Hit-or-miss Latics need answers

Athletic forward Rhys Murphy (left) reduces the deficit at Brunton Park

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CARLISLE 3, ATHLETIC 1

WHERE there is life, there is hope and while it is still pre-season, mistakes as woeful as the plateful committed by Athletic here can be assigned as relatively unimportant.

But after such a sorry display witnessed by paying supporters, questions will be asked. Here are a few.

When Fraser Kerr — playing alongside fellow trialist Gavin Gunning at centre-back for the first time, over a month since the squad resumed training — appeals for an offside that doesn’t come and then trips Derek Asamoah while off balance, is it an example of rustiness being worked off at an opportune moment?

When another set-piece does for Athletic, as it did for Carlisle’s first goal from Angelo Balanta which came from a half-cleared corner, is it simply fat to render off on the training ground in the final week before the real stuff starts?

And is Gunning losing his marker for the abject third goal from a deep cross simply an illustration

of an improving and experienced defensive leader who has yet to, but will, definitely, truly, please, come good in time?

Athletic’s boss Darren Kelly is a relentlessly positive character. For his sake, those answers must be ‘yes’ in every case. Because for some of this haphazard contest, this was awful play by his team.

Athletic created chances throughout, could have had a penalty when Carl Winchester was tripped in the box and would have scored four or five with better finishing.

Jake Cassidy is possibly under-cooked due to a calf injury and though he impressed as a lone striker supported on the flanks by Lee Croft and Jonathan Forte, he really should have buried a close-range first-half header from Croft’s inviting cross. It grazed the crossbar on its way over.

Dominic Poleon did very well spinning his marker and crossing to set up his fellow substitute Rhys Murphy to halve the deficit in the second half. But Poleon also failed with a header, in the centre of goal and six yards out, while Murphy contrived to trip over his own feet after skipping round goalkeeper Mark Gillespie and finding an open goal.

For all the promising attacks, the visitors looked extremely vulnerable in a formation switched from a 4-4-2 that was successful at Halifax for a 4-3-3 here that Carlisle — who left Jabo Ibehre on the bench — picked apart with ease.

Athletic opened up poorly at Brunton Park, exposed defensively by the League Two side on the break.

Ex-Motherwell man Kerr endured an error-strewn spell in the first quarter of the game and after he conceded the penalty in the 13th minute, Danny Grainger blazed it wide of David Cornell’s goal.

Jason Kennedy went close three times for the Cumbrians, Cassidy fluffed his lines and from a

half-cleared corner kick, Balanta hit a low shot from 18 yards out which deflected on its way past a wrong-footed Cornell after half an hour.

Athletic were proving adept at finding blind alleys when going forward and Carlisle looked the more potent side. Croft and Forte at least forced Gillespie into action.

The visitors were better in the middle period and after Liam Kelly fired over, Winchester was clearly tripped in the area without a penalty awarded.

The second goal came after a length-of-field break Athletic failed to keep pace with. Patrick Brough beat Croft for speed down the left, his cross was headed towards goal by Asamoah and Cornell could only poke into the air as Charlie Wyke raced in to hammer home from a yard or so out.

Two goals down in the 56th minute, Athletic responded when Murphy threw his head at Poleon’s centre to convert from close range. But Steven Rigg added a third when he peeled off Gunning with alarming ease, heading past Cornell from Courtney Meppen-Walter’s driven cross, before Murphy’s unfortunate circus moment encapsulated a decidedly under-par afternoon.