by Jon Colman

Last updated at 12:34, Monday, 30 November 2009

Carlisle United 3 Norwich City 1: Paul Lambert famously shackled the great Zinedine Zidane in his playing days, but Norwich’s manager had considerably less success in his attempts to put Carlisle United’s French talisman in chains.

Vincent Pericard (in action against Norwich)

This stirring victory was fashioned in the bullocking image of Vincent Pericard, who scored one, made another and was the principle reason why the Blues put their East Anglian visitors on their backsides two days ago.

Lambert, who made his name by snuffing out Zidane in a Champions League final whilst with Borussia Dortmund, is now setting about the task of piloting Norwich back to the Championship from the dugout, with generally impressive results.

He can get back to that singular task now after Pericard and United made a mess of his FA Cup ambitions.

In a pea-souper more substantial than anything Delia Smith has rustled up, United’s number 16 glowed and his defining display has led Greg Abbott to start firing off some comically misleading statements in a bid to chase away likely interest in his targetman.

“Whoever chooses the man of the match award wants shooting,” said Carlisle’s manager after Pericard’s contribution had been duly recognised.

“He is an ordinary player, doing a layman’s job at the top end of the pitch and scored a fluke goal. Now, are The Sun and News Of The World here? Good - make sure you put that in. Tell people he hasn’t been very good again.”

A tally of five goals from 10 appearances, and influential performances such as this, weaken all Abbott’s attempts to keep suitors at the gates. Pericard’s short-term deal expires on January 12. At the very least, the striker – a former Juventus colleague of Zidane – has graced Carlisle’s campaign with the most memorable of cameos.

For all this, it misleads the public to suggest Saturday’s entertainment was a one-man show. Through the fog we saw men like Kevan Hurst, Richard Keogh, Graham Kavanagh and Peter Murphy conspire to humble Lambert’s promotion-chasers. In the second half, in particular, United served up a nutritious mix of fighting spirit and clinical quality. It might well have been the most convincing 45-minute episode we have seen from Abbott’s troops this season.

“Norwich are a good side and a very well-run club, with a lot of players who are probably too good for this division,” added the manager. “And, in the end, we beat them relatively easily. That is unbelievably pleasing.”

The manner of United’s advance to the third round for the first time since 2001 was also the most eloquent possible plea for the uncertain masses to return to Brunton Park. A later-than-normal kick-off time, live coverage of the game on the internet and general doubt over Carlisle’s home form led just 3,936 punters to click through the turnstiles. They witnessed a showing which screamed like Norwich’s majority shareholder to the stay-aways: “Where are you? Let’s be avin’ you!”

This was a triumph against certain odds, too, as Carlisle went into battle without their young Premier League bucks Tom Taiwo (banned) and Adam Clayton (injured), leading Abbott to pitch Peter Murphy and Kevan Hurst into unfamiliar midfield duties, whilst the youth team defender Steve Swinglehurst made up the numbers on an inexperienced bench.

Yet the Cumbrians opened up at a rattling tempo, with Joe Anyinsah throwing down a marker with a steaming run down the right in the seventh minute, and then making similar inroads five minutes later to fashion United’s first goal.

The winger traded passes with Kavanagh deep into the Norwich half, before putting a low cross at an awkward place, behind Pericard. The striker duly extended an ambitious boot and somehow hooked the ball past Fraser Forster, the visiting goalkeeper. It was gloriously instinctive; Pericard’s golden gamble.

United’s snap continued to unsettle Norwich, who took a good 20 minutes to settle into any kind of rhythm, but who then ambushed Carlisle halfway through the first half when Wes Hoolahan emerged with the ball down the left, buzzed into space and picked out Grant Holt to edge ahead of Evan Horwood and bury a header at the near post.

Norwich’s Carlisle-born captain might have expected to power his team onto victory from this point. And for the remainder of the half, he would have been entitled to his presumption, as the visitors started dominating the middle ground with Darel Russell directing traffic and Hoolahan becoming an ever-growing threat, as United struggled to offer Pericard adequate support.

What the hosts needed was a similarly intrepid start to the second half, whilst making more careful use of possession. What they provided was a goal within 15 seconds of the restart, as Anyinsah challenged for a ball from the back, Pericard – possibly aided by an arm – smuggled the ball past Michael Nelson and Simon Lappin, and then cut it back for the arriving Hurst to bury a sweet first-time finish into the bottom left corner of Forster’s net.

Hurst, briefed to nullify the influential Russell after the interval, was one of several blue-shirted players who more than earned his wage from this point onwards. For Carlisle’s skills continued to take them into dangerous places, whilst the likes of Keogh, Murphy and Danny Livesey zapped the visitors’ own unconvincing attempts to scramble a second equaliser.

On drove the Cumbrians. Pericard flashed a 20-yarder wide, Kavanagh took unsuccessful aim from similar distance, and Hurst had another attempt blocked after some easy-on-the-eye attacking from Abbott’s team.

Token attempts from Chris Martin and Lappin drifted by at the other end, before United took their clinching third. First there was a neat backheel from Pericard to Hurst, and then a dangerous cross from the Frenchman that led to a corner. Kavanagh’s delivery from the right failed to clear the near post, so the player-coach bent the returning ball deeper where Keogh rose to plant in a convincing header.

United’s right-back, whose second-half tussles with Holt enlivened the sparse crowd, is John Ward’s best bequest to Carlisle and has become a genuine goal threat this season. Ian Harte, a more regular scorer, was unable to work the trick himself when he got under another Kavanagh cross, but still the Cumbrians cantered on in search of a fourth. By the time the under-employed home debutant Adam Collin beat away an injury-time Hoolahan blast, the argument was stone dead.

“Look at our run now – six wins from nine games,” boasted Abbott. “People can draw their own conclusions.” It’s certainly an impressive stat, as is the fact United’s manager has now coaxed 20 goals from his team in their last nine outings.

That United have thrice flung the ball past both Charlton and Norwich, two of the third division’s pedigree names, deserves decent acclaim, not to mention the quartet of goals they inflicted on MK Dons last Tuesday. Just as crucial on Saturday, however, was their defensive tightness which eventually pushed dangermen like Holt, Martin and Hoolahan to the game’s margins.

It’s a concoction they need to stir up against less glamorous opponents such as Hartlepool, who are next up here tomorrow night, but at times it’s fair to take certain afternoons on their own merits and throw praise where it is undeniably due.

Other than in Pericard’s direction, of course, since he was too dreadful for words. Got that, Championship vultures? Dreadful.

ADAM COLLIN Given ample protection on his home debut, stayed alert enough to deal with Hoolahan’s final effort.

RICHARD KEOGH Aggressive defending helped United stay on top in second half and popped up with clinching goal.

EVAN HORWOOD Highly capable performance from the left-back both at the back and in attack.

DANNY LIVESEY Faultless defending from the skipper to keep Norwich’s dangerous strikers at bay.

IAN HARTE Tidy display at the heart of the back four, was a picture of composure alongside Livesey.

PETER MURPHY Once he adapted to the pace in midfield, he played a vital and intelligent role in keeping Hoolahan in check.

KEVAN HURST Improved significantly after the interval, carried out Abbott’s demands to the letter and took his goal beautifully.

MATTY ROBSON Otsemobor, Norwich’s quality right-back, was often tested by United’s sprightly left-winger.

GRAHAM KAVANAGH Remains in fine form. Helped United turn screw in second half and produced fine cross for Keogh’s clincher.

JOE ANYINSAH Troubled Norwich early on with his pace and persistence, always involved in defence and attack.

VINCENT PERICARD Unorthodox goal, canny assist and heaps more quality. Tortured Lambert’s centre-halves.

Subs: Scott Dobie (for Pericard, 87) - Put himself about. 7. Not used: Lenny Pidgeley, Tony Kane, Michael Burns, Conor Tinnion, Jonny Blake, Steven Swinglehurst.

Goals: Pericard 12, Hurst 46, Keogh 73

Booked: Kavanagh

Norwich: Forster, Otsemobor, Drury, Nelson, Doherty, Russell (Hughes 70), Lappin (Dawkin 79), Smith, Hoolahan, Holt, C Martin (McDonald 70). Not used: Steer, R Martin, Adeyemi, McVeigh

Goal: Holt 26

Ref: Nigel Miller (Co Durham)

Crowd: 3,936

First published at 11:22, Monday, 30 November 2009
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk