of Cole Skuse, he spots Gary Madine who has replaced Dobie, stood on his own in the penalty area. Where City's defence have wandered off to I can't say. Anyinsah keeps his head and passes neatly to Madine who lashes an unstoppable shot into the net.
Cue mayhem in my body. I'm willing the game to end now - my watch starts going backwards. The Chavs are quiet, and the home crowd starts drifting into the night.
It's 'Ole' time now as Carlisle continued to strut and stroll around the sodden Ashton Gate turf looking more likely to add a third.
At the final whistle the Carlisle fans quite rightly stay to applaud the team. Then the text alert on my phone goes into extra time with messages of congratulations from Bristol Rovers fans..
By the time we get back to the pub the City contingent are already there. I make a grand entrance only to find there is only one seat at the table. 'Don't worry I'll stand - I want to maintain the air of superiority that I have enjoyed all night' . To their credit, although clearly crestfallen, ne make that crushed and embarrassed, they acknowledge that the better team on the night won. Whilst critical of their own team's play and positional acumen (Jamie McCombe brought on at Centre Forward?) a handshake in recognition that Carlisle thoroughly deserved the laurels is accepted.
I'm not one to gloat but I loved every minute...I asked the whereabouts of the betting slips. One had been discarded as soon as the second goal went in and the other had to be taken home to his dad as proof of the bet. The same mates had accompanied me to Brunton Park in April 2007, when they enjoyed their 3-1 victory. This was worth the wait, and personally I hope Carlisle never play them again!
This was a superb performance, and given the result against Exeter at the weekend was unexpected to say the least. To come to Bristol on a Wednesday night and outplay City in their own backyard was no mean feat.
It's a well worn phrase that supporting Carlisle is like riding a rollercoaster. A win at Stockport, a defeat at home to Exeter, the will he, won't he sign saga with Richard Offiong, and then to win 2-0 away at a Championship side, all in little over a week goes someway to demonstrating that we always get our moneys worth!
Now i'm hoping that Little Jack Horner is carrying out the draw for round three - It's about time we had a plum!
Andy Dixon