Set-piece practice proves worthy as Carlisle United salvage a late point against Crawley Town

Embed from Getty Images

Carlisle United boss Keith Millen was pleased that a focus on set-pieces during training helped his side rescue a point at home to Crawley Town.

Time was running out for the Cumbrians to come away with anything from the game, but there was a sense of belief in the ground when the Blues won a corner in the 92nd minute.

Substitute Lewis Alessandra met Brennan Dickenson’s excellent cross with an emphatic header to send the Carlisle faithful into ecstatic celebration.

Four of the Cumbrians’ goals under the former Crystal Palace coach have come from set-pieces showing an improvement from the start of the season where they completely lacked a scoring threat altogether.

Carlisle United manager Keith Millen was relieved after the work put into set-pieces paid off and earned his side a vital point.

“I felt today there were opportunities for us to really punish them because they’re one of the few teams that leave two players up.

“I think you can see the first corner we worked one where we ended up with Brennan [Dickenson] getting on the edge of the box, and it’s just that final ball, that little bit of quality at the end, isn’t it.

“We do a lot of work on set pieces for and against, and today it saved us.”

The ability to threaten teams with set-pieces is a big plus in League Two as defences are well-drilled and often difficult to break down.

Carlisle are blessed with decent dead ball takers in Dickenson, Callum Guy and when in the team, Zach Clough, but it is clear the work has gone in to manipulate these situations in their favour.

Rod McDonald and Kelvin Mellor are key in the way the Cumbrians operate at corners with the latter making front post runs allowing the former to drop deep and win the ball.

Scoring from set-pieces often comes down to which player wants to win the header more, determination and a will to make the first contact.

The Cumbrians have also looked to vary their dead-ball scenarios, sometimes playing a low pass to the edge of the box for someone to have a shot from range. They have also gone deep or to the front post to keep the opposition guessing.

Despite having satisfaction in the way his side scored their equaliser, Millen was frustrated in the way his side performed, referencing the backline dropping too deep which allowed Crawley to utilise their passing style of play.

It was former Carlisle loanee Ashley Nadesan who opened the scoring for the Red Devils in the 25th minute.

Morgan Feeney was the unfortunate individual whose mistake allowed the former fans favourite in on goal to slot past the helpless Mark Howard.

Despite having a positive influence on the game, Nadesan turned from hero to zero when he hammered a penalty over the bar in the 74th minute.

Jack Armer was adjudged to have fouled James Tilley, despite the Carlisle left-back seemingly getting a toe to the ball, but referee Darren Bond did not hesitate to point to the spot.

Millen felt as though his side were too complacent in possession, turning the ball over far too easily for his liking.

Carlisle completed 443 passes during the game, but that was not enough to keep the manager happy, and there is a lot to be said about the difference between meaningful possession and passing without any real emphasis.

The home side seemed to lack an attacking midfielder to knit the positive play altogether. Carlisle have Clough and Alessandra, who can play in the role, but Millen has recently gone with Jon Mellish supporting the striker to add physicality.

However, it was evident that Mellish struggled with the more intricate work, sometimes conceding possession to the away side with a lost touch or a stray pass when Carlisle were on the front foot.

Millen said that the Cumbrians are still active in the transfer market, but comfortable enough to wait until a special talent emerges, which could happen at any point until January 31st.

Ultimately, it is a point gained rather than lost in the mindset of the Carlisle boss and it sees them carry on their unbeaten run.

Lee Bradbury, who was in charge due to John Yems missing the game because of personal reasons, will be frustrated his side did not take all three points with Reece Grego-Cox missing a one-on-one chance at the death to regain the lead.

This game perfectly proved that hard work on the training ground will be useful if the Cumbrians are to escape the drop.

Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt

[columns]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”3056″ heading=”League Two” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”609″ heading=”EFL” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column]
[/columns]