Three successive defeats leave Carlisle in familiar territory, towards the foot of the Third Division table, following their longest trip of the season to Home Park. Poor defending left the Cumbrians with a mountain to climb after conceding twice in the first seventeen minutes leaving manager Ian Atkins contemplating what might have been. He said: "The game was lost in the first twenty minutes. We have three experienced centre halves and they didn't do their jobs properly. The positioning of certain individuals wasn't right. I felt if Ian Stevens had scored it would have turned the game and we created enough chances to go on and win it. Scott Dobie constantly threatened them down the right but we had nothing down the left. The players are doing their best but I need to look at it because we are maybe lacking sufficient quality in the side."
Around a hundred hardy Cumbrians, defying the fuel shortage to make the 800 mile round trip to the West Country, were almost rewarded with a goal in the first two minutes, when a Scott Dobie cross was volleyed over by Ian Stevens. The Pilgrims then dominated with Sean McCarthy and former Carlisle loan player Paul McGreggor going close. They took a 9th minute lead when McGreggor cleverly chested back for McCarthy to bury the ball past Luke Weaver. The Cumbrians inability to close players down on the edge of the box resulted in a second goal, eight minutes later, when Julian Darby's weak clearance fell to Jason Peake whose precise volleyed lob caught Weaver off his line.
Dobie almost got the Cumbrians back into it when his 23rd minute shot, from a Carl Heggs through ball, was forced for away for a corner. However, the Cumbrians almost conceded again when Weaver missed the ball and was thankful to see Anthony Carss on the line to head to safety.
Six minutes after the break the usually reliable Ian Stevens somehow managed to volley Scott Dobie's cross over the bar from six yards. With the Cumbrians now dominating Carss, Stevens and Heggs all wasted good chances before the home side's Adam Barrett forced keeper Jon Sheffield into a good save from a wayward 73rd minute back header. Three minutes later an unmarked Stuart Whitehead headed over David Lee's back post cross. With ten minutes remaining Weaver was forced into action clawing a Peake header round the post.
Ian Atkins is close to bringing in a loan signing and a new face may freshen things up for the struggling Cumbrians.
Plymouth Argyle: Sheffield; O'Sullivan, Beswtherwick (Wotton 61), Phillips, Barrett, Mardon, Barlow, Fleming, McCarthy, McGreggor, Peake. Subs unused: Hodges, Gritton, Guinan, Nancekivell.
Scorers: McCarthy (9), Peake (17).
Bookings: None
Carlisle United: Weaver; Birch, Whitehead, Darby (Lee 64), Winstanley, Hemmings (Squires 64 then Pitts 79); Soley, Carss; Dobie, Stevens, Heggs. Subs unused: Tracey, Thurstan.
Scorers: None
Bookings: Birch (12)
Attendance: 3,378
Referee: S. Dunn (Bristol)
