Last updated 18:49, Wednesday, 02 April 2008

Carlisle Utd 0 Nottingham Forest 2: The clocks went forward a few days ago, but back they went with a jerk last night.

Cleveland Taylor goes in for the tackle with Forest's Julian Bennett

League One’s twin superpowers were always likely to reassert themselves at some stage in this mindbending promotion race. At least Nottingham Forest and Leeds had the decency to perk up in unison.

Carlisle’s long and stirring run of home victories is finally dashed after more than half a year (and that’s a sentence worth rereading). The Blues’ impenetrable defence is conquered after nearly six unbroken hours. And yet their hold on second place is no weaker this afternoon.

Why so? Doncaster, United’s closest rivals, were also impaled on their home ground, by their Yorkshire neighbours who share with Forest the luxuries of large stadia, well-staffed squads and vast fanbases, but also the weighty burdens of illustrious history, recent underachievement and huge public expectation.

It’s a sort of parallel universe when Carlisle and ‘Donny’ are the aristocrats and Forest and Leeds the upstarts. Get your heads around that, while United and Rovers work out whether to feel frustrated at three squandered points last night or relieved that their nearest foes were unable to profit.

Undoubtedly, Carlisle’s hand remains the strongest. Their cushion – three points, a game in hand and a superior goal difference – is perfectly intact today as a line goes through another game in the diary. The only damage we find ourselves inspecting today is to their confidence, but for revealing light to be thrown on that, we must wait for Yeovil’s visit in three days’ time.

Forest, nine points behind the Cumbrians in fourth place, have probably left their own charge for automatic promotion too late, not that a side with so many pedigree names can be completely dismissed. Last night Colin Calderwood’s fallen giants rose convincingly to the task of punishing Carlisle for a few moments of wastefulness at the front and a single spasm of confusion at the back.

Luke Chambers’ critical opening goal in the 76th minute was a rap across the knuckles for anyone who assumed chances such as those missed by Danny Graham in the first half can always be accounted for, eventually.

Not always. Not this time. Carlisle have unquestionably played worse than this and won at Brunton Park. Last night they simply danced too close to the flames.

Twice in the space of 10 minutes might Graham have notched his 16th goal of the season and put United on the road to consecutive home win number 15 in a taut, engrossing game. First, the striker sped away from Wes Morgan’s mistimed leap, advanced into the Forest area, but pulled his shot wide.

Then, on the brink of half-time, Grant Smith released Simon Hackney down the right but Graham, sliding in, couldn’t get enough of his normally-deadly right boot on the low, near-post cross.

One reprieve, followed by another. So then Chambers appeared through the smoke, 14 minutes from time, to bury a free header from a scrappily-conceded free-kick at the Warwick Road End. Gareth McCleary’s injury-time clincher, after Danny Livesey had hit the visitors’ bar, was simply the breakaway goal which always lurks in the shadows then the other team is attacking as furiously and desperately as Carlisle were in the final minutes – although Forest’s Chris Cohen still deserves credit for the burst of imagination that created their second goal.

“If these runs have to come to an end, you go down fighting, with all guns blazing,” said Ward, bullishly. “We’ve done exactly that – we stood toe-to-toe with a good team in a good game of football.” True. But let’s not go down the misleading route of arguing Forest’s right to win this game. Their football was no more impressive than Carlisle’s, but it was their rapier work in the penalty box that allowed them to carry the day.

United began the contest briskly enough, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson firing an early sighter at Paul Smith, and Evan Horwood speeding onto Chris Lumsdon’s pass and sending over a dangerous cross which Julian Bennett hooked behind. Forest sought to counter-attack, chiefly through Nathan Tyson’s pace, but were unable to capitalise on their sporadic half-chances; Cohen shooting weakly from promising territory, and Junior Agogo blasting wide after stumbling through a Peter Murphy challenge.

The pinball pace of the game, with midfield gaps hard to find, proved too much for referee Mark Halsey in the 31st minute, when the Premier League official claimed an injury and had to be replaced by fourth official Michael Oliver.

After the two-minute delay, Lumsdon served up golden chance number one for Graham with the long ball misread by Morgan but misdirected at the moment of truth by United’s striker.

An off-target Sammy Clingan header preceded Graham’s second chance, which he seemed millimetres away from converting. Ten minutes into the second-half, after Lewis McGugan had slid a shot just past Keiren Westwood’s post, Graham almost struck gold when he powered in a shot from over 25 yards, only for Smith to make an athletic save.

Cleveland Taylor was fractionally unable to profit from dangerous crosses, but Forest, now seriously stirring, timed their strongest punch to perfection. First, the visitors intercepted some ponderous home passing and then McGugan was clipped by Simon Hackney. The midfielder rose to bend in the telling free-kick, and Chambers – in excessive space – made short work of the scoring header.

Back flew United: Graham with a header, then a slide, both repelled by Smith. Westwood saved well from Agogo after the Ghanaian had got behind Murphy then, back at the other end, Bridge-Wilkinson curved a free-kick behind Calderwood’s back line and onto Livesey’s head, only for the ball to bounce back off the bar.

Near the death, Smith clawed away another Bridge-Wilkinson set-piece. Then, seconds from time, Cohen set up Forest’s second – spinning purposefully clear of Murphy in the corner and teeing up Emile Sinclar, whose shot was superbly blocked by Westwood, only for fellow sub McCleary to dispatch the rebound.

And so the final lesson about taking your opportunities was rubbed firmly in the Cumbrian face. How it stung. Then, with great heart, the home supporters sent the beaten Blues down the tunnel with the kind of mighty roar that said: We’ll carry you over the line ourselves, if we have to.

Hopefully it won’t come to that. Six games to go equals a sizeable remaining pile of drama and confusion, but the way United show themselves immediately after this defeat will probably define their final push. Yeovil, on Saturday, now provide the health check for Carlisle and their still-soaring ambition.