Cardiff City 2-2 Carlisle United, FA Cup third round
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FA Cup: Cardiff City 2-2 Carlisle United highlights
League Two strugglers Carlisle were denied one of the upsets of the FA Cup third round as Championship Cardiff City fought from 2-0 down to draw.
Jack Bridge nodded Carlisle ahead after his penalty was saved and Harry McKirdy headed a second before half-time.
Cardiff were level 10 minutes into the second half thanks to goals from Callum Paterson and Gavin Whyte.
They spent the final half an hour in pursuit of a winner but were thwarted by Carlisle goalkeeper Adam Collin.
Despite the entertainment on the field, however, an attendance of only 5,828 at Cardiff City Stadium spoke of the apathy which has undermined the FA Cup in recent years.
This fabled competition has certainly lost some of its lustre and, although the prospect of an upset here was a reminder of the shock value once integral to the FA Cup, the swathes of empty seats were a stark illustration of its fading appeal.
Cardiff have embodied that declining interest: FA Cup finalists in 2008 and League Cup runners-up in 2012 but, more recently, a Championship and sometime Premier League club for whom cup competitions have seemed little more than an inconvenience.
With four of their past five third-round FA Cup ties at home, the Bluebirds had failed to attract a crowd of more than 6,378 for any of those fixtures.
August's 3-0 EFL Cup loss to Luton, meanwhile, was watched by 4,111 fans, the lowest crowd for a Bluebirds match since they moved to Cardiff City Stadium a decade ago.
That record was not quite broken on this occasion, but a near-empty ground appeared to make life easier for Carlisle.
Jack Bridge scored two goals in two games in the Carabao Cup this season
Bluebirds almost punished for slumberous start
Manager Chris Beech had made only three changes to the team beaten 4-1 at Crewe on New Year's Day, whereas Cardiff boss Neil Harris responded to Wednesday's 6-1 mauling at QPR by changing eight of his side.
It was still an experienced Bluebirds side including several players who featured in the Premier League last season - Sol Bamba, Joe Bennett and captain Sean Morrison among them - but they fell behind after 11 minutes.
After the hosts failed to clear a Carlisle corner, Bamba brought down Bridge to concede a penalty and, although the Carlisle player's spot-kick was saved by Smithies, he made amends by heading in the rebound.
That goal seemed to wake Cardiff from their slumberous start, and they created a string of chances for the likes of Whyte and Josh Murphy.
But their struggles were summed up by one missed opportunity in particular for Murphy, an £11m signing only 18 months ago but caught in two minds inside the Carlisle box before hitting a cross-shot out for a throw-in.
Carlisle had to defend for long periods and, having done so relatively comfortably, they pinched a second goal shortly before half-time as Hallam Hope's excellent deep cross was headed in by McKirdy.
Cardiff's players were booed off at the interval - little wonder as they trailed against a side 57 places below them in the EFL - but they were transformed in the second half.
Murphy carved open the first opportunity by cutting inside from the left and forcing Collin into the first of three fine saves from the Cardiff winger.
Paterson then struck on the rebound, sliding in after Bamba hit the bar to reduce the Bluebirds' deficit.
The home side were level five minutes later, Paterson turning provider with an inviting cross which was headed in by White - perhaps controversially so as Paterson appeared to have taken the ball out of play moments before playing the crucial cross.
Cardiff were firmly in the ascendancy at this point, and it remained that way for the majority of the remaining 35 minutes, with Collin frequently called into action.
Carlisle had chances of their own to snatch victory, Hope clearing the bar from one particularly promising opening.
But the huge cheers from the hundreds of travelling fans who had made the long journey from Cumbria to south Wales demonstrated how valuable a result this was for the League Two side.
Cardiff City manager Neil Harris told BBC Sport Wales:
"At half-time there was no ranting or raving, obviously I didn't make any changes, I just asked the players for a little bit more belief, move the ball a bit quicker and the end product will come.
"We scored two goals and I think we could have easily had another three or four.
"I really thought we were going to win the game but we came to a bit of a lull, maybe because so many players hadn't played a regular 90 minutes.
"The last 10 minutes was like a real FA Cup game, it could have gone either way.
"Disappointed not to get through, but pleased to come back from being two down."
Carlisle United manager Chris Beech said:
"We've been treated like Premier League players this week. We travelled down and organised to train at Aston Villa thanks to Dean Smith.
"I rang him and he supported us by keeping his chefs back, they cooked us salmon and pasta so we were fuelled up for the match.
"We stayed at a nice hotel in Cardiff and ate well, we're trying to improve standards at the football club. They're little steps, but the boys have had a good 24 hours, they've filled their boots.
"They gave a proud, positive performance in front of a loud supporter base, and I'm really proud of the football club."