Head coach Chris Beech took charge of his first League Two fixture with the Blues in front of over one thousand members of the travelling Blue Army.
Head coach Chris Beech made three changes to last weekend's starting eleven with Jarrad Branthwaite, Hallam Hope and Jon Mellish stepping in for Canice Carroll, Olufela Olomola and Jack Iredale.
The game started with an excellent run from Thomas which saw him beat his man before delivering a cross into the box. It was just too high and the moment was gone.
Morecambe responded with a deep free kick which was picked up by Tanner as he pulled off his marker. A high, looping pass was nodded back by Old but the defence regrouped to send it away.
Another quickly taken home free kick shortly after saw Tanner release Wildig on the right flank. His cross took a deflection and Webster was able to volley it clear.
Carlisle got forward well when Hope picked the ball up in the centre circle and expertly turned his man. Branthwaite took it forward and Halstead had to watch closely as the teenager's long-range shot spun up off the greasy surface.
United showed a good turn of pace midway through the half when Hope used Mike Jones to help create space for Gethin Jones. His low cross was half cleared, but Branthwaite was there to recover it once again. Mike Jones asked for it, with his back to goal, but his toe poke on the turn was straight at Halstead.
The Shrimps created the best opening of the half on 30 minutes when Stockton shielded a pass forward before picking out Alessandra on the edge of the area. Wildig came in support and he was suddenly clean through, with just Collin to beat. The shot was angling for the bottom corner but the keeper dived long to gather it in.
Slack defending from Morecambe gave Gethin Jones unexpected possession and he wasted no time in feeding it to Thomas. The wide man rode a challenge and went for the far corner but Halstead tipped it into the side netting.
Thomas tried again moments later when he beat two defenders as he made his way along the line of the 18-yard box. It opened up in front of him and he was disappointed as a rasping attempt flew high.
Old sent a free header from a Wildig corner over the bar just before the break, and the hosts earned themselves another corner in time added on when an O'Sullivan shot hit a defender and went behind. Collin was off his line to take that one in.
It took just two minutes of the second half for the away side to grab the lead and it came from a wonderful 40-yard through ball from Nathan Thomas, as he split the defence with a slide rule volley. Striker Hallam Hope did the rest as he shrugged off a defender and calmly popped a great finish into the back of the net in front of the travelling fans.
But the lead lasted just three minutes, albeit with an element of luck when the equaliser came. Alessandra did the hard work as he writhed his way into a crossing position, and a miscued shot from Wildig was heading well wide until former-Blue John O'Sullivan put his head on it to guide it into the waiting net.
A 23-yard free kick from Thomas had to be blocked by O'Sullivan as it went towards the Morecambe target, with Carlisle looking to get back in front, and the game became a battle for supremacy in the midfield areas as the sides worked hard to cancel each other out.
It was a goalmouth scramble on 69 minutes which almost broke the deadlock as Leitch-Smith somehow managed to find space to cross. A weak headed clearance fell to O'Sullivan and he was denied a second goal of the day by a brave block on the line.
United tried to unpick the lock on 75 minutes when Thomas and Gethin Jones linked up. A low cross brought a lunge from Loft but he couldn't get the vital touch.
Gethin Jones was almost the provider for Hope late in the day when he clipped a cross to the far post, but a timely header from Conlan put it away to safety.
Wildig wasted a good opportunity to net at the other end, when he put a header on the stretch the wrong side of the upright at close range, and Carlisle had hopes up with just one minute left on the clock when Thomas earned his side a corner. The referee put the dampers on that when he blew for a foul as the ball dropped out of the sky.
Carlisle were denied what was a stonewall penalty in time added on, when Gethin Jones was clearly felled, but the referee waved play on as he ignored the appeals and United had to settle for the draw.
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Goals
Morecambe - O'Sullivan (50)
Carlisle United - Hope (47)
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Bookings
Morecambe - Alessandra (33), Conlan (57)
Carlisle United - Hope (28), Branthwaite (61)
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Teams
Morecambe - Halstead (gk), Conlan, Kenyon (c), Old, O'Sullivan (Cranston 84), Alessandra, Stockton (Leitch-Smith 67), Sutton, Brewitt, Wildig (Miller 90), Tanner. Subs - Da Silva Mendes, Tutte, Ellison, Brownsword.
Carlisle United - Collin (gk), (c), Branthwaite, Hayden, Webster, G Jones, Scougall (Olomola 64), M Jones, Mellish, Thomas, Hope, Loft (Sorensen 85). Subs - Gray, Elliott, Carroll, Knight-Percival, Sagaf.
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Match officials
Referee - Darren Handley
Assistant Referee 1 - Danny Gratton
Assistant Referee 2 - Chris Isherwood
Fourth Official - Benjamin Speedie
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Attendance - 3,126 (1,251 away fans)