This day in History...... Carlisle City 1-2 Jarrow
Saturday 7th September 2019 and the 54 seater coach pulled up in the car park of Perth Green on a sun kissed later summer morning. After the players and coaching staff had all loaded their gear onto the bus the next stop was the Red Hackle where the expectant Hackle Hacklers were waiting, chomping at the bit and excited for a longer away day than most they attend throughout the season.
A little over 2 hours later, after the players had ran out of sports mixtures to throw at the bairns at the front of the bus and the Blue & Army were at the gates of Gilford Park, the players making their way to the changing room and the supporters flooding into the bar. The bar is where they stayed until kick off, the atmosphere noisy but friendly as everyone prepared for the kick off in their own way.
Of the 86 recorded attendees on the day a large portion of that had travelled to north west from the north east and as everyone took their places for kick off the mood around the continued to be bright and buzzing, the sun was beating down and with the game underway the interesting question of the day would be how will Jarrow cope without a keeper.
Injuries to Jak Wells & Mark English meant that goal scoring forward Glen Hargrave had to deputise for Wells and he would put to the test a lot sooner than he’d like to have been.
Jarrow managed to get off to the best start possible with a 3rd minute own goal being scored by City’s Peter Allison. With 11 minutes gone Carlisle had the chance to level things up from spot for foul and as Kyle Armstrong place the ball down and walked back to his mark there was a kind of dull hush in the crowd as everyone’s eyes were on the striker wearing the gloves, not Armstrong who was tasked with beating the makeshift keeper in the Jarrow goal. Armstrong stepped up and Hargrave managed to save brilliantly flying through the air towards the ball and the chance was gone.
Carlisle did gain parity on the stroke of half time for their efforts and drew level through a Dan Kirkup strike.
Happiness for Carlisle soon turned to elation for the travelling supporters however as Dan Smith scored the winner just 9 minutes into the second half. The Blue & White staying behind to drink the bar dry after their famous win against the quality of the Cumbrians on their own patch.
The players joined in the celebrations in the club house proceeding the game and the good will and atmosphere continued, with the Jarrow boys and girls giving a good an account of themselves in the bar as the players had on the pitch. Penalty hero Glen Hargrave would never play in goal again but you can never say never.
The journey home was special too. Despite the heat clearly exhausting some, naps being eagerly taken up amongst the boisterous Jarrow folk. Manager Dave Bell who had spent the journey to Carlisle chatting with two young fans announced on the journey home to the whole bus that they had in fact been the tactical masterminds behind the victory, there faces a picture, the gesture from Dave being no surprise from a man who does everything for the club he loves and to supporters who support him no matter what.
Dave Bell with one of the Tacticians
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