Abbott slams 'sloppy' goals; Opening day horror show from woeful Cumbrians.

Carlisle United 1 Brentford 3

THE hopes for the new season were all but dashed at Brunton Park on Saturday, as Greg Abbott's Carlisle United side made a return to the dark days of last season.

A string of unforced errors and missed chances handed League One newcomers Brentford all three points on a plate. Abbott said afterwards: "We conceded three sloppy goals and we just haven't made Brentford work. The most disappointing thing about it was the 20minute spell after half-time.

"They scored two of their goals and we looked like a team that was going to lose. The players didn't respond to the disappointment of the early second-half goal at all and we gifted Brentford the game."

It may have been different had a cushioned Cleveland Taylor header dropped the right side of the post from the first attack of the game. But it was the Bees who drew first blood when Myles Weston crunched a header into the roof of the net when he was left unmarked at a Sam Saunders corner.

Former Ireland defender Ian Harte levelled with a well-taken penalty within the space of four minutes, and the balance of power appeared to have shifted as Matt Robson, Joe Anyinsah and Danny Livesey all spurned opportunities to put the home side in front.

Carlisle captain Paul Thirlwell said: "We felt confident at half-time that we were going to go on and win it, because we were the ones making all the chances. Obviously it was a worry that we had missed a few, but we thought that we had control of the game."

However, the momentum shifted once more shortly after the restart when Weston spun inside the area and drilled the ball through the hands and legs of an extremely disappointed Lenny Pidgeley.

And a Pidgeley throw-out on 64 minutes put the defence under pressure once again, before the lively Sam Wood nipped in to rob the ball and thump it into the back of the net via a deflection and the woodwork.

Abbott said: "It was the kind of goal you would see a pub team concede. It summed up our day. Plenty of possession, plenty of chances, gifting them goals, and if we continue like that then we will all be in trouble."

The Bees finished strongly and could have made the scoreline even more comfortable, but Saunders missed an open goal and wasted a one-on-one opportunity, while substitute Scott Dobie had a fierce shot cleared off the line in a rare second half Cumbrian attack. Thirlwell said: "We have to make sure that we don't let this affect our confidence. It's the first game of the season, and we can learn from it and push on if we do things properly."

CARLISLE: Pidgeley, Raven, Livesey, Keogh, Harte, Taylor, Thirlwell (Bridge-Wilkinson 82), Taiwo (Dobie 56), Robson, Anyinsah (Madine 75), Kavanagh. Subs (not used): Collin, Horwood, Murphy, Kane.

Booked: Taiwo. Goals: Harte 17 pen. BRENTFORD: Price, Foster , Phillips, Bennett, Dickson, Saunders, O'Connor, Hunt (Osborne 90), Wood, Cort, Weston (Kabba 82). Subs (not used): Bull, Ferrell, Franks, Williams, Blake. Goals: Weston 12, 47, Wood 64. Referee: Mark Haywood (W Yorkshire). Attendance: 6,367

CANARIES' WINGS ARE CLIPPED

NORWICH started life in Coca-Cola League One in the worst possible fashion as they were hammered 7-1 at home by Colchester.

Kevin Lisbie's opener, a double from Clive Platt and a goal from David Fox meant the visitors were in firm control by the 22nd minute, and Lisbie added another before the break. Cody McDonald grabbed one back for Norwich, who were relegated from the Championship in May, but further goals from David Perkins and Scott Vernon completed the hosts' humiliation. Striker Jermaine Beckford's double gave Leeds a 2-1 win over 10-man Exeter at Elland Road.

Southampton, with a new manager and new owners and having started the season on minus 10 points, began life in the third tier for the first time since 1960 with a 1-1 draw at Millwall. Simeon Jackson fired a hat-trick as promoted Gillingham clinched a stunning 5-0 victory over Swindon.

CAPTION(S):

LEVELLER Ian Harte levelled with a well-taken penalty within four minutes of Carlisle going 1-0 down.