United made their first trip to Nottingham Forest's City Ground for 30 years to face a team who have only lost at home once since February, and that being on Tuesday night when Oldham pulled a League One shock out of the bag.
Neil McDonald brought both Kev Gray and Simon Hackney back in to the fold, moving Holmes and Livesey to the bench, and Chris Billy also kept his place in the dug out with Thirlwell getting the nod in the midfield holding role.
Colin Calderwood gave Junior Agogo his first start for the club, with Cumbrian born Grant Holt lined up as his striking partner. Ex-United hero Scott Dobie continued on his road to recovery after recent hip problems, taking what must have been an impatient waiting role amongst the subs.
The atmosphere was electric inside the ground and it was Forest who would create the first chance, when Southall picked up a loose ball from Hawley in midfield. His quick pass released Grant Holt, and his cross towards the centre of the box was deflected over the bar off the thigh of the retreating Kev Gray.
United were getting forward well with Hackney and Hawley linking on the left, but the red shirts were defending well, keeping the forward movement at arms length. Junior Agogo found a wicked delivery when he picked the ball up on the left in the next Forest push forward, and he turned back on his run before cutting it back in. Westwood kept his eye on it, judging the flight as it came over, and was able to pluck it out of the air.
An incisive move from the Cumbrians in the 10th minute saw Hawley feed Gall in to a good position on the edge of the box, but his first touch took the momentum out of the pass and the shot was weak when it came.
Westwood was at full stretch during Forest's next attack as Junior Agogo spotted Harris one on one with Murphy on the penalty spot. His neat chip left Harris with plenty to do, but the header still had enough on it to threaten the bottom corner of the Carlisle goal. It took a full hand to push the ball behind for a corner.
Zigor Aranalde pulled a 22 yard shot wide during a promising Carlisle attack in the 12th minute, and Grant Holt struck an instinctive volley beyond the far post as a hopeful long ball ran through in to his path 19 yards out.
It was setting itself up to be an intriguing game and Kev Gall won a corner from nothing when he hooked a ball he had no right to get to back in to the middle. Morgan put it behind, under pressure from Hawley.
Back at the other end it took a diligent Simon Hackney to head a rasping Wes Morgan header off the line from another superbly delivered corner, after Agogo had been played through in to the area. Westwood had got down quickly to that one, and was very grateful for the back up provided by Hackney during the follow up play.
Forest came even closer to a goal in the 21st minute when Harris stayed patient, 15 yards out. He controlled the ball, checked, and then curled it towards the top corner around the dive of Westwood. Gray had dropped behind the keeper to give cover, and was able to head it away is it arrowed towards the back of the net.
There was plenty of good stuff on display, and United were playing their part with some considered build up football. Kev Gall brought a corner from a floated pass after one such patient passage of play, as he tried to pick out Hackney at the far post, and Carlisle produced some excellent interplay to unlock the home defence in the 27th minute when Raven's near post cross was gathered by Murray. His cushioned touch off his chest took him too far wide and he sent his shot in to the side netting as he tried to get his foot round the ball.
It was a pulsating game to watch and the red shirts flooded forward in numbers when an Aranalde free kick from 27 yards blasted straight in to the wall, and rebounded free. Agogo was sent on a run down the right wing, and it took a sliced clearance from Murphy to keep the cross away from Holt and Harris in the middle.
The Assistant Referee came in to play in the 30th minute when Agogo wriggled his way through a Murphy challenge tight by the bye line and inside the area. The United defender was judged to have held on to the big forward, and the flag started waving even as he tumbled to the ground.
Kev Gray was booked during the discussions that followed and it was Grant Holt who took the responsibility, placing the ball on the spot. He connected cleanly enough but Westwood had chosen the right way to dive, and smothered it as he went low to his left. It was turning out to be a bad afternoon for Holt, who had earlier had a goal chalked off for offside.
The miss seemed to affect the home side and it was Carlisle who took control, bossing the midfield. A superb Hackney run in the 34th minute, after he won the ball out wide, had to be cut out and put away for a corner by Morgan as Hawley waited to get on the end of it just 8 yards out. Kev Gall was unmarked when the corner was floated in, but his snapshot 20 yard volley was always rising and whipped well over the bar.
Gray and Murphy were causing problems as the crosses kept coming in, and Karl Hawley was unlucky in the 40th minute when he spun and shot across the face of goal. Gall was back on his heels and could only watch in anguish as it passed in front of him and behind for a goal kick.
Another build up constructed of accurate passes on 41 minutes saw Gall and Hawley combine to release Lumsdon down the wing, and his cross had the central defenders at full stretch as Beckin was the one who threw a leg out to divert it away from the approaching strikers.
Harris brought the half to a close with a speculative long range effort that Westwood was never going to be troubled with, and Carlisle went off down the tunnel knowing that they had enjoyed much the better of the closing 15 minutes of the half, having ridden out the early storm.
Half Time: Forest 0 - 0 United
Dave Raven put a shot directly at Smith within 26 seconds of the restart and the tempo was maintained by both sides as Neil Harris had a goal scrubbed out in the 47th minute when the Assistant flagged for handball as he controlled a ball over the top. He'd done everything right with the finish, but the decision looked to be correct and received little in the way of protest.
Chris Lumsdon was unfortunate not to register his second goal of the week when Raven and Gall kept the ball on the right in the 50th minute. The latter spotted the run of the midfielder in to the box and picked him out with a pinpoint cross, but the woodwork came in to play as Smith stayed rooted to the spot. It was the width of the bar that would deny the goal.
Simon Hackney did well in the 55th minute, outfoxing his marker and finding himself some space, and his pass allowed Murray to turn and shoot low towards the bottom corner, from 10 yards out. Smith put it behind for a corner, and it was the forerunner to a string of corners that Forest had to concentrate on to defend properly.
Junior Agogo put a header from a Southall free kick in to the arms of Westwood in the 59th minute when he rose highest at the back post and nodded it down. The Carlisle keeper moved his feet quickly and grabbed it as it dropped towards the goal line.
Kev Gall fell foul of a poor touch in the 62nd minute after Hawley had battled for possession and found Hackney in support. The winger dinked a cheeky pass in to the path of Gall, but it dropped off his toe and ran through to the waiting Smith.
United were furious on 63 minutes when Raven was flattened high up the pitch, but play was alllowed to run on. The ball eventually came to Southall at the back post but he swung at his volley and could only find Westwood. Raven would later need to be replaced by Arnison as he failed to shake off the effects of the tackle.
Gary Holt tried to curl a 22 yarder in to the top corner at the end of a slick Forest move on 66 minutes, but it dipped an inch or two the wrong side of the woodwork as far as the home fans were concerned.
Paul Murray will wonder how he didn't score in the 70th minute as the Cumbrians got behind the red shirts, carving them open. Lumsdon had sent the ball out wide, finding Gall on the overlap, and his low, driven cross flew beyond everyone, taking Murray by surprise as he pressed in to the 6 yard box. Hackney and Aranalde both tried to keep the move alive, but blocks from the defence were enough to calm the situation.
United were the team showing all of the guile and style and they got themselves in to another excellent position in the 74th minute when a ball to Hawley saw him outmuscle his marker at the far post. It was a tight angle, and it was just him against Smith. There was plenty of power, but the keeper had the angles covered and was able to beat it away.
The move of the game in the 78th minute saw Karl Hawley hold his pass as he waited for Gall to brust through on his left. The defenders were at sixes and sevens and Gall had timed it perfectly, and he was disappointed to see his crisp volley beat Smith, but fly a matter of millimetres the wrong side of the post as he got it under the keeper.
Paul Murray had a stinging volley blocked by Morgan in the 84th minute and Gary Holt put another wild shot over from the break as it remained Carlisle who were asking all of the real questions.
Sub Jack Lester got himself a booking for diving in the Carlisle area in the 87th minute when the Referee refused to be fooled by his theatrical effort. Agogo would also have an appeal waved away when he hit the deck 2 minutes later, with the crowd demanding a whistle.
Forest tried to muster some late pressure but the game would finish with the ball at their end, as Chris Billy won a free kick 22 yards out with the team keeping the red shirts penned back. Peter Murphy took it, but a defenders leg sent it away for a corner.
This was a game that United dictated for the most part as Forest seemed to lose their way after the Grant Holt penalty miss. The midfield battled for and won everything and the more enterprising attacking came from the blue shirts. The near 2500 travelling fans can also claim the bragging rights on the terraces as they never let the noise level drop for one second. All in all yet another great day out for the Cumbrians, and yet another message sent to the rest of Coca Cola League One.
Bookings
Forest - Lester (88), Bennett (90)
United - Gray (31)
Teams
Forest - Smith, Gary Holt (Thompson 85), Morgan, Breckin, Southall, Grant Holt (Dobie 64), Harris (Lester 85), Clingan, Perch, Agogo, Bennett. Not Used - Padula, Pedersen.
United - Westwood, Raven (Arnison 67), Murphy, Gray, Murray (Billy 85), Lumsdon, Hawley, Thirlwell, Hackney (Holmes 74), Aranalde, Gall. Not Used - Williams, Livesey.
Away Fans - 2491
