John Ward rung the changes at the Withdean as he went in search of the ingredients that would bring a return to winning ways, sacrificing Murphy, Gall, Smith and Graham for Keogh, Anyinsah, Hackney and Carlton.

Richard Keogh, of course, made his debut and Danny Carlton made his first League start following his hard-working displays in the Reserve team.

Brighton went in to the game with an air of confidence having lost just once in the last 13 outings, and Dean Wilkins was able to name an unchanged starting line up as he looked to extend the current unbeaten run to 8 games.

Chris Lumsdon, Joe Garner and Neale McDermott all took the opportunity presented by an empty ground on their arrival to sample a 'fan's eye view' from the away terrace (some 40 yards behind the goal), and were visibly less than impressed with what they saw. Thankfully the rain held off, avoiding a repeat of the soaking experienced during the Festive period last season.

Defences were on top in the opening ten minutes, with Dean Cox and Nicky Forster looking lively for the Seagulls, without quite managing to find the final ball. United worked hard to close down, enjoying decent spells of possession themselves, but mostly in the middle of the park.

Simon Hackney showed his pace in the 14th minute when he cut out a Savage pass, deep in his own half, and left Whing for dead as he set off on a 40 yard run. His cross was angled towards Garner, but a diving El-Abd header sent it towards the sprawling Kuipers, and he grasped it at his near post.

Kuipers pulled off a superb save on 15 minutes when he stretched to tip a Bridge-Wilkinson header over the bar following a good leap from the Carlisle midfielder. The Cumbrian efforts sparked a response from the Seagulls, with Cox seeing much more of it on the right flank. Livesey and Keogh were equal to it though, executing some excellent blocks on the edge of their own area.

Carlton had a weak shot blocked on 25 minutes, when he spun and turned 10 yards from the target, and Cox tried to make things happen at the other end when he made the bye line and cut it back in to the middle. Westwood showed safe hands, taking it off the head of Savage as he steamed in at the back post.

Hammond nodded a 10 yard header wide on 31 minutes, after Livesey had blocked the initial cross, but Westwood was never really troubled as he watched it bounce behind for the goal kick.

The Cumbrians were starting to take control in midfield and Garner and Anyinsah combined in the 33rd minute to fashion an opening for the cross. Anyinsah flashed it across the face of goal and Carlton was inches away from getting the touch that would have directed it towards the target.

A lapse of concentration in their own half cost Brighton dear in the 35th minute when Lumsdon pounced and made the ball his own. With three options in front of him he slid it in to the path of the advancing Simon Hackney. Taking one touch he set himself nicely before smashing it beyond Kuipers and in to the roof of the net.

The Seagulls upped the pace but it was relatively comfortable as the defence stayed tight, with a 23 yard Dean Cox shot the only thing to get through the stubborn back line. Livesey had to stick his leg out to intercept a Savage shot that was threatening to test the keeper, but it was a much better first half from an industrious visiting side.

Half Time: Brighton 0 - 1 United

A bright second half start from United counted for nothing when Nicky Forster battled his way in to a shooting position after receiving a difficult pass with his back to goal.

His first touch took him in to the area and allowed him to turn, pulling the Carlisle defence out of shape. The tricky striker capitalised, evading the challenge from Keogh and thumping his 16 yard volley in to the back of the net as Westwood desperately tried to get something on it.

The lead was restored in the 53rd minute when the Cumbrians kept the pressure on with some teasing crosses in to the box. Carlton was at the back post to meet the last in the series, and his left foot clipped shot evaded everyone as it bobbled across the 6 yard box. Joe Garner wasn't about to hang back, and he gratefully accepted the invitation to prod it home from just 4 yards out.

Nicky Forster was disappointed with himself in the 57th minute when he could only get the merest of touches on a Cox cross, and especially after he had stolen a yard to make the space for the header. He was the main threat, though, and had Westwood scrambling on the hour mark with a 25-yard grass cutter that crept just inches wide of the upright.

A rush of blood to the head brought a sending off for George O'Callaghan in the 64th minute when a tangle on the ground with Garner ended with the big loanee throwing out a leg that looked to all intents and purposes like an attempt to stamp on the prostrate United striker.

The 10 men coped well with the enforced change, pressing forward in the spell following the dismissal, but the game became tetchy as niggling tackles became the order of the day. Simon Hackney showed that he hadn't lost his concentration when the ball came to him in the 79th minute, 10 yards outside the area, and his left-foot volley had Kuipers beaten all ends up. Unfortunately it lacked the direction required and fell inches wide of the intended target.

The Seagulls pulled level with 6 minutes to go when a half clearance from Raven fell nicely for Cox. Savage was in space out wide, and used his pace to get to the bye line. His cross was accurate and Nicky Forster was able to bury it from just 8 yards out, with the Carlisle defence unable to do anything about it.

It was the last real action of the game, and it was honours even at the end of an entertaining encounter.

Goals

Brighton - Forster (47, 84)

United - Hackney (35), Garner (53)

Bookings

Brighton - O'Callaghan (64 - straight red card for stamping)

United - (Garner 74)

Teams 

Brighton - Kuipers, Whing, El-Abd, Lynch, Cox (Fraser 86), Forster, O'Callaghan (sent off 64), Hammond, Robinson (Martot 69), Richards, Savage. Subs - Elder, Butters, Sullivan.

United - Westwood, Raven, Livesey, Keogh, Aranalde, Anyinsah, Lumsdon, Bridge-Wilkinson, Hackney, Carlton (Graham 73), Garner (Gall 77). Subs - Howarth, Murphy, Smith.

Away fans - 407