The visitors twice led in Cumbria and looked to be on course for back-to-back victories after their emphatic win over Crook three days earlier. But Carlisle scrapped all the way and claimed a share of the points in a frantic goalmouth scramble.

Town made just one change, with Kenzie Harker making his full debut as a wide midfielder in place of the unavailable Jack Stapley. They took the lead after 27 minutes through Joe Kitching, who took advantage of a neat pass from James Coatsworth before chipping spectacularly into the net from the edge of the box for his first goal for Northallerton.

Kelvin James equalised for City after 53 minutes. Town keeper Preston Leech got his fist to a dangerous in-swinging cross only for the ball to fall into the forward’s path, and the finish was clinical.

Northallerton regained the lead after 72 minutes with a goal that owed much to the vision of Jonny Haase. The full-back lofted a lovely long ball that split the defence and found Alistair Banks running through on goal.

Banks held off his markers before applying an assured finish. Earlier, new centre-forward Usman Ogidan was unlucky to see a shot bounce off the bar – a two-goal lead would surely have been too much for Carlisle to pull back.

As it was, James managed to force the ball over the line for his second goal after a pinball sequence in the Northallerton box. The visitors will feel they should have cleared the ball, but four points from two games kept them at the top of the table on goal difference.

Carlisle City: Hunter, Kelly, Gordon, Olsen (Kerr 87), Short (Lightfoot 76), Mitchinson, Mahone, Simpson, Birdsall, Blair (Palmer 75), James.

Subs not used: Studholme, Graham.

Northallerton Town: Leech, Dale, Haase, Darville, Harwood, Allen, Kitching, Sayer (Tew 90+1), Ogidan (Banks 72), Coatsworth, Harker (Brown 73).

Att: 171.