Match Report from Brunton Park
Attendance 3,363 including 225 visiting supporters
EFL Cup 1st Round
At Brunton Park
Tuesday 9th August 2016
Carlisle United v Port Vale
Vale went out of the newly-named EFL Cup at the first hurdle to League Two outfit Carlisle United after conceding two first half goals at Brunton Park.
Anthony Grant managed to pull a goal back early in the second half to give Vale some hope, but they struggled to break down a hard-working United side for that all-important second goal.
In an attempt to freshen things up after a tough opening game at Braford, and also make sure there is always competition for places, Bruno Ribeiro made for changes for the game.
It was the perfect birthday present for defender Calvin Mac-Intosch, who came in at the heart of the defence for his debut in place of Remie Streete, who started on the bench.
Chris Mbamba started, alongside Sam Kelly and Anton Forrester, while Paulo Tavares, Jerome Thomas, who started at Valley Parade all found themselves on the bench, with Rigino Cicila not in the squad.
minute, Shaun Miller pulled the ball back for Charlie Wyke, presenting him with what looked like just a tap-in, with Jak ALnwick caught off his line.thVale could easily have found themselves a goal down when, in the 5
Thankfully Calvin Mac-Intosch had read the move perfectly and he nipped in to make the block and the home side had to settle for a corner kick.
Vale were playing some nice, neat passing football at times without really penetrating where it mattered most, whilst the home side looked to hit Vale with a more direct approach.
Vale, who looked so solid as a unit at Bradford, looked vulnerable at times andnot quite as organised at the back as they had looked during pre-season.
minute when there appeared to be a bit of shirt pulling inside the box, but thankfully the referee wasn’t in agreement.thThe home side had loud appeals for a penalty turned down in the 25
GOAL: received the ball six yards from goal, and he had the relatively easy task of finding the back of the net.Charlie Wyke minute when thHowever, the home side went in front in the 27
In fairness to the home side, they didn’t only play direct football, they also knocked it about a bit inside the Vale half, making it difficult for the Vale to defend against.
On 38 minutes there was a let off for Vale when former Crewe man Shaun Miller , looking suspiciously offside, latched on to a through-ball from Luke Joyce, but he finished poorly, firing wide of Alnwick’s left hand upright.
GOAL:, who made no mistake from 8 yards.Shaun Miller minute when a through-ball from Nicky Adams was touched on by Wyke to stThe home side doubled their lead in the 41
Vale looked in deep trouble when they were tore apart again just two minutes later, but thankfully Miller couldn’t get his shot on target.
Vale made two changes at the start of the second half when Jerome Thomas and JJ Hooper replaced Anthony de Freitas and Sam Kelly.
GOAL: finishing off a move started on the centre spot by Sam Foley, firing home from the edge of the box.ANTHONY GRANTVale knew they had a lot to do to pull a result out of the bag, but they managed to pull back a goal on 51 minutes,
Vale made a third substitution in the 39th minute when Carlos Saleiro came off the bench to replace Chris Mbamba.
Vale seemed to have taken their foot off the pedal for a period, unable to sustain any kind of attacking play and being frustrated by the home side.
A thunderous 25 yard shot from JJ Hooper wasn’t too far off the target as Vale began to run out of time as they looked for that all-important equaliser.
David Atkinson, Jason Kennedy, Macaulay Gillesphey, Russell Penn, Joe McKee, Patrick Brough, Max Crocombe.SUBS: Mark Gillespie, Danny Grainger, Luke Joyce, Michael Raynes. Mark Ellis, Mike Jones, Charlie Wyke, Nicky Adams, Reggie Lambe, Shaun Miller, Tom Miller. CARLISLE UNITED:
PORT VALE: Ryan Boot, Paulo Tavares, Jerome Thomas, Quentin Pereira, Carlis Saleira, Remie Streete, JJ HooperSUBS:Jak ALnwick, Ben Purkiss, Calvin Mac_Intosch, Nathan Smith, Anthony Grant, Chris Mbambe, Sam Kelly, Anthony de Freitas, Kjell Knops, Sam Foley, Anton Forrester.