Luamba Two Takes Carlisle Top

Carlisle United 2-1 FC Halifax Town (National League)

I've had a weekend of wall to wall FA Cup action. I hardly moved from my sofa on Sunday as I watched Shrewsbury beat South Shields on telly, I also saw Port Vale see off the lowest ranked outfit Maldon & Tiptree and Accrington edge Northern Premier League Gainsborough Trinity to annoy the TNT cameras who were no doubt looking for a shock. on Monday night Leyton Orient silenced Tamworth at the Lamb to ensure another league side went through over part-time opposition, but the highlight of the first round weekend was perhaps National League Carlisle United beating Reading of two divisions above on Saturday.

Hot shot striker Regan Linney scoring a hat-trick against the League One side as Carlisle came back from two down after ninety minutes played to edge a thrilling contest in extra time after they turned the tie around in twelve manic minutes.

Linney even got himself on the telly box with him interviewed on BBC a day later, telling Dan Roan on Football Focus "I'm buzzing, it's a special three points" before realising his mistake that no points were gained from winning a cup match. "I've crumbled here" said Linney live to the nation. Perhaps the only mistake he's made this season.

Tonight it's back to league action for Carlisle and they face Halifax in a third v eighth encounter with a chance to go top. The Shaymen were also in cup action at the weekend, losing 2-0 at home to Exeter.

It's a place I've had on my radar for a while now, my first trip to Brunton Park, it's almost four hours from my house so it's a big one to do on a Tuesday night, especially as I'm covering Braintree v Brackley tomorrow down south, but I'm hoping it's worth it, as I leave Nottingham for 2pm, up the M1, A1, and A66 from Scotch Corner to Penrith.

The Venue

I'm off at junction 43 of the M6 where the traffic starts to build up heading into Carlisle, the cars in front are crawling as I notice a Cattle Auction off the Rotary Way and a farmer cleaning out his cows in the distance on my left. The A69 Warwick Road takes you straight to the stadium and I pull up a couple of streets away outside a Brewers Fayre pub hopeful of a quick exit back home later.

It's no more than a five minute walk, dark and wet the odd firework cracking off, the traffic still at crawler pace as I dodge the headlights to cross over the busy road.

It suddenly appears behind some Victorian terrace houses does Brunton Park, home of Carlisle since 1909. I'm trying to avoid the puddles outside the club shop where there's a statue of Hugh Mcllmoyle outside. He's a player who in three spells scored over 70 league goals for the Cumbrians and even played in the top flight with United during the 1974/75 season.

At the back of the stadium, I'm walking around to the media entrance which is in the Paddock Terrace where behind in the fan zone it's full of cool independent eateries, only a few people hovering outside for now but there's a huge TV screen which is playing Arsenal's Champions League match at Slavia Prague as Bukayo Saka converts a penalty.

I watch for five minutes before asking a steward where to get my press ticket, he points me to a collections window and a girl provides me with a lanyard and points me upstairs, telling me there's sandwiches and drinks at the bar.

There's two bars, Murphy's Bar and the Glass Bar (named after club legends Peter Murphy and Jimmy Glass), I have a walk around both and look at the snippets of memorabilia on the walls before taking a coffee outside, lights still dim the pitch looking magnificent, wide and lush green down below.

"Pitch looks good" I say to a steward who shows me to my seat. "It always does here" he says as the rain continues to soften it.

From the press seats you get a magnificent all be it packed in view, half way up the Paddock Terrace, central to the action and behind the dugouts, the stand opposite is modern but for some reason off centre? There's open terracing to my left and to my right, a stand which has quirks, apexed in several places the Warwick Road End is a famous old triple triangle roofed number which gives an iconic nod to the seventies and those glory days when Carlisle were a top tier force.

The Game

It might feel like another life from the days when this town faced Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal here (they were at the time a league above Manchester United and Aston Villa) but an old fan taps local historian and match reporter Jon Coleman on the shoulder, he's sitting next to me and covering the game for local press, the fan saying to him ahead of kick off "Regan Linney might catch Hughie Mcllmoyle's club record of 39 goals for the season, he already has 14".

Linney in fine form is one of the best players in the division but Carlisle have an old team mate of his, in Chris Conn-Clarke who's here on loan from Peterborough. Conn-Clarke and Linney played with each other at Altrincham and forged a brilliant partnership before going their separate ways, now back terrorising National League defences together, during the 2023/24 campaign there was no better player in the division than Conn-Clarke (in my opinion).

The two line up in attack with Junior Luamba on the right, Georgie Kelly as the shaven headed central number nine, it's a forward thinking line up from Mark Hughes but Carlisle have hangover from Saturday's cup success, they don't start well, it's scrappy and neither team can get a real foothold in the game.

Terell Thomas was named as a substitute before the match but an injury to Aaron Hayden in the warm up had him rushed into the starting XI at centre half, problem is, Thomas has picked up an injury just ten minutes in, and now he's replaced by Jack Ellis who wasn't even on the bench half an hour ago.

Fifteen minutes in Regan Linney has a bit of space in the centre of the field, he plays out to Junior Luamba on the right, the winger cutting in and striking low, a daisy cutter which creeps into Sam Johnson's near post, a soft goal which has hardly been coming, but one to settle down Carlisle you think, after a start I'm not too impressed with from either side.

The Score

In fact the performance continues to be underwhelming, Halifax are no better than Carlisle, neat in areas but in the final third they struggle to carve openings, the midfield battle is more chess-like than Warhammer, Mark Hughes men are unquestionably the better team, but they aren't playing much better than their visitors, as I tell the scout next to me "this could be a potential banana skin tonight".

In truth though, Halifax don't really have it in them to trouble Gabriel Breeze's goal. They have a spell after half time where they come at their hosts, but Carlisle soon step it up a gear, Linney for the first time gets past the impressive right back Thierry Latty-Fairweather on the hour, his cut back should lead to a goal, but Latty has now decided to down tools, he's on the canvass before being lead away by the physio, that shifts the power, Carlisle's left wing is now a real threat, and they make chances, a corner leads to Feeney heading goalwards and Luamba flicks out a foot, the ball nestling home as the former Salford winger runs off fists pumping, telling everyone nearby 'the last touch was mine'.

Georgie Kelly has a fine volley that forces a brilliant save by Johnson, Luamba by now is having fun, full of confidence he's leaving Linney and Conn-Clarke in his shadow as games best player, he's beat two men before running at goal, firing over, he really deserves a hat-trick tonight and has had opportunity, but eludes that third goal for an otherwise perfect nights work.

The Stars

Just 22-years-old Junior Luamba is brilliant cutting in off the right wing and causing poor Angelo Capello at left back real issues with his pace, power and technique.

Chris Conn-Clarke on the other flank is in a completely different way just as mesmerising, perhaps not as effective, but some of his ball control in tight spaces has the crowd wow in awe, he's a real talent and just a couple of games in to his time at Carlisle could get even better, as long as Peterborough don't recall him back from his loan spell too soon.

Regan Linney had a quiet night but always possessed threat, he had a couple of long range efforts fizz wide, Georgie Kelly battled well and held the ball up brilliantly, but defensively it's worth noting, Morgan Feeney solid as ever, Jack Ellis beside him doing well after being thrown in at the deep end, left back Cameron Harper and right back Archie Davies give the team a real good balance. McAdam and Gillead nothing spectacular, sitting in midfield, but breaking down play effectively, playing it simple to their four attacking stars in front.

For Halifax, I've been disappointed before with them, and was disappointed tonight, but they are a team better than this performance suggests. They look to lack real goal threat which might be of concern, defensively they aren't bad, at right back Thierry Latty-Fairweather looks to be a solid dependable defender, disappointed that he went off with injury, whilst Shaun Hobson at centre half offers solid experience next to young Jevon Mills who did well.

Both Will Hugill and Jay Turner-Cooke, each only 21 years old, playing central midfield, battling well, good on the ball, but lacking the options in front of them, Josh Hmami huffing and puffing in a ten role whilst Owen Bray out right did ok, the Shaymen however look to lack a goalscorer, Will Harris worked hard, but he only has four for the season so far.

The Verdict

As I started to pack up my laptop away and the players walked off the pitch in the rain, chants of 'we are top of the league' circled Brunton Park from the outgoing supporters. Carlisle United have a manager with real pedigree, they have players with pedigree at the level, and I feel they can win matches in a variety of ways, they can score all sorts of goals, I've now seen them beat Scunthorpe with a solid defensive away performance netting a set play, I've seen them play badly, relying on a match winning performance by one of their star assets, tonight against Halifax, they have other players in their locker who they can rely on too, which makes them a very dangerous beast.

Halifax I suppose are the sort who when it all clicks, can be just as good, like any team in the division, but they won't click near often as Carlisle, they'll be ok in the middle shuffle and might even flirt with the playoffs, but I don't yet, see a side under Adam Lakeland, that is ready to take the next steps forward. They sit ninth now and if they end the campaign in ninth, I won't be shocked at all.

The Teams

Carlisle United: Gabriel Breeze, Archie Davies, Morgan Feeney, Terrell Thomas (Jack Ellis 10), Cameron Harper, Junior Luamba, Harvey Macadam, Alex Gilliead, Chris Conn-Clarke (Stephen Wearne 71), Georgie Kelly, Regan Linney (Luke Armstrong 87).

FC Halifax Town: Sam Johnson, Thierry Latty-Fairweather (Owen Davenport 60), Shaun Hobson, Jevon Mills, Angelo Capello, Will Hugill, Jay Turner-Cooke (Jack Jenkins 84), Owen Bray (Cody Johnson 73), Josh Hmami (AJ Warburton 72), Jamie Cooke (Dylan Crowe 72), Will Harris.

7:45pm Kick Off. Tuesday 4th November 2025, Brunton Park, Carlisle (att 5,897).