The final game of the League One season at Brunton Park was a huge one for both clubs, with implications at both ends of the table as United found themselves pushing for the second automatic promotion spot whilst Bournemouth, on the other hand, needed the points to have any chance of avoiding relegation.

John Ward was without defenders Danny Livesey and Dave Raven, missing through suspension, whilst Paul Reid was also absent, still suffering from the effects of a twisted ankle ligament.

Darren Campion and Gary Madine made their first starts for the club, as the United manager went in search of the spark that would ignite the expected large crowd, with Grant Smith returning in midfield at the expense of Marc Bridge-Wilkinson.

The game started at a fast pace, with both sides probing, and United won their first corner in the 6th minute following good work from Hackney, but conceded their first a minute later when Arnison came under pressure from Kuffour. Neither set piece caused problems as defences stood strong.

The Cherries crafted the best chance of the opening exchanges in the 10th minute when Hollands slid a ball back in to the path of Cummings. He crossed early, picking out Vokes in the box, but his 10-yard header was easy for Westwood to gather.

Gradel swiped a speculative effort well wide in the 17th minute as Bournemouth enjoyed the better of the forward movement, and Kuffour put a left foot thunderbolt right at the keeper on 20 minutes when he controlled a difficult ball at the far post. He twisted and turned, but Westwood was on hand to pluck it out of the air.

The Cherries thought they'd opened the scoring in the 27th minute when Gradel ran to the edge of the area before stroking a shot towards the bottom corner. Campion stuck his leg out, and it deflected wildly, leaving Westwood stranded. The ball cannoned back off the angle of post and bar, and Murphy reacted quickly to push it behind for a corner, before Hollands could pounce.

Gradel was causing problems, and he worked space again in the 28th minute, this time down the United right. His cross was met by Vokes, but he didn't connect properly and Campion was able to clear his lines.

Hackney put one right at Forde on the half hour mark, when he sprinted on to a Graham back heel 23-yards from goal, but the blue shirts were struggling to make things happen in what was a very tense atmosphere.

Danny Graham did well to earn a corner in the 36th minute, and it almost led to an opening goal for the home side as it was quickly laid back for Horwood. He delivered a beauty of a cross, and both Dobie and Madine were a matter of a millimetre away from adding the touch that would have burst the back of the net.

Scott Dobie had a penalty appeal waved away 5 minutes before the break, when he fell to the floor in the box, and Mr Jones took centre stage for a 5-minute period as he booked Lumsdon and shared choice words with the Carlisle bench.

Half Time: United 0 - 0 Cherries

United took the game to their visitors from the second half kick off, with Hackney getting involved on the left wing.

His 47th minute cross was dummied by Madine, and Gowling had to hack it behind as Graham threatened to finish it.

A Horwood free kick had Pearce back-peddling in the 50th minute, but he did enough to get it away from the waiting Peter Murphy and make sure that it went behind.

Grant Smith held play up well on 52 minutes, picking a delicate ball in to the box that found the run of Danny Graham. He nodded it back across the face of goal, and Gowling did well to block the follow up shot from Madine as he tried to place it in the bottom corner.

Madine sent a 9-yard header over the bar in the 56th minute as United started to look much more comfortable, and Lee Bradbury had to react quickly to make sure that Graham wasn't able to volley home a Dobie cross that was fizzed in to the area.

Scott Dobie made it four for the season in the 58th minute when the Cherries failed to deal with a ball that was pinging around in the area. The big striker held his position and gratefully swept it in to the back of the net as he found himself completely unmarked.

Peter Murphy typified the renewed determination being shown by the side in the 65th minute when he somehow got his head to a shot by Hollands that was about to test the Carlisle keeper. Pitman than drilled a poor shot wide, when he had options, as Kevin Bond urged his men forward. The ploy worked in the 68th minute when Pitman found himself with just Westwood to beat, and he toe poked his volley in to the back of the net to spark the celebrations in the Waterworks End.

Bournemouth were suddenly lifted, and they should have scored again on 75 minutes when United lost their markers from a short corner routine. Cummings got it to Pitman, and his low cross / shot somehow eluded everyone, when all it needed was a touch to guide it in to the bottom corner.

Scott Dobie rifled an 18-yard volley over the bar on 82 minutes, when Murphy chested an Arnison free kick in to his path, and Bridge-Wilkinson put a 30-yarder right at Forde as the Cumbrians tried to up the pace once more.

Lumsdon had to block a goalbound Bartley volley on the line as the game switched from end to end, and Carlton was a whisker away from scoring his first for the club when he glanced a Hackney corner just wide. Simon Hackney then spurned a gilt edged opportunity, as the clock ticked in to time added on, when he cut in from the right and blazed a wayward shot in to the car park.

Goals

United - Dobie (58)

Cherries - Pitman (68)

Bookings

United - Lumsdon (42), Horwood (74), Arnison (79)

Cherries - Bradbury (90), Hollands (90)

Teams 

United - Westwood, Arnison, Campion, Murphy, Horwood, Dobie, Lumsdon, G Smith (Bridge-Wilkinson 80), Hackney, Madine (Taylor 72), Graham (Carlton 85). Subs - Howarth, Aranalde.

Bournemouth - Forde, Gowling, Cooper, Anderton (Pitman 61), Vokes, Kuffour, Hollands, Pearce, Gradel, Bradbury, Cummings (Bartley 86). Subs - Pryce, Young, Garry.

Away fans - 1525