Carlisle United 2, Morecambe 2: Shrimps let two-goal lead slip

Morecambe picked up another valuable draw in their quest for Football League survival and moved nine points clear of bottom club Stevenage.
Aaron  WildigAaron  Wildig
Aaron Wildig

It was a bitter sweet result in some ways however as Derek Adams’s side had put themselves into a great position to take the three points by taking a two goal lead within 23 minutes through fantastic strikes from Cole Stockton and Aaron Wildig.

Unfortunately the Shrimps failed to make the most of their superb start as they allowed the Cumbrians back into the game with goals from Omari Patrick and Aaron Hayden ensuring the shares were spoiled.

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Hayden missed a golden chance to give the home side an early lead when he fluffed his lines after a corner reached him unmarked three yards out.

The Shrimps then found their way and scored two fine goals. The opener came in the 18th minute when the ball fell to Stockton just inside the area and the former Carlisle striker turned smartly before drilling a low shot past Adam Collin’s left-hand.

Six minutes later Collin was beaten again with an even better goal. The home side failed to convincingly clear a left wing corner and the ball fell to the edge of the area where Wildig was on hand to fire a left foot volley superbly past Collin for one of his best goals in a Morecambe shirt.

Carlisle, to their credit, did not let their heads drop and they began to have the better of the game.

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Mafoumbi had to react sharply to tip an inswinging Nathan Thomas corner over the bar and then save sharply from former Shrimps’ striker Lewis Alessandra.

The hosts’ pressure paid off with a goal in first half injury time. A poor Jordan Slew clearance gave the home side possession and Byron Webster’s diagonal ball caught out Ryan Cooney to give Patrick the chance to curl and excellent shot past Mafoumbi from the left hand side of the area.

They level on 66 minutes when Elliot Watts’s corner was headed home by Hayden who was allowed far too much space in the Morecambe box.

Patrick then had the chance to seal a fine Carlisle comeback but made a mess of a close range header when he looked sure to score and Webster also failed to find the target with a header from a good position.

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Carlisle: Collin, G Jones, Webster, Hayden, Anderton, Thomas (rep McKirdy 49), M Jones (rep Bridge 77), Watt, Mellish, Alessandra, Patrick (rep Olomola 87). Subs not used: Gray, Iredale, Charters, Hunt.

Morecambe: Mafoumbi, Old, Stockton, Wildig, Lavelle, Mendes-Gomes (rep Kenyon 81), Slew (rep O’Sullivan 81), Cooney, Phillips, Diagouraga, Cranston. Subs not used: Halstead, Leitch-Smith, Brewitt, Mbulu.

Ref: P Wright.

Att: 4,679.