Great win by the Blues tonight, having witnessed the Chesterfield injustice I almost felt the same was going to happen tonite. Where the ref got 5 minutes injury time is beyond me .... it was exactly like Chesterfield, we were hanging on desperately and the ref wanted the home team to equalise before blowing his whistle.
Pretty desperate stuff and Barnet came oh so close with corner after corner. Carlisle bodies were flying in with desperate blocks and tackles. Glennon was outstanding as was Winstanley. We also played much better with Whitehead back.
Stevens broke clear just before half time and finished clinically into the far corner. The first half deservedly belonged to Carlisle.
Second half we did sit back, especially when it got to about 9:20 and we all started nervously looking at the clock, as ever it was almost 9:45 when the ref decided he couldnt give barnet anymore time. Three f*****g minutes added onto the 2 minutes displayed by the assistant ref. Why does this happen to us time and time again?
Dobie had a bad game upfront, and second half especially looked tired and dis-interested (possibly on his way out before deadline day?)
We sung our hearts out tonight.. and my voice is hoarse right now. There were about 250 Carlisle there, most of whom were London Branch..I would liken this result as being as critical as the Chester result last season.... 3 vital points which will make all the difference come May 5th...
Carlisle are back with a fight and a win on Saturday will see us move back into the pack.
Fantastic!!!!!!!!
Staines Blue...
Nick Dawson
Carlisle put themselves back in touch with the relegation pack with an impressive single goal win at Barnet last night.
A superb defensive performance protected the three points gained from an Ian Stevens first half winner.
The battling qualities shown by the Cumbrians were in stark contrast to the abject performances shown in their last two games and will certainly give them something to build on with two successive home games ahead.
A jubilant Ian Atkins said after the game: "That was a super performance, even better than the one at Chesterfield. We worked hard and shut things down, but passed it well and controlled the game. The players proved we can match anybody in this league. We will stick together and give it a fight until the end of the season."
Barnet, with the advantage of the Underhill slope, almost took the lead on 5 minutes when Darren Currie created space on the right of the box to test Matty Glennon with a right foot shot. It Carlisle a little time to settle but on 17 minutes Lee Maddison cut inside from the left to get a right foot shot on target.
A minute later Mick Galloway broke through only to hit his shot straight at home keeper Lee Harrison.
With Carlisle now seeing more of the ball the took a deserved lead on 38 minutes when Mick Galloway's through ball found Ian Stevens who went on to draw Harrison before slotting into the corner of the net.
With 42 minutes gone Carlisle's dominance almost produced another goal but Steve Soley had two shots blocked in quick succession.
Barnet picked up the pace in the second half and Tony Cottee forced a Matty Glennon save on 54 minutes.
Three minutes later Carlisle mounted their first real second half attack with Scott Dobie's 25 yard effort comfortably saved by Harrison. Dave Morley then headed a Maddison cross over.
On 64 minutes Barnet almost snatched an equaliser but Stuart Whitehead cleared Ben Strevens' shot off the line.
The Cumbrians then had to thank Glennon after 77 minutes for a reflex save pushing away Wayne Purser's shot for a corner.
As play edged into injury time the Cumbrians had to survive four Barnet corners but managed to hold out for an important victory.
Forgot to mention the terrific support, primarily from the members of the London branch. If we could only get you all to Brunton Park and create a better atmosphere for the remaining matches. Keep the faith, remember it is still in our hands.
Mike Corry
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