United won their opening Central League Cup game against Fleetwood on Tuesday afternoon but it proved to be a real test as the visitors grew into the game following a stuttering start.
The Blues started well and Brad Young was onto a weak back pass in a flash as he bore down on a wrong-footed defender.
The keeper tried to tease the ball into his area, so he could pick it up, but he stumbled and that opened the slightest of gaps. A quick recovery from the stopper allowed him to push the ball away before it could be finished off.
A run from deep from Lewis Bell followed and he spotted Mampala on an overlap. A fierce cross came in but the stopper parried it away.
The hosts continued to probe, with Bell and Toure heavily involved, but they couldn’t quite find a way through as efforts went wide or over the bar.
A drilled effort from Leslie found its way through bodies when he arrived in space on the edge of the area, and Young volleyed after Toure had beaten two before pulling a pass back. Once again a well-placed pair of gloves dealt with the moment.
Toure had been given licence to run free and he did just that on the half hour when he left two in his wake. He let fly when he reached the box and it was just an inch the wrong side of the upright.
One minute later and Toure was forward again, with the ball under his control. He dropped a shoulder to go for the target but a dive and a strong hand denied him his strike.
The Cod Army came to life on 35 minutes with an incisive move which left the wide man with just Simons to beat. A cool head from the young glovesman saw him spread himself at exactly the right time as he made an excellent save.
That sparked a good visiting spell and two shots in quick succession whistled past the United post. And Simons had to go long to palm a curler away from his bottom corner when another came his way. Dinzeyi was back to cover and he completed a superb block when the follow-up came in.
There were loud appeals for a Fleetwood penalty as the clock ticked into time added on, and the home side survived a real scare when a volley from just 13-yards was skewed and put wide, when it looked easier to score.
Into the second half and Max Kilsby fired the first salvo when a cross ended up at his feet. It wasn’t too far away, and neither was a measured shot from Toure when he controlled a pass from Mampala before letting fly. Morgan Feeney also hit the bar with a looped header that appeared to be going in.
Carlisle edged ahead on 51 minutes when Brad Young took a fizzed pass into his stride. His initial punt was charged down, but he kept going as he went on a winding run. Good movement saw him shake his man off and he left the keeper with no chance.
Half chances came and went as the balance of power shifted this way and that, and Mampala and Toure were both busy in the box as they looked to add to the tally.
A good spell of pressure brought the equaliser when two attackers split, making room for the through ball. It duly came, and a twist and turn was followed by a clean finish from the alert Danny Edwards.
United picked things up and there was a double save from Toure and Mampala when the first volleyed and the second headed at the target as Kilsby and Bell fed the passes in.
Feeney popped a header from a free kick past the angle of post and bar, but the pressure was made to tell on 80 minutes when Toure sprayed it to Mampala. He wriggled his way to a more central position and smashed the ball home.
Fleetwood pushed through the final minutes, but the defence stood strong and it was three points on the table for last season’s beaten finalists.
+++++++
Carlisle United – Simons, Ellis (c) (Barnett 83), Dinzeyi, Feeney, Kilsby, Bell, Leslie, Charters, Toure, Young, Mampala. Subs – Boyd, Taylor, Watt, Carr.
Goals – Young (51), Mampala (80)
Booking – Kilsby (90)
+++++++
Match officials
Referee – Connor Scott
Assistant – Michael Studholme
Assistant – Tom Lishman
+++++++
Attendance - Played at the BP training pitch (approx 40)