Carlisle United extended their strong run at Brunton Park with a 2-0 victory over Aldershot Town, a result that moved them further up the National League table. The match was characterised by two contrasting halves, with Carlisle’s second-half performance proving decisive in securing the three points.
The first half was a tight affair, with both sides finding it difficult to carve out clear chances. The tense nature of the opening 45 minutes was reflected in yellow cards issued to Carlisle’s Regan Linney and Aldershot’s James Clarridge. The score remained 0-0 at the interval.
The second half saw a significant shift in momentum. Just a minute after the restart, Regan Linney scored for Carlisle, with Stephen Wearne providing the assist. Aldershot looked to respond, introducing Hady Ghandour for Tristan Abrahams on the hour mark in a tactical change.
Carlisle, however, remained determined and continued to press. A double substitution in the 68th minute saw Junior Luamba replaced by Georgie Kelly and Archie Davies making way for Harvey Macadam. The change had an immediate impact, as substitute Harvey Macadam provided the assist for Bevis Mugabi to extend Carlisle’s lead in the 69th minute.
Aldershot made a further double substitution in the 73rd minute, with James Henry and Ryan Jones entering the match, but they were unable to change the game’s trajectory. Carlisle then made late substitutions, with Alex Gilliead replaced by Josh Grant and Stephen Wearne making way for Callum Whelan in the 85th minute. In the 88th minute, Aldershot also brought on Kiban Rai for Josh Barrett, while David Ajiboye replaced Regan Linney in the 90th minute.
Ultimately, Carlisle United secured a comfortable 2-0 victory. This win sees Carlisle climb to third in the league standings with 20 points from nine games, while Aldershot Town sit in 16th position with nine points.