This was a season United will want to forget, although it finished in the most dramatic way imaginable.

On-loan goalkeeper Jimmy Glass, only brought in as an emergency after United sold Tony Caig and lost the services of his replacement Richard Knight, came up for a corner four minutes into injury time in the last game of the season at home to Plymouth Argyle. Somehow he managed to get on the end of a rebound and drove home the most famous goal in United's history, keeping the club in the Football League.

Glass's dramatic goal meant United crept up to 49 points and left them one point clear of poor Scarborough, who had finished their match five minutes earlier and had believed, wrongly, that they were safe.

The fact that it had come down to such a desperate act to save United was a more pertinent bone of contention. Michael Knighton, despite boasting pre-season of the "best squad I've assembled in six years" failed to convince the sceptics of his managerial ability, and he stood down as Director of Coaching in December with the club stuck in the bottom three of the Third Division.

Ex-Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday player Nigel Pearson replaced him and despite a lack of money to strengthen the squad, managed to keep Carlisle in the league. The loss of form of top scorer Ian Stevens and a general lack of firepower up front was the main reason for United's struggles.

Only when on-loan forward Paul McGregor was playing at his best in the autumn did the Cumbrians look like a decent team. A run of seven unbeaten games took them up to half-way in the table. The subsequent slide was partly explained by the failure to capture McGregor, his absences through injury and an untimely break in the season brought about by the weather.

The on-off Peter Beardsley transfer saga dragged on until Christmas, when it was finally declared 'off' and on transfer deadline day, both Caig and Paul Boertien were sold, much to most fans disgust. The publication of final accounts for the 97-98 season, showing record profits of £1.4 million was not the best piece of PR Knighton could have dreamt up, coming as it did just two days before the vital match with Plymouth.

The final twist in the tale came two weeks after Glass's remarkable goal when the board announced that Pearson was not being offered a new contract. This news, together with strong rumours of a takeover bid by millionaire businessman Brooks Mileson left the club in something of an impasse as the summer started.

Statistics

NATIONWIDE LEAGUE DIVISION THREE
Date      Opponents             Ven   Res    Att    Pts Pos     Scorers
08/08/98  BRIGHTON & HOVE ALB   H     1-0    5184     3  11     Stevens 17
15/08/98  Scunthorpe United     A     1-3    2810     3  14     Stevens 90
22/08/98  ROCHDALE              H     0-1    3627     3  18     -
29/08/98  Exeter City           A     0-2    2661     3  23     -
01/09/98  SOUTHEND UNITED       H     3-0    2638     6  14     Dublin og 61  Stevens 74
                                                                Scott 86
05/09/98  Leyton Orient         A     1-2    3730     6  19     Stevens 22
08/09/98  SWANSEA CITY          H     1-2    2816     6  22     Scott 5
12/09/98  Mansfield Town        A     1-1    2292     7  23     Brightwell 16
19/09/98  CHESTER CITY          H     1-1    2971     8  21     Scott 84
26/09/98  Shrewsbury Town       A     1-1    2180     9  22     Stevens 87
03/10/98  BARNET                H     2-1    2834    12  20     Stevens 81 McGregor 84
09/10/98  SCARBOROUGH           H     1-0    3502    15  15     McGregor 53
17/10/98  Torquay United        A     2-2    2211    16  16     Finney 30 Brightwell 35
20/10/98  Peterborough United   A     1-0    3785    19  13     Stevens 67
07/11/98  HALIFAX TOWN          H     0-1    3636    19  19     -
21/11/98  ROTHERHAM UNITED      H     0-0    3281    20  20     -
28/11/98  Hull City             A     0-1    4452    20  21     -
01/12/98  CARDIFF CITY          H     0-1    2264    20  21     -
12/12/98  HARTLEPOOL UNITED     H     2-1    3025    23  21     Searle 22 Mendes 26
19/12/98  Plymouth Argyle       A     0-2    4236    23  22     -
26/12/98  Rochdale              A     1-1    2900    24  21     Monington og 83
28/12/98  CAMBRIDGE UNITED      H     1-1    4419    25  22     McGregor 27
02/01/99  EXETER CITY           H     1-3    3340    25  22     Dobie 24
09/01/99  Brighton & Hove Alb   A     3-1    4163    28  20     Dobie 57 Finney 75
                                                                Paterson 80
16/01/99  SCUNTHORPE UNITED     H     0-1    3044    28  21     -
23/01/99  Southend United       A     1-0    4120    31  21     Finney 19
30/01/99  Cambridge United      A     0-1    4128    31  21     -
02/02/99  Brentford             A     1-1    3674    32  21     Finney 46
06/02/99  LEYTON ORIENT         H     1-1    2794    33  22     Finney pen 30
13/02/99  Swansea City          A     1-1    4753    34  21     Boertien 75
20/02/99  MANSFIELD TOWN        H     0-0    2273    35  21     -
27/02/99  Chester City          A     1-2    2450    35  21     Stevens 50
06/03/99  SHREWSBURY TOWN       H     2-1    2501    38  20     Dobie 36, 85
09/03/99  Barnet                A     0-1    1428    38  21     -
13/03/99  Halifax Town          A     0-1    2432    38  21     -
20/03/99  BRENTFORD             H     0-1    2564    38  22     -
23/03/99  Darlington            A     1-1    3028    39  22     Finney 42
27/03/99  Cardiff City          A     1-2    7094    39  22     Tracey 22
03/04/99  TORQUAY UNITED        H     3-0    3765    42  22     Searle 9, Bowman 21
                                                                Tracey 90
05/04/99  Scarborough           A     0-3    3604    42  22     -
10/04/99  PETERBOROUGH UNITED   H     1-1    3064    43  23     Brightwell 40
13/04/99  HULL CITY             H     0-0    3743    44  22     -
17/04/99  Rotherham United      A     1-3    4267    44  23     Dobie 45
24/04/99  DARLINGTON            H     3-3    3808    45  23     Dobie pen 39 Tracey 42
                                                                Stevens 68
01/05/99  Hartlepool United     A     0-0    4468    46  23     -
08/05/99  PLYMOUTH ARGYLE       H     2-1    7599    49  23     Brightwell 62 Glass 90

WORTHINGTON CUP
Date      Opponents                 Ven  Res     Att        Scorers
11/08/98  Tranmere Rovers (R1 1L)   A    0-3     5116       -
18/08/98  TRANMERE ROVERS (R1 2L)   H    0-1     2106       -


AUTO WINDSCREENS SHIELD
Date      Opponents                 Ven  Res     Att        Scorers
19/01/99  Scunthorpe United (R2)    A    1-1     1507       Searle 52
                                         (4-3 on pens)
26/01/99  WIGAN ATHLETIC (R3)       H    0-3     2383       -
FA CHALLENGE CUP
Date      Opponents                 Ven  Res     Att        Scorers
14/11/98  Hartlepool United (R1)    A    1-2     2845       Stevens 57


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