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Carlisle dumped out of FA Trophy Fourth Round by two leagues below Chatham

Carlisle United were dumped out of FA Trophy Fourth Round by two leagues below Chatham Town in front of a bumper crowd.

The Cumbrian outfit’s assistant head coach Frankie McAvoy defended the team selection of nine changes to the starting line-up, after being beaten by a side third in the Isthmian Premier League, a gap of 50 places between the two clubs.

It was Matty McArthur’s first-half free-kick that proved to be the only goal of the game, and Carlisle struggled to spark any kind of comeback, leaving those who made the 670-mile round trip from Cumbria to Kent disappointed.

What also put a downer on their day was losing top spot in the National League to York, who won away at Sutton United to go top on goal difference.

McAvoy told BBC Radio Cumbria: “We did feel we had enough to win the game. Quite a few supporters have come here to try to see us win as well and we were hoping we had enough quality on the pitch.”

“Some of them have not played as many minutes as they probably hoped to have done.

“This gave them an opportunity to show what they can do and unfortunately we came up a wee bit short. That is the disappointment.

“We prepared as best as we could for the game, we felt we were taking a squad good enough and capable of winning. Unfortunately it didn’t go our way.”

Carlisle first-team Coach Frankie McAvoy said to CUTV: “We’re disappointed that we’ve lost the game. It’s a great strike for the fella, to be honest, the free-kick. Probably a bit disappointing for us in terms of how we conceded it.

“If we’re honest, we probably didn’t create loads of opportunities and chances. I think once they score, it’s easy for them to sit in and make it tough for us to try and break them down.

“We probably huffed and puffed quite a bit, if I’m being brutally honest about it. We probably have a good chance in the first half with David (Ajiboye), but only once or twice did we manage to get in behind them.

“We change the shape for the second half, and we end up getting a couple of decent attempts. Probably the best one, falling near the death for Cammy (Cameron Harper), and he’s probably a bit unfortunate there.

“You’ve got to give them [Chatham] credit. They dug in, they worked really hard, they got men behind the ball, and they made it really difficult for us.

“We had loads and loads of the ball, as we did expect. The real chances probably fell to us, but were they really clear-cut? Probably not.

“The only thing positive for us is that it allowed the manager to rotate the squad quite a bit and get a few of the young players opportunities and chances to play.

“It’s important that we manage that [fitness] as best as we can. We’ve obviously got to protect the players that we’ve got as well, because the league’s important to us as well.”

Carlisle midfielder Callum Whelan told CUTV: “Yes, obviously disappointing. We came here to win. We had enough senior players and a good enough team to win.

“I thought we had a go in the second half, but we weren’t good enough in the final third. Didn’t play in their half enough.

“As much as the league is a priority this season, it’s disappointing not to continue in this competition. It was a good chance to get to Wembley as well.

“We prepared for this game like we would any other. And we came here to win. We try and win every game.

“We actually said before the game it was important to start quick. I just don’t think we started well enough.

“I think we had enough control second half to work their box better and create more, but we never really did.

“They [Chatham] defended really well, and they made it difficult. We didn’t put enough balls into the box, and we didn’t have enough shots.

“The following and the support we have is unbelievable. We weren’t at our levels today, which is a shame for the ones that come, but they’ll be at Solihull right behind us again.”

Here’s how fans reacted with Carlisle dumped out of FA Trophy Fourth Round by two leagues below Chatham…

@Chris_CA2: Embarrassing but hardly surprising, having someone who can score goals on the pitch may have helped. Probably for the best not having to play more games

@gravesylad: An utter shambles. Priority or not, losing a game of football to Chatham Town (no disrespect to them) when you’re Carlisle United is completely unacceptable. Possibly our most embarrassing defeat ever.

@PaulRodgersNTO: Good luck to all the decent Carlisle fans I met in your end today, who were generally friendly and good humoured. I hope you go on and win the National League and get back in the Football League where you belong.

@Reay78: Firstly… I’m not fussed one little bit about going out this competition. The thing that worries me is, another dire performance and also shows the amount of dross we have in the squad, absolutely nobody banging on the door for a start next league game. It’s an Embarrassing loss.

@jrichardson1196: Shambles but might be a blessing in disguise. Shows the quality of our squad 👍

@Nick_Brown86: Firstly congratulations to Chatham it’s an embarrassing result for us but a fantastic one for them. There’s a number of players in the squad who need a good kick up the arse or shipped out.
If we win next weekend this result will be forgotten about in an instant.

@Gills3472: Omg well done chats. Chuffed for you all 👏👏👏👏

@Halpinforpope: Congratulations and good luck in the rest of the competition.

@IsaacStatue: Crystal Palace and Carlisle United. Your boys took one hell of a beating! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

@dougrmurphy: Go on and reach Wembley. Congratulations from a carlisle fan

@Not_Quite_Pro: Outstanding result 🏆

@markpotter9: Wow. Absolutely incredible. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Congratulations to everyone involved there .

@gillfox19: Great performance today. Every player gave their all. It was a privilege to be there 🔴⚪️⚫️

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