United made it back-to-back wins to start pre-season with a 3-2 victory at Fir Park against Motherwell.
Linney opened the scoring for United on six minutes, when a Junior Luamba flick-on from an Archie Mair goalkick, saw Regan drive into the box before firing the ball through the keeper’s legs and into the back of the net.
The hosts responded on eleven minutes after a cut-back into the box from the left wing found their striker unmarked, and he made no mistake placing the ball into the bottom right corner.
United went close to restoring their lead on 13 minutes, after Georgie Kelly’s chested pass found Linney, who found Trialist A’s run beyond Motherwell’s left-back, his cut-back found Trialist B, who’s shot trickled narrowly past the far-right post.
The Cumbrians controlled the majority of the remainder of proceedings in the opening period without troubling the Motherwell keeper on too many occasions.
The closest United came to restoring their lead was on 42 minutes when the ball found its way to Kenton Richardson ten yards out and his acrobatic effort was claimed by the ‘keeper.
HALF-TIME: Motherwell 1-1 Carlisle United
The Well found themselves in front on 48 minutes when the ball fell loose in the area and their man slotted the ball into the open net.
United earned the chance to restore parity on 58 minutes, when neat combination play between Callum Whelan and Will Rafferty saw the ball find Trialist A in space on the right-wing, he then drew contact from the Steelmen’s defender to win Carlisle a penalty.
David Ajiboye then stepped up and dispatched his effort with aplomb into the roof of the net to level the contest at 2-2.
The Blues then found themselves ahead just one minute later after fantastic pressing from the frontline resulted in the ball falling to Will Rafferty on the edge of the box, his drilled effort ricocheted off Seb Mason and found its way past the ‘keeper to put United ahead.
Gabe Breeze made a smart stop low to his left in the United goal on 69 minutes to keep the Cumbrians’ lead intact.
Callum Whelan went close to doubling the Blues’ advantage on 79 minutes when a threaded through ball from Jack Ellis found the midfielder’s run and his shot from just inside the area found the side netting.
Breeze had to be alert again on 82 minutes to deny Motherwell an equaliser. United’s shot-stopper did well to get down low to his right after a driven effort from the Motherwell striker.
Will Rafferty was yards away from adding a fourth on 85 minutes but he couldn’t quite get on the end of a driven Callum Whelan cross across the front post.
FULL-TIME: Motherwell 2-3 Carlisle United
Team:
United (first-half) – Mair, Trialist A, Richardson, Nicholson, Galvin, Trialist B, Bunker, Lowes, Linney (Tonge 30’), Luamba, Kelly
United (second-half) – Breeze, Trialist A (Hatton 66’), Ellis, Trialist C, Harper, Whelan, Azeez, Hetherington, Rafferty, Ajiboye, Mason
Goals:
United – Linney (6’), Ajiboye (58’), Mason (59’)
Yellow cards:
United – Bunker (45’)
Red cards:
United - N/A
