A hectic opening heralded what was to be a very exciting and rewarding afternoon for the Dennyboys. After initial cut and thrust encounters Carlisle stunned the home faithful by taking the lead after just eight minutes. A cross into the box was partially cleared and Arron Bradbury delivered a stunning shot from outside the box which flew into the net. Thackley responded immediately and put the Carlisle defence under pressure and from a cross into their penalty area James Rothel scrambled the ball over the line three minutes later. Two minutes after that and Thackley were in front! Kris Hargreaves’ cross found the head of Luke Robinson and he did what he does so well by planting a header beyond the Carlisle keeper.
Right, now we could settle back and enjoy perhaps a more leisurely pace to the game. No, it was not to be. Thackley forced the pace and several times were unfortunate not to carve out clear cut chances. Carlisle were also contributing to the excitement with their forward forays that were efficiently resisted by the home side’s defence. After twenty-four minutes Thackley achieved another breakthrough. James Ngoe set off on one of his mazy runs on the right-hand side of the Carlisle defence. When he gets into the box defenders find it so difficult to resist him because his pace and dribbling skills take him beyond them into danger areas or they fear tackling in case they should concede a penalty. James took the ball to the by-line and from a very acute angle slid the ball between keeper and goal before it hit the far post and deflected into the net. Carlisle were stung by this setback and mounted a series of attacks which again were resisted by some resolute defending. Paul Whiteley and Pat McGuire were beginning to marshal the midfield ably assisted by James Rothel but you felt that we were not in full control at this stage. Carlisle ended the half with a concerted attack on the Thackley goal and just as we were thinking about getting through to half time unscathed, Thackley increased their lead with probably the best goal of the game. Gaining possession from a Carlisle thrust down the right, the ball was carried on from Marsh to McGuire who played Robinson into space, he fed the ball out wide to Rothel who made no mistake from twenty yards out.
Half Time - Thackley 4 Carlisle City 1

Football’s a funny game. At four one you might say Thackley had ‘put the game to bed’ but us spectators don’t see it that way. One goal and a team can be right back in it. So, a midfield battle ensued with each team trying to score a goal that might give them a chance or the one that would finally settle it. There were many examples of potential threats to both goals but play was confined to midfield or the extremities of the penalty area as both teams resisted attacks. As we neared the final ten minutes Carlisle got the goal that the home crowd thought might spark a revival. David Reynard latched onto a pass into the box and prodded the ball past Wilson. We need not have feared, Luke Robinson finally did put the game out of Carlisle’s reach when he chased down a through ball with a determination that the Carlisle goalkeeper seemed to lack and was left with an open goal to tap the ball into.

Final Score – Thackley 5 Carlisle City 2

A good all-round performance from the Dennyboys with each team member playing a significant role in securing the victory. It was pointed out by one Thackley sage that the players were developing as individuals as well as contributing to the whole team effort. The marked level of improvement from the beginning of the season gives us optimism for the future.

Thackley team: Wilson, Marsh, Hargreaves, Whiteley, Thompson, Basi, McGuire, Hines (Hendrie 61), Robinson, Rothel (Beattie 74), Ngoe (Sibanda 87).

Man of the Match - Luke Robinson