Carlisle shoot themselves in the foot

Nov 16 2009 The Journal

Bristol Rovers 3, Carlisle United 2

ONE thing that can't be denied as Greg Abbott heads towards the anniversary of his first year as Carlisle United manager is his team plays with passion and desire. But that doesn’t excuse the fact they continue to shoot themselves in the foot – and usually just as it appears they are poised to kick on.

That was the case again at the Memorial Stadium as they twice took the lead, and deservedly so, only to concede the initiative and eventually lose the game to a last-gasp volley from Pirates midfielder Chris Lines.

Manager Greg Abbott said: “I have an honest dressing room, and they are really disappointed because they have given everything. We could have been out of sight by half time, but we haven’t killed the game off and we’ve paid the price.

“Unfortunately it’s something that we have been saying a lot, but I am convinced this team is heading in the right direction with the type of football we are playing.”

Former Black Cat Ian Harte stormed to the top of the club goal scoring charts in the blustery conditions and took his personal tally to seven when he met a Graham Kavanagh corner at the near post following a dominant opening spell from the Cumbrians.

Jo Kuffour levelled the scores before the break, when he showed strength in the area following a hopeful free-kick ball into the box, and it was a passage of play that brought harsh criticism from the boss.

“That was a soft, soft goal,” he complained. “They had done nothing in the game up until then but we gave them too much space and handed them a gift of an equaliser.”

The balance was redressed when Richard Keogh silenced the Rovers boo boys, who had targeted him for his days with bitter rivals Bristol City, with a powerful back post header that flew past keeper Mikkel Andersen.

But midfielder Jeff Hughes stunned the confident visitors with a wonder strike that rattled in off the upright with less than 10 minutes to play. The misery was compounded when substitute Kevan Hurst missed a header at one end moments before Lines popped up to bundle the unlikely winner over the line.

Abbott added: “We have said this before, but we can’t keep talking about games that we should have won.

“We’re looking at two great chances and if we’d put those away then Bristol Rovers wouldn’t have been able to get anywhere near us. We have to start turning these performances into results. We know that we’ll play worse than this and win games, but that doesn’t make this feel any better right now.”

BRISTOL ROVERS: Andersen; Regan, Anthony, Coles, Hughes, Swallow (Williams 68), Campbell, Lines, Blizzard (Reece 76), Kuffour, Dickson (Duffy 63). Subs (not used): Evans, Elliott, Hunt, Clough.

Booked: Regan, Williams.

Goals: Kuffour 35, Hughes 82, Lines 90.

CARLISLE UNITED: Pidgeley; Keogh, Horwood, Livesey, Harte, Clayton, Kavanagh, Taiwo, Robson, Anyinsah (Hurst 87), Pericard (Dobie 75). Subs (not used): Collin, Bridge-Wilkinson, Murphy, Offiong, Kane.

Booked: Taiwo.

Goals: Harte 21, Keogh 72.

Attendance: 5,862. Referee: Grant Hegley (Hertfordshire).