The jinx continues.
It must be a psychological thing we get when playing Carlisle. Why is it we can play a slick passing game at Mansfield one week but seem to struggle to put two passes together against Carlisle.
Right from the off we were on the back foot through our own mistakes and what we ended up with was one of the worst displays at Aggborough since the Darlington FA Cup game.
It was Steve Soley for Carlisle who was the first to call a keeper into action when he forced Brockie into a brilliant save at the foot of his post and Brockie was back in action minutes later when he fumbled but eventually save from a shot by Mark Birch.
But as these things go it was us who took the lead in the ninth minute against the run of play.
Ian Clarkson sent over the perfect cross for Adie Smith who got above the Carlisle defender at the far post to grab his second goal in as many games.
Although we had taken a shock lead we failed to take advantage to pile on the pressure, instead we sat back and let Carlisle continue to expose our poor distribution and the lack of movement from the front runners.
Both Bo Henriksen and Colin Larkin looked below par today but the best move of the game came through them.
Larkin collected the ball on the edge of the area from Danny Williams and played a slick one-two with Bo but it was played back just too far and the Carlisle keeper, Keen, came to his sides rescue as he smothered the ball at Larkins feet.
Carlisle drew level just after when Murphy beat Clarkson near the touchline and put in a low cross for Halliday to fire the ball past Brockie for his first goal of the game.
Three minutes from half-time Abdou Sall almost handed them a second when he inexplicably tried to pass the ball back to Brock but he mis-kicked it and the ball trickled past the post for a corner.
Brockie, who wasn't having one of his better days, fumbled a Soley shot but got back to the line just in time to grab it before it rolled over.
On the stroke of half-time Dean Bennett headed just wide of the post after being booked for an innocuous tackle seconds earlier.
HT. 1-1
Carlisle again looked to be the more positive side at the start of the new half and almost took the lead when a free kick from 20 yards out flashed past the post after taking a deflection from Clarkson.
Harriers won a free kick themselves but Clarkson's kick was headed well wide by Abdou, who could and should have done better.
In the 57th minute all our fears came to pass when Carlisle took the lead.
Halliday netted his second of the game when Green picked up the ball behind the Harriers defence and pushed it via a Craig Hinton deflection to Halliday who in turn put it past Brockie and into the back of the net.
The Reds missed another good chance to get back into the game when Colin Larkin easily beat his man but as he approached the edge of the area he decided to aim for the far post when a better option would have been the nearest one.
His shot went wide.
As the game started to draw to a close the fates seemed to smile on us when the Blues Stuart Whitehead was sent off for a second bookable offence and Richie Appleby equalised with a fluke of a goal.
He had taken the ball into the corner and when he sent over the cross it left Keen fumbling as he back pedalled. He managed to get a hand to it but only helped it on it's way into the net.
We got out of jail.
As the seconds ticked away Mark Blake, who had come on earlier for Clarkson, went down on the touchline. After some extensive treatment a stretcher was called for and he was carried off just minutes after his comeback.
FT. 2-2
Harriers-Online Man of the Match is :
Ian Clarkson
Hard one to call this but I felt that until Blake came on for him he was the only one that seemed to have got his act together.
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TEAMS:
Harriers.
Brock, Stamps, Hinton, Smith, Clarkson, Williams, Bennett, Sall, Larkin, Appleby, Henriksen.
Subs;
Danby, Ayres, Blake, Foster, Broughton (on for Blake).
Carlisle Utd.
Keen, Birch, Murphy, Andrews, Winstanley, Whitehead, Soley, Green, Jack, Halliday, Foran.
Subs;
Weaver, Rogers, Hopper, Allan, Dickinson.
CARDS;
Yellow. Harriers 2. Bennett, Stamps.
Yellow. Carlisle Utd 1. Whitehead.
Red. Harriers 0.
Red. Carlisle Utd 1. Whitehead.
Referee; Mr K. D. Hill (Herts).
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