Birtley Town vs Carlisle City

Recap

The Hoops fell to 2-1 defeat at the hands of fellow promotion contenders Carlisle City on Saturday. 

Check out the match day programme HERE!

It was The Cumbrians who took all three points back across the A69 as two second half goals from Daniel Hill secured a vital win for Carlisle. Birtley made one change to the side that beat Seaham Red Star with Owen Lancaster returning to the side in place of the suspended Sam Hedley. 

The first half was a scrappy affair as both sides struggled to create any meaningful chances in the opening exchanges. Stephen Hall had an early effort blocked before blazing an audacious volley wide. At the other end, Daniel Hill was twice denied by Alfie Gordon. Birtley finished the half as the stronger of the two sides. Scott Heslop had an effort deflected out for a corner and Alex Francis headed over the ball from the resulting set piece. The pressure finally paid off on 39 minutes when Matty Ward calmly finished underneath Carlisle keeper Jacob Barry.

HALF TIME | Birtley Town 1 – 0 Carlisle City

Carlisle were back on level terms in the opening period of the second half. In a carbon copy of Ward’s goal, Dan Hill ran onto a long pass before sliding the ball underneath Alfie Gordon. Birtley looked to make an immediate reaction but Matty Ward was denied by Barry before the impressive Carlisle keeper smothered a cross before it could reach Lewis Exley.  Scott Heslop had an excellent chance to restore Birtley’s lead but his effort whistled narrowly wide of the post. It was Carlisle who took the lead. A long ball from the left was nicely controlled by Hill, he then dropped his shoulder before unleashing a superb effort that flew into the top-corner. Birtley pushed for an equaliser in the dying stages but the Carlisle defence stood firm with Jacob Barry producing a fine save to deny Alex Francis.

FULL TIME | Birtley Town 1 – 2 Carlisle City

Attendance – 210

Player of the Match – Kyle Wharton

The win left Birtley in 5th position and moved Carlisle to within two points of The Hoops. Guisborough 1-1 draw with Seaham allowed them to jump back up to 4th while Boro Rangers beat fellow rivals Whitley Bay 4-3. West Auckland strengthened their position in third place with a convincing 5-1 victory at Penrith. Heaton Stannington remained in 7th place following a 4-1 defeat at Shildon. 

Manager’s Corner

Paul Foster: “We were very disappointed on Saturday with our performance levels. We didn’t just have one or two  players who didn’t perform but there was probably nine or ten who weren’t at the level that we need to be at. At any level of football you just cant legislate for that. After we took the lead I thought we had finally woken up but it wasn’t meant to be. We conceded two poor goals on our behalf, that put us on the back foot. We huffed and puffed for an equaliser but we just weren’t at the races,. It was one of our worst 90 minutes of the season. We can all pick formations, give lads instructions, try to help them before the game but when they step over that white line it’s up to them to not only perform but also to work out together how to win a game of football. We need to get back to doing the basics right. We play Carlisle again in just three days. We know that we must be better than Saturday. We know what to expect on Tuesday. Carlisle are a good side and we will need to improve to get something from the game. We need to make sure our performance is a lot better than Saturday as we really need to get something from the game.”

H2H vs Carlisle City (at home)
P2 W1 D0 L1 GF5 GA5

Next up…

Birtley make the trip across the A69 to face Carlisle City for the second time in just four days. Kick-off is 7.45pm. The club are providing a supporters coach to the game. Anyone who is interested in attending the fixture should contact Paul Beat. 

Highlights