Carlisle’s next mission was to travel to Lancaster to play their penultimate game of the season

The Cumbrians were looking to improve on their last encounter with their opponents when, even though they had several players missing from their usual line up, they believed they would be victorious. This was a misjudgment of the Lancaster team who swept Carlisle away especially in the first half.

This time, although Carlisle yet again had players missing and fielded only a bare eleven, they did not have any misconception of their stubborn opponents but there may have been certain misgivings that they may have found their bogey team.

The Cumbrians started on the front foot with their own ballistic missile Katie testing the home defence but at this stage misfiring. The game soon became scrappy as Lancaster started to press. After only six minutes Julie Walker managed to latch onto a ball, which was ricocheting around the Carlisle circle, to give Lancaster the lead.

The Cumbrians were taken aback by this mishap and for some time struggled to get going and control the game. It became evident that the changes made due to player absences had led to a misshapen structure. Steadily they restored some degree of fluidity.

In the dying minutes of the first half Carlisle’s missile was downed, not by a drone, but a viciously struck ball which had the misfortune of connecting with poor Katie just below her kneecap. The clock was stopped to attend to the wounded soul who after a few minutes recovered sufficiently to return to the fray.

The pause in proceedings stalled Carlisle’s momentum and shortly after the restart Lancaster increased their lead.

Fate can be a cruel mistress (this time for Carlisle) as a ball from a very long way from the visitors’ goalmouth caught the edge of the home team’s lone striker Julie Walker’s stick before finding its way into the Carlisle goal just inside the upright. Beggar! (Misprint)

The Cumbrians responded in the second half by having the territorial advantage and probed the home team’s back line. They managed to be awarded several short corners .Whilst they forced keeper Leighan Bleasdale into making a number of brilliant saves they were thwarted as much by the sheer determination of the home side not to concede.

As the teams tired the latter part of the game featured a lot of broken play and the teams traded green cards for miscellaneous misdemeanours.In Carlisle’s ranks Rachel Armstrong was the principal miscreant. For the home side Rebecca Airey was the misconductress in chief.

The sound of the final whistle pierced the atmosphere leaving this missive to record a defeat by misadventure for the Cumbrians.