It’s official – Carlisle United will still be playing League Two football next season.
Oldham’s defeat at Forest Green made it certain they couldn’t catch the Blues and are favourites to drop to the National League along with Scunthorpe Utd.
But more to the point, it was Carlisle’s own 1-0 home win over promotion-chasing Mansfield Town which will be savoured as the win which confirmed their safety.
It was a pulsating and remarkable game with Mansfield clearly the better side in the first-half but Unkited came back well, snatched a goal and were then the more likely to find the net than their startled opponents.
Stats don’t tell the full story in many cases and the 63/37 per cent possession figures in Mansfield’s favour don’t really indicate how Carlisle came into it more in the second-half.
Yet for all the delight over Omari Patrick’s winning goal on 56 minutes a controversial incident in the first-half defined the game for travelling Mansfield fans. They could certainly have done with a Russian linesman!
A powerful shot from Mansfield’s Jamie Murphy bounced down off the bar and Stags players nearest to the goal were convinced it was over the line. Initial TV recordings also suggested it should have been given as a goal.
But play was waved on much to the disgust of the travelling Mansfield supporters especially as home keeper Mark Howard had produced top class saves to deny both Ollie Hawkins and Jordan Bowery.
If they had controlled the first half and had a goal unjustly disallowed Mansfield certainly didn’t have it their own way in the second half.
Patrick grabbed the only goal after being played in by Danny Devine and really it was the start of some near misses for the home side.
Morgan Feeney had one effort tipped onto the bar by Stags’ keeper Nathan Bishop and Dynel Simeu put a late header against the post.
Now, while Carlisle can breathe easy, Mansfield have slipped out of the promotion play-off places with four games left.
