Carlisle begin life after Sheridan with win over Mansfield

Posted Sunday, January 06, 2019 by PA

Managerless Carlisle ended 10-man Mansfield’s 17-game unbeaten run with a thrilling 3-2 win in their first match since John Sheridan’s resignation.

Mansfield played throughout the second half a man short after Neal Bishop was given a second yellow card as the players went into the tunnel at the end of the first period.

First-half goals from Jack Sowerby and Hallam Hope gave Carlisle a half-time lead and after Matt Preston pulled one back for Mansfield, Hope added his second.

There was still time for Tyler Walker to score for the Stags and set up a tense finish.

After Mansfield’s Jacob Mellis had fired an early free-kick into the defensive wall, it was Carlisle who scored with their first real raid in the fourth minute.

Jamie Devitt, Hope and Ashley Nadesan all played a part in the move which set up Sowerby, who drilled a low shot past Conrad Logan from the edge of the area.

The Cumbrians grabbed their second goal in the 26th minute when Devitt and Nadesan combined on the right.

Fleetwood forward Nadesan, playing the last game of his loan period for Carlisle, squared across the box to find the unmarked Hope who bundled the ball home.

A foul from Carlisle’s Danny Grainger led to some pushing and shoving, with Bishop handed his first yellow before the tunnel incident that saw him dismissed.

Preston threw Mansfield a 77th-minute lifeline when he headed a Malvind Benning free-kick past Adam Collin.

Carlisle’s two-goal lead was restored two minutes later when Hope went through to provide a composed finish as he slipped the ball past Logan.

Mansfield were not finished and Walker headed in from directly under the bar after Hayden White had caught Collin out of position with his high cross, but it was too late to deny Carlisle a sixth straight win.