CITY 1 CARLISLE 2
League Division 1
19th March 1975
attendance 24,047
scorers
City Barnes(25)
Carlisle Laidlaw(23 & 41)
ref Jack Taylor
City Corrigan, Doyle, Donachie, Hartford, Clarke, Oakes, Summerbee, Bell, Royle, Barnes, Tueart – used sub Keegan
Carlisle Ross, Carr, Spearitt, O’Neill, Green, Parker, Martin, Train, Owen, Laidlaw, Clarke – sub Balderstone
City’s lowest League attendance of the season came in hope, rather than expectancy, for a victory to try and keep up the chance of making a UEFA Cup spot, however they were disappointed with another abject display from Tony Book’s side.
Book exclaimed: “We are walking a tightrope… The simple fact is that we are playing badly and not putting our game together… This is something that does not apply merely to the Carlisle game. I have seen the off-key pattern developing in the last three games. The players are trying hard enough but things are just not happening for us. It is a difficult period we are going through and it is now up to the backroom staff to try to pick up the pieces and place them together again.”
Relegation favourites Carlisle took the lead in the 23rd minute with a volley past Corrigan, just two minutes later City were back in the match as Peter Barnes scored his first goal with a good left foot shot.
The winner for Carlisle came four minutes from half-time. Frank Clarke looked offside as he lobbed Joe Corrigan to score, however referee Jack Taylor waived away City protests that the linesman had flagged and allowed the goal to stand.