We're through – just about

Last updated : 24 August 2005 By Tony Scholes
Ade Akinbiyi - last minute winner
Prices were reduced but so was the entertainment on a night that made tedious look exciting but a quick check at the results will show that Brighton, Crewe, Hull, Ipswich, Preston, QPR and Stoke all went out last night one way or the other.

All of them went out to clubs from lower divisions one way or the other and none of them will be in Saturday’s draw no matter what, Burnley will and no matter how poor the fare was last night that’s what cup ties are all about.

There was a boost ahead of kick off with news that both Wayne Thomas and John McGreal were able to play, they replaced the injured Frank Sinclair and the unavailable Karl Bermingham from the side that started at Watford whilst Danny Coyne came in for the injured Brian Jensen.

It was pop and crisps on the bench for the kids with Marc Pugh there for the first time since 2003/04 season, sat alongside second year apprentices Kyle Lafferty, Mark Crossley and Martin Reilly under the tutorage of the fifth substitute Mark Yates.

We needed to get a good start and although we saw a lot of the ball there was never any indication that we were going to take the game by the scruff of the neck and it was the visitors who had the first chance, and they really should have done better with a free header from a right wing cross.

It hardly gave us the lift we needed and it was lethargic and we failed to trouble the Carlisle keeper, any shots we did have going wide or blocked by the defenders. It was pretty dire stuff but suddenly as half time approached it all came to life.

Michael Duff had been crossing well and he hit one to the far post and it looked as though we were going to go in front but Ade Akinbiyi headed just wide and into the side netting. If that was close we got even closer moments later and it was almost a wonderful moment for the once again impressive Chris McCann.

From fully twenty-five yards on the left hand side he hit an unstoppable shot that cannoned off the bar with us not quite able to take the opportunity from the rebound. Those of us who watched the youth team last season were not surprised, McCann scored a number of goals with shots from distance.

Half time, no score, and no excitement. I received a text message from a friend that read, “Enjoying it? Ha Ha.” I could hardly find the enthusiasm to reply.

We needed to step up a gear in the second half and we didn’t have to wait long for the first goal of the evening, a goal that the game desperately needed. After a series of passes in the midfield, Micah Hyde played in Michael Duff with a superb ball inside the full back. Duff running on got the ball into the danger area and it was deflected in by a Carlisle defender.

Duff has claimed it and that’s his first goal for the Clarets – now it was time to watch us stamp our authority on proceedings. In truth it never happened.
Such was the excitement that the main talking point in the Longside Upper was the dramatic drop in temperature that saw coats going on for the first time this season. And then it went colder, Carlisle equalised.

They won a free kick on the edge of our box and Coyne was only able to turn it onto the bar, he did look as though he should have done better. The ball came out and Adam Murray headed home for the equaliser.

We immediately made a substitution with the limping Duff being replaced by Kyle Lafferty, bringing with it the second reshuffle of the night. It made little difference and extra time looked a certainty.

Then, and with the fourth official just about to indicate there would be three added minutes, we found the winner. Lafferty did well, very well, to turn his past the defender and play an excellent ball into the box for Ade who turned his marker and hit home into the bottom corner.

I’m not sure the goal deserved to be in this game but there was no way back for the Cumbrians and three minutes later we were celebrating a place in the next round – and as I said that is something that Brighton, Crewe, Hull, Ipswich, Preston, QPR and Stoke cannot look forward to.

The draw is Saturday and hopefully by then we’ll have some more players in the squad and we can start looking forward with a bit more confidence.
Looking at the game there were not too many players came out of it with a lot of credit but again McCann did well, and Kyle came on, as he did against Coventry, and created a goal for Ade.

I still cannot see past Micah though for my man of the match vote. He was not in the sort of form that we saw at Watford but he was certainly the pick for me in the midfield.

The teams were,

Burnley: Danny Coyne, Michael Duff (Kyle Lafferty 75), Wayne Thomas, John McGreal, Graham Branch, Garreth O’Connor, Micah Hyde, James O’Connor, Chris McCann, Gifton Noel-Williams, Ade Akinbiyi. Subs not used: Mark Crossley, Martin Reilly, Mark Yates, Marc Pugh, Kyle Lafferty.

Carlisle: Kieran Westwood, Lee Andrews, Danny Livesey, Simon Grand, Zigor Aranalde, Simon Hackney (Brendan McGill 69), Glenn Murray (Karl Hawley 69), Jamie McClen, Peter Murphy, Raphael Nade, Adam Murray. Subs not used: Tony Williams, Chris Billy, Derek Holmes.

Referee: Scott Mathieson (Stockport).

Attendance: 5,114.