Carlisle United 2 Brentford 2
A DRAW felt more like a defeat as Carlisle conceded a late equaliser to big-spending Brentford.
Despite the disappointment, Cumbrians manager Greg Abbott insisted that there were positives to take from a much-improved performance.
“That was probably our best home game so far this season,” he said. “We passed the ball and we moved it around, and we looked the better side.
“Obviously the tough part for us is that we have conceded a goal late in the game, and that’s always hard to take.
“However, once we get the weekend over with and look back at it all, I think we’ll feel pleased with what we did.”
The Bees opened the scoring against the run of play when Thompson broke away and centred for Douglas to nod down.
David Clarkson did the rest with a firm and accurate volley.
“I have to be honest and say that their lad got away from me,” Sunderland loanee Liam Noble admitted. “I was gutted because I’d tracked his run, but he got clear and suddenly they were in lead.
“The good thing was that we didn’t let it affect us, and we deservedly took control of the game again.”
It was Noble who laid the ball off for James Berrett to score his third of the season from close range as the Cumbrians pushed forward during an impressive period of play.
“It’s probably the only intelligent thing Liam [Noble] has ever done,” Berrett joked. “Seriously though, it was a great cross from Matt Robson and the pass made it easy for me to score. That set things up for us nicely.”
Clarkson turned from hero to villain just after the hour mark as the home side dominated proceedings when he stuck his foot out to intercept yet another teasing cross from the influential Berrett, only to see the ball ricochet underneath his own keeper.
“You take any goal that comes in this game,” Abbott said. “Off the cheeks of a backside, off a chest, from a lucky bounce or, like today, from an own goal. All we keep asking the players to do is to put the ball into the danger areas.
“If we’re doing that, we’re giving ourselves a real chance.” But just as it looked like Carlisle were going to close the game out, the introduction of Bees’ substitutes Myles Weston and Sam Saunders changed the flow of the game, and the visitors started to look dangerous.
“We had to sit deep but we were coping,” midfielder Jon-Paul McGovern said. “Their second goal came from a bit of luck and then a bit of individual skill, and I was gutted to see it go in. We’d played really well, so it was a bit of a slap across the face. However, that’s football, so we’ll learn from it and get ready for Yeovil next week.”
“I can’t fault any of the players at all,” Abbott concluded. “That’s the way we want to play, with energy and determination, and we mixed that with some very good football.
“It’s another nice little run we’re on at the moment, and hopefully we’ll be able to carry it on and put September well and truly behind us.”
CARLISLE UNITED: Collin, Tavernier, Murphy, Livesey, Robson, McGovern, Taiwo, Noble, Berrett, Miller, Loy (Zoko 70). Subs (not used): Gillespie, Kavanagh, Curran, O’Halloran. Booked: Livesey 42.
Goals: Berrett 23, Clarkson og 62.
BRENTFORD: Lee, O’Connor, Woodman, Eger (Donaldson 72), Douglas, Wood (Weston 57), Diagouraga, Thompson, Adams (Saunders 78), Llera, Clarkson. Subs (not used): Moore, Osborne. Booked: Eger 39.
Goals: Clarkson 9, Diagouraga 88.
Referee: Mr Robert Lewis Attendance: 4,184
