Carlisle United 2–2 Southend United: McAdam’s magic, then the final twist
Kyle McAdam’s stoppage-time strike almost completed an unlikely away win before Georgie Kelly’s second goal left both sides wondering what might have been.
I would have taken a point at Brunton Park for most of the afternoon. Then Kyle McAdam scored, and suddenly a point felt like a kick in the stomach.
That is the cruel beauty of football. Southend spent almost eighty minutes chasing Carlisle, turned the game around with two late goals, and then watched Georgie Kelly snatch a 2–2 draw in the sixth minute of stoppage time. I cannot remember the last time one away point managed to feel so much like a win and a defeat in the space of about four minutes.
The journey was long. The start was worse.
There were 386 Southend supporters at Brunton Park, and they had barely settled into the afternoon when Carlisle went in front. Four minutes. Brad Nicholson released David Ajiboye behind our defence, Ajiboye pulled the ball back and Kelly applied the finish. It was the exact sort of early mistake we had hoped to avoid.
What worried me almost as much as the goal was what came next. Carlisle had opportunities to make it two before Southend had really found a rhythm. Kelly headed one chance over and dropped another onto the roof of the net. Had either gone in, this could have been a very different report.
The Shrimpers were not completely without moments. Oli Coker’s delivery caused enough uncertainty for Ryan Colclough to test the goalkeeper, and Coker tried his luck from distance. McAdam went down under a challenge from Leo Duru and appealed for a penalty, but nothing was awarded. Still, Carlisle carried the greater threat. Oyebade blocked Ajiboye and Collin Duncan had to keep out Harvey Bunker before the break.
There is nothing wrong with Carlisle making it difficult at home; they have scored plenty there. My issue was the number of times we allowed them to get into dangerous areas. If we want to be challenging at the top of this division, we cannot keep giving ourselves a difficult first half and expect the substitutes to fix everything.
Changes that gave us something to believe in
To the manager’s credit, the bench changed the picture. Massiah-Edwards came on for his debut at half-time, then Promise Omochere and Popoola entered before the hour. Their pace and movement asked different questions of a Carlisle defence that had been relatively comfortable.
We still needed Duncan. He blocked Kelly at his near post, and Goodliffe made an important intervention to deny Junior Luamba. Those are the moments that can get forgotten when the goals arrive later, but without them there would have been no comeback at all.
The equaliser came with six minutes of normal time left. Duru’s backpass did not reach its intended target. Omochere was alert, seized the chance and squared for Leon Chambers-Parillon to finish. Suddenly the long trip looked a little brighter. I had been preparing to say that we had found a useful point on a day when we were second best for long periods.
Then we got greedy. And why not? When you have just drawn level that late, momentum can do strange things to a football match. Carlisle almost struck again through Micah Obiero, whose effort went over after Duncan’s save, but the biggest moment was still waiting.
Kyle McAdam, take a bow
Hartigan sent in a corner in the second minute of added time. The ball was cleared to McAdam, waiting around 25 yards out, and what he did next was outrageous. First time, with the outside of his boot, he bent it into the top corner. A finish you would expect from a specialist forward, never mind your full-back, and the sort of goal that deserves to win an away match.
Imagine being one of those 386 Southend supporters. You have travelled all that way, watched your team trail since the fourth minute, and now your side is ahead with the clock well past ninety. I would have been thinking about the journey back with three points and one of the goals of the season to talk about.
Unfortunately, football has a habit of laughing at you when you get comfortable.
And then the final twist
One last Carlisle free-kick came into the area deep into stoppage time. The ball was knocked down and Kelly, the same man who had opened the scoring, guided it into the far corner. Ninety plus six. There was scarcely time to restart before the final whistle.
I know we should be able to defend a late lead better than that. With only moments left, concentration and organisation are everything. Somebody has to win the first header; somebody has to be close enough for the second ball. Carlisle were handed the one opportunity they needed. We cannot pretend that part of the afternoon did not happen just because McAdam’s strike was magnificent.
At the same time, perspective matters. For large spells Carlisle looked capable of winning the match before we ever had our late rally. Duncan’s saves and some committed blocks kept us in it. The changes worked, Omochere again showed his value, Chambers-Parillon took his chance and McAdam gave us a moment we will remember for a very long time.
What this point tells us
Eight points from four away fixtures is a fine start, particularly when you consider the opposition and the travelling involved. That record deserves recognition. But the story inside it is becoming familiar: Southend have attacking quality and genuine resilience, yet we are too often asking ourselves to rescue a match after giving the opposition too much room.
We have come from behind in spectacular fashion against Yeovil and now Carlisle. That shows character. It should not become a weekly requirement. Sometimes I would happily swap the late drama for a calm 2–0 victory with a clean sheet and no nervous last ten minutes.
Two points dropped, one point earned — both are true
Of course I am disappointed. When you score a goal like McAdam’s in stoppage time, you want to come home with the win. I am sure the travelling supporters will be replaying the last few minutes in their heads long after the coach journey ends.
But if we are honest about the full ninety minutes, a draw is not a robbery. Carlisle created chances, Duncan was called upon several times and we had to work very hard for our goals. The real frustration is getting into a position to win and not doing the final job.
Next comes Tamworth at Roots Hall. I want the same fight and attacking spark, coupled with a performance that does not leave us dependent on another miracle. Enjoy McAdam’s goal, learn from Kelly’s equaliser and move on. Up the Shrimpers.
Match details
Half-time: Carlisle United 1–0 Southend United.
Goals: Carlisle — Kelly 4′, 90+6′. Southend — Chambers-Parillon 84′, McAdam 90+2′.
Carlisle United
Desbois, Duru (Linney 87′), Ellis, Feeney, Nicholson, Jenks (Wearne 65′), Bunker (Galvin 87′), Azeez, Williams (Luamba 61′), Ajiboye (Obiero 65′), Kelly.
Unused: Harper, Mair.
Southend United
Duncan, Daley-Campbell, Goodliffe, Oyebade, McAdam, Oldaker (Austin 70′), Hartigan, Coker (Massiah-Edwards, half-time), Chambers-Parillon (Taylor 90+3′), Colclough (Popoola 58′), Cardwell (Omochere 58′).
Unused: Sims, Cox.
Yellow cards: Carlisle — Duru 62′. Southend — McAdam 7′, Daley-Campbell 42′, Cardwell 52′.
Referee: Steven Copeland.
What’s your take?
Take the story into The Clubhouse and join the conversation.
Into Conversations →More from the touchline.
Wealdstone 3–2 Southend United: two leads lost as late winner exposes familiar weaknesses
Leon Chambers-Parillon scored twice, but Southend's unbeaten away record came to a painful end as Olufela Olomola struck deep into stoppage time. The Shrimpers remain third, although the gap to National League leaders Boreham Wood has grown to 15 points.
Worthing 3–3 Southend United: six goals, two lost leads and the same old questions
Southend led 2–0 and 3–2 but were held to a thrilling 3–3 draw at Worthing. A superb first half from Kyle McAdam, goals from Oli Coker and Promise Omochere, and Tyreece Simpson’s debut strike were undermined by another defensive collapse.
Southend United 2–2 FC Halifax Town: one chaotic minute, two red cards and two points gone
Southend United’s 2–2 draw with FC Halifax Town exploded into controversy after Ben Goodliffe was barred from entering under the new ten-second substitution rule. We examine the equaliser, red cards and bigger defensive worries.