The undisputed goal of the day on Tuesday afternoon, when the Everton U23s came to town, was the strike from Manny Mampala which wrapped the scoring up on the day, and which put United ahead for the first time in what had been an intriguing encounter.
A bullet of a dipping finish rattled into the top corner, with the 21-year-old registering in style against his former club having now joined the Blues of Carlisle on a one-year deal following a successful trial spell.
“He’ll take a lot of confidence from that,” Gav Skelton said after the game. “It’s funny, it’s almost written for him, scoring against his old club. That’s nice for him.
“It was one where you think he’ll pass, he was definitely going to pass, but he was desperate to get the shot off and score and try to prove a point. It was a good goal and he’ll be pleased with that.
“He’s with us now and it’s up to him. It’s not a contract just to make up a number. He wants to knock people who are ahead of him out of the way.
“He’s definitely given us good problems to think about because of how he’s affecting games when he comes on. He’s got all the attributes, it’s now just a case of putting it all together.
“He has a terrific attitude, and hopefully he’ll be a big asset for us and we’ll see a lot of him.”
