By Jon Colman

Last updated at 11:14, Tuesday, 09 February 2010

Huddersfield Town 1 Carlisle United 1: Sabotaging Yorkshire ambition is this week’s unavoidable theme, so it was greatly encouraging to see Carlisle United puffing out their chests and carrying the fight to Huddersfield Town on their own manor.

Danny Livesey, left, tussles with Robbie Simpson

If Greg Abbott’s spirited collective can summon a similar level of bravado when Leeds rumble over the Pennines tomorrow night, then the White Rose can consider itself well and truly pruned and the Blues will be on their merry way to Wembley.

Huddersfield are one of League One’s high-rollers and no third-tier arena has been more forbidding than the Galpharm Stadium this season. So United’s brisk display there two days ago features highly in the inventory of their best performances of 2009/10. And, in fighting back so convincingly from the 50th-minute goal taken by the Terriers’ winger Anthony Pilkington, Carlisle gave rise to two ideas which will need to be converted into action again in just over 24 hours’ time.

The first is that they appear undaunted by tangling with higher-ranked and more expensive players (although we knew this already from earlier skirmishes with Everton and Leeds themselves).

The second is that there is enough quality abroad in Abbott’s squad to enable United to claim heartening results when the odds are heavily against. This might also be a good time to jab the nest of Cumbrian defiance by mentioning to the manager and his ranks that Leeds remain favourites with bookmakers to advance to the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final despite starting tomorrow’s second-leg with a goal deficit.

While Yorkshire’s largest club were scuffling their way to a 2-2 draw at Hartlepool in the league, Carlisle were taking (presumably) greater satisfaction from their own honours-even 15 miles from Elland Road. Ben Marshall’s 83rd minute equaliser tacked an entirely justified point onto United’s total; with a marginally fairer wind, they might even have subjected Huddersfield to their maiden defeat of the season at their space-age ground.

This was the 40th match of United’s campaign to date, yet fatigue remains an enemy at Brunton Park’s gates if the style and vigour of their comeback here is our guide. Abbott gets plus points for reinvigorating his squad with the additions of Marshall and Darryl Duffy before last Monday’s transfer deadline. In the narrow context of this game, the Carlisle boss can also be praised for making the match-turning double substitution (Marshall for Kevan Hurst and Scott Dobie for Graham Kavanagh) on the hour.

Marshall defies his 18 years with both his physique and his poise, a quality that showed itself when the Stoke City loanee stroked home Matty Robson’s cross to secure Saturday’s draw. “We think we have found another gem with Ben,” said Abbott. “When you look at the situation we are in financially, we might have sneaked one in through the back door there.”

That’s not a bad description of the way Marshall crept through Huddersfield’s defence to claim the fifth goal of his career (a more-than-decent tally for a teenage winger of just 26 games’ experience). He was able to do so towards the end of an intriguing game which often whizzed back and forth across a notably superior surface from the Colchester bog of four days previous.

A renewed sense of occasion seems to sweep the Galpharm these days, in unison with Clark’s liberal spending in the lower-league market and the Terriers’ rise to play-off contention after a few years of mediocrity. Jordan Rhodes, one of those lauded acquisitions, put an early sighter down Adam Collin’s throat before home debutant defender Neal Trotman missed the target with a header from a corner.

Carlisle’s first response came in the sixth minute, when Graham Kavanagh bent over a corner from the left and Danny Livesey planted a soaring header against the home crossbar. Further back, Ian Harte was a picture of class in most of his duties, including the defensive header he applied to a dangerous Dean Heffernan cross.

Heffernan, an Australian prospect plucked from Central Coast Mariners, ought to have scored with his next foray, but a heavy touch after Gary Roberts’ pass allowed Collin to save at his feet. Yet these were sporadic chances, as Carlisle gradually became more at ease with their demands and Adam Clayton became a rising presence in the midfield scramble.

One smart piece of thinking from the Manchester City starlet sent Robson sprinting through to score, only for a marginal offside call to wipe out the strike. Then, after Richard Keogh had raced back to thwart Nathan Eccleston, Clayton popped up in the Huddersfield box to tee up Kevan Hurst for an off-target attempt.

More to-and-froing: Hurst failing by millimetres to convert a Robson teaser, Eccleston missing the target when he tried to lob Collin from range, Duffy steaming past Heffernan and blasting wide from an angle, and then the Scot dropping a header onto the roof of Alex Smithies’ net.

Harte’s half-time withdrawal with a hamstring injury deprived Carlisle of their most impressive first-half player, but in Peter Murphy Abbott was able to summon a reliable alternative. And the second half’s first surge came from the Cumbrians, as Clayton released Robson down the left and the winger’s cross was hastily booted behind by home captain Peter Clarke, with Duffy lurking.

Huddersfield’s reply was, however, to take the lead. A ball into the box was headed clear by Murphy, but it was retrieved by the skilful Roberts, whose cross was attacked by the unattended Pilkington and the wide man’s scoring header was expertly placed.

A smooth stroll to another home win may have been anticipated by the Yorkshire masses at this point. Had Pilkington been able to keep a half-volley down four minutes later, it might indeed have come. But United were reprieved, allowing Abbott to make his alterations and send on Dobie and Marshall in pursuit of a point, with his team now rearranged into a 4-4-2 formation.

Dobie, back from suspension, immediately troubled Clark’s defence, as one cleared cross from the Cumbrian falling for Clayton, who scuffed wide. Livesey continued his own toiling work at the other end with an important sliding challenge on Eccleston, and then United pressed on. The equaliser almost came in the 80th minute, when Keogh advanced to curl over a testing cross which bounced past the home defence and was met by Dobie’s diving header, only for Smithies to make a brilliant, instinctive save.

Soon after, Duffy strode in from the left and put a cross on Marshall’s head, but the teenager glanced it wide.

His next foray brought a happier outcome, however. Robson, a relentless threat down the left, swapped passes with Evan Horwood and raced infield before sliding the ball across the area, where Marshall arrived to equalise in front of 722 travelling Cumbrians.

Not that the young sub’s goal killed the drama. In fact, it provoked Huddersfield into a final wave of pressure, from which United attempted to profit on the break. First, Trotman was marginally unable to convert a free-kick, then Clayton sent Robson chasing through the middle, only for the winger’s control to desert him at the moment of truth.

Antony Kay then couldn’t connect with Robbie Simpson’s knock-down at the near post, Pilkington failed to trouble Collin after a Murphy mistake had let in the wide man and then Paul Thirlwell terminated a Danny Drinkwater attempt in the Carlisle box to a chorus of home penalty appeals, before Robson again darted down the left to shoot wide from an angle.

All this ought to suggest that United did the opposite of slotting in and playing for a point on Saturday. That they were able to slug it out with a side of Huddersfield’s calibre implies that they should be capable of fronting up to Leeds again tomorrow (even without the cup-tied Duffy and Marshall), providing Abbott again hits the tactical bullseye for the season’s most financially-rewarding 90 minutes.

“We are in good shape, and this club is ready to move forward,” added the manager. Those optimistic words will acquire greater meaning if the Blues can now advance from the Galpharm to Wembley Way.

ADAM COLLIN - Couple of alert saves and took some good crosses, distribution not always accurate.

RICHARD KEOGH - Superb tackle to thwart Eccleston in first half and battled to contain Roberts while also attacking to good effect.

EVAN HORWOOD - Defended well and once he tightened up his passing in second half, he often linked superbly with Robson.

DANNY LIVESEY - Typically gutsy and combative afternoon’s work from the centre-half.

IAN HARTE - A class apart in the first half, Abbott will await news on his hamstring injury with concern.

PAUL THIRLWELL - Did lots of responsible work in midfield and used the ball tidily.

ADAM CLAYTON Became more influential as the game progressed and was at the heart of most of United’s good work.

GRAHAM KAVANAGH -  Industrious rather than inspirational, did a steady job in midfield before being replaced.

MATTY ROBSON - An energetic return to form as the winger repeatedly forced Huddersfield back and laid on Marshall’s equaliser.

KEVAN HURST - Cannot be faulted for effort, but his attacking efforts are currently bringing limited results.

DARRYL DUFFY - Ran himself into the ground and looked good on the ball, will benefit from higher-quality service.

Subs: Peter Murphy (for Harte 46) - Steady enough, one error apart; Ben Marshall (for Hurst 61) - Confidently taken goal; Scott Dobie (for Kavanagh 61) - Plenty of impact. Not used: Lenny Pidgeley, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, Tom Taiwo, Gary Madine.

Goal: Marshall 83

Huddersfield: Smithies, Peltier, Heffernan (Williams 75), Trotman, Clarke (Drinkwater 46), Kay, Clarke, Roberts, Pilkington, Rhodes (Simpson 64), Eccleston. Not used: Eastwood, Novak, Pearce, Clarke.

Goals: Pilkington 50

Booked: Kay, Eccleston

Ref: Daniel Phillips (West Midlands)

Crowd: 14,132 (722 Carlisle fans)

First published at 11:25, Monday, 08 February 2010
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk