In the end it was a comfortable win for Rovers, but Carlisle had 4 decent first half chances and on another day things could have turned out very different. The visitors were able to stifle our midfield in the early stages and when McCulloch went off, there were a couple of times when defenders got caught in possession and there wasn't an out ball, which Luke usually offers. Norwood seemed quite isolated in that half, in Pringle's absence, Jennings seemed to be playing as a left-winger and Banks the most advanced of the midfield. However, Rovers rode our luck and grabbed the lead with a well-worked goal headed in by Banks in added time.
In his post match interview, MM refers to making some adjustments at half-time. I wasn't paying enough attention to be sure, but wonder if this involved sharing out the McCulloch role between Perkins and Harris. Perkins seemed to be operating a bit deeper in the second half and doing very well there. Couldn't put my finger on what else we did, but it was a much more positive approach, although until Norwood, with a bit of fortune, got Caprice's excellent cross over the line,it was still a bit nervy. Monthe's header was the icing on the cake.
McCulloch being out for the rest of the season will cause difficulty, as his ability to break up play and provide an out ball protects the defence. Perkins can do that job, but is more influential further forward and there is a fear that Harris is a bit of a loose cannon. I'm also concerned about Pringle being out of favour, if it means Jennings being played on the left-wing and Norwood a lone striker.
Perkins had another good game, Jennings popped up around the pitch, doing some good defensive work and Monthe topped an assured performance with a goal. However my MoM was Jake Caprice, some excellent attacking work, topped by the assist for Norwood's goal and he was at times the sole outlet for moving the ball forward in the first half, along with tidy defensive work.