Jon Colman reports from the Banks’s Stadium

Last updated 15:37, Saturday, 04 October 2008

Walsall 2 Carlisle United 1: Carlisle United have a couple of weeks, maximum, to challenge the rising theory that three straight defeats in League One equals a backward stagger into mediocrity.

Their sequence of losses, extended at the Banks’s Stadium on Saturday, is currently a rebuke in statistical form to the contention that the Cumbrians are in proper shape to press on from last season’s so-near attempt to vault into the Championship.

In other words, three setbacks by September’s end needs to be three setbacks by mid-October, to start with, if this campaign isn’t automatically to become one of desperate swiping at the tails of the teams at the base of the play-off zone, or worse. Approaching engagements with Tranmere and MK Dons now screech into town with more significance than the Blues could do with at this early point in their campaign.

Fizz. Greg Abbott nailed it when asked to volunteer the quality Carlisle left behind when they trotted out in the sun-painted West Midlands two days ago. Aside from a brisk first 10 minutes, and then a hectic closing 15 when they almost found unlikely salvation, this performance was about as effervescent as the flattest ale pumped out by Walsall’s stadium sponsor.

Plainly, the home side offered most of the sparkle. With their twin enigmas, Michael Ricketts and Jabo Ibehre, having an on-day in attack, the Saddlers galloped past United too often and too swiftly for their right to the points to be queried for a second. Once Danny Graham had added a ninth-minute penalty miss onto the roster of recently-squandered Cumbrian opportunities, most of the inspirational work came from the men in red.

It’s not a bad time to point out that their triumphant manager, Jimmy Mullen, took command of Walsall in the summer after a 12-year absence from front-line management in the English league. The way the 55-year-old has so seamlessly positioned himself back in the game (his team are now fifth in the division) is something to munch on for those who think Joe Kinnear has just clambered out of a Tardis a few dozen miles east of Cumbria.

More importantly, Carlisle themselves need to tiptoe back in time: to the early weeks of 2007/8, when their creativity setting was much higher, and even further back to the days when they were not absorbing so many goals at the rear. Walsall were the third team on successive Saturdays to ripple Ben Williams’ net twice, and the seventh of eight opponents so far to ruin the Blues’ quest for a clean sheet. A second penalty, this time pocketed by Marc Bridge-Wilkinson eight minutes from time, was all John Ward’s troops had to show from their toil up the field.

“It’s the first time we’ve been out of the top six for over 50 matches in this league,” observed Ward, who also reluctantly pointed out that three consecutive Blue losses had never before occurred on his watch. So here United are again, making the wrong kind of history at Walsall a season after Neil McDonald’s record-breaking dismissal in the wake of last August’s opening-day draw here.

Ward has bigger problems to grapple with than unpromising landmarks, of course. Namely, how to get more from a squad containing plenty of talent but which is currently clunking and jarring. The issues stacking up include Scott Dobie’s questionable deployment on the right wing (when a straw poll of supporters would surely plant him in attack), so much uncertainty at the back, and a shortage of impetus from midfield, which needs addressing without delay. At least in the substitute performances of Jennison Myrie-Williams and Michael Bridges there were at least two shafts of light visible in this otherwise grim incursion into the Black Country.

How differently it might have unfolded. After Dobie - restored to the team at Cleveland Taylor’s expense - had only just failed to control a perceptive pass from Bridge-Wilkinson, Carlisle had their platinum chance to seize early control. Again, Bridge-Wilkinson was involved, and when home ‘keeper Clayton Ince dithered and then felled Danny Carlton on the right of the box, an observant linesman flagged and offered Graham his early spot-kick opportunity.

His attempt was, unfortunately, less assured than his previous six penalties for United (all successful). Ince saved, then repelled the rebound, and Walsall took the maximum advantage from their reprieve.

With Carlisle failing to penetrate down the flanks, where the home side often doubled up on Simon Hackney and Dobie to stifling effect, the Saddlers began to dominate. Alex Nicholls flashed a shot wide from the left, the awkward Ibehre drew a decent save from Williams and then a block from Danny Livesey, and Nicholls again smacked a shot into Richard Keogh after a neat touch from Ricketts.

Walsall, led by the imperious Anthony Gerrard at the back, were relentlessly skipping into dangerous places and on the brink of half-time, they claimed their deserved lead. First, Williams sliced a hasty clearance out for a throw-in and Abbott frustratedly hurled a water bottle against the dugout, as if the assistant manager realised what was coming. Ibehre calmly controlled the throw, slipped it to Nicholls, and his whipped cross was headed cleanly home by the arriving Dwayne Mattis.

At every stage from the throw, Mullen’s men had the edge on Carlisle: evidence that the Cumbrians are far from their most defiant just now. More proof landed with a thump less than 20 minutes into the second half, when one of umpteen testing corners from Chris Palmer wasn’t cleared, and Ibehre managed to escape penalty box congestion and a tumbling Keogh to slip the chance into the bottom left corner.

By now, Bridges and Myrie-Williams had been summoned to try and spin matters in United’s favour. In the 72nd minute, they almost worked the trick, when Bridges danced clear of attention on the counter-attack and fed his fleet-footed colleague, only for Ince to make a fine, athletic save.

Amid a flurry of home attacks, based on the intelligence of Ricketts and the bustling confidence of Ibehre, Carlisle then did emerge with their lifeline goal. After a tidy Bridge-Wilkinson pass, the dynamic Myrie-Williams sped across from the right and was tripped by the otherwise faultless Gerrard.

Bridge-Wilkinson clipped the penalty home and teed up a rattling climax which drew plenty of pumped balls into the box from Carlisle but no other incidents of note, other than a near miss from home sub Troy Deeney (blocked by Livesey) and a booking for Myrie-Williams for a scything challenge on Ishmael Demontagnac which, linked to a brief rumble of dissent, had home supporters beckoning a red card from referee Mark Haywood.

That would have been a tad tough on Myrie-Williams, who might be needed to tear at Tranmere from the first whistle this weekend (“he’s knocking on the door,” conceded Ward). But the Banks’s Stadium never looked like a field of injustices on Saturday. If anything, Carlisle were beaten more soundly than the numbers imply. The clocks go back in 27 days, but United can’t wait that long before turning back time.

Ben Williams - Made a couple of spirited saves but didn’t get the protection he needed as Walsall poured forward.

David Raven - One of the right-back’s least comfortable days in recent memory. Tormented by Nicholls and unable to hold back the red tide.

Evan Horwood - Wild late shot summed up a wasteful day. Battled all afternoon in defence but without much authority.

Danny Livesey - The pick of an under-performing defensive unit, but still struggled to contain Walsall’s dangerous strikers.

Richard Keogh - Given the slip by Ibehre more than once, the centre-half rarely looked comfortable against the Saddlers’ number nine.

Paul Thirlwell - Performed most of his duties tidily but is now one booking away from a ban after a needless foul.

Marc Bridge-Wilkinson - Contributed to both United penalties and stuck the second away, but Walsall were generally superior in midfield.

Simon Hackney - Made little impact down the left as the Cumbrians failed to penetrate the home defence.

Scott Dobie - Was close to profiting from a couple of good early runs, but otherwise had no influence down the right against his old team-mate Boertien.

Danny Graham - Uncharacteristic miss from the spot in the ninth minute was his final meaningful chance as the service to United’s strikers dried up.

Danny Carlton - Won the first penalty with an alert run but otherwise posed little threat and was not helped by indifferent service.

Subs: Jennison Myrie-Williams (for Dobie, 59) - a dynamic contribution, slightly tainted by late booking. 7; Michael Bridges (for Carlton, 59) - brought some quality to Carlisle’s late creative efforts. 6. Not used: Luke Joyce, Cleveland Taylor, Chris Howarth.