Preston North End's young reserve side fell to a 3-2 defeat at Brunton Park despite leading twice in the match.
Goals from Michael McLellan and Conor McLaughlin looked to have done enough for David Unsworth's side but the home side equalised twice before grabbing a last gasp winner to stun the Preston youngsters.
North End looked to have done enough to claim all three points in the Totesport.com affair and even had a contentious Ryan McGreevy header chalked off one minute before time. But Carlisle's experienced skipper Mark Bridge-Wilkinson curled home a free-kick in the last minute of the match to spoil a good night's work for Preston.
Unsworth handed a full reserves debut to young Northern Irishman Michael McLellan and it was the youth team prospect who opened the scoring on the night.
McLellan's opener came in the fifth minute of the game. Smart footwork from George Miller got himself out of a tight spot and he squared a ball on the half-way line to Conor McLoughlin, the Irish full-back found Danny Mayor in space and great skills saw Mayor surge into the box before squaring the ball into the feet of Michael McLellan, McLellan had Dougan to his left unmarked but opted to spin and shoot beyond Carlisle keeper Mark Gillespie to open the scoring.
Carlisle equalised on 14 minutes. Former Newcastle United man Richard Offiong playing a smart one-two with Gavin Rothery before slotting the ball beyond Dominic Comrie from 12-yards out.
Carlisle came closest to grabbing the next goal of the game in the 28th minute. Gavin Rothery playing a smart ball along the edge of the box and into the feet of Andy Cook who hit effort through a crowd of players which flew just wide of Comrie's post.
Comrie was called into action again a couple of minutes later when he produced an outstanding point-blank save to deny Peter Murphy heading the ball home from a corner.
The first decent chance of the second half came when Adam Barton drilled a low effort from 30-yards out which was just a whisker away from Gillespie's right-hand post. The chance coming after Michael McLellan had battled hard to win the ball in attack.
The game looked to have opened up somewhat on the hour mark. Andy Cook and then Richard Offiong both wasting good chances for the hosts when it looked as though they were clean through on goal.
McLellan almost doubled his tally for the night in the 70th minute. The youth team striker made a clever run to the near post and was found by Conor McLaughlin who hit a low ball into the six-yard box from the right. McLellan turned the ball towards goal on the half-volley and but for a smart save low down by Gillespie it would have been 2-1 to Unsworth's side.
North End were enjoying a dominant spell as the game entered it's final quarter they rewarded for that when Conor McLaughlin pulled a goal right out of the top drawer. The Northern Ireland international full-back picked the ball up on the right wing and cut inside, dancing past two or three Carlisle challenges before hitting a sweet left-footed effort beyond a helpless Gillespie from the edge of the box.
Rothery could have levelled matters on 77 minutes. The former Leeds United youth received the ball with his back to goal in left channel and scuffed a shot across the face of goal, beating the keeper but also beating the far post.
Seconds later and Carlisle did manage to find the target. Substitute Ryan Bowman picking the ball up, finding space on the outside of the box before smashing a powerful shot beyond Comrie.
Bowman could have been the Carlisle hero moments later. He sprung the offside trap down the centre of the pitch and he had only the keeper to beat, he took the ball to the edge of the box but this time his powerful effort beat the keeper but flew inches wide.
Comrie kept his side in the game in the 86th minute when he denied the experienced Mark Bridge-Wilkinson. The chance came about after a strong run from Cook on the left flank, he played it inside to Bridge-Wilkinson who ducked inside one challenge before smashing an effort towards goal. Comrie parried the effort and eventually claimed the rebound.
North End thought they had found a winner in the 89th minute. Barton's free-kick was hit deep into the Carlisle box and McGreevy, on as a sub, nodded the ball beyond the keeper and into the back of the net. But the linesman's flag quickly cut short any North End celebrations.
Instead it was the home team who were soon celebrating. Carlisle were awarded a dubious free-kick to the left of the Comrie's goal and Bridge-Wilkinson stepped up to hit an inch-perfect free-kick beyond Comrie who could not keep the ball from creeping across the line.
Speaking after the match David Unsworth said: "I have to say I am disappointed because they have put a great shift in tonight, played some terrific stuff in parts and really didn't deserve to draw the game let alone lose it in the last minute. I'm disappointed for them because they are really down tonight, there are so many positives to take from the game, a lot of good performances and a couple of great performances and in the bigger picture that's all we are interested in.
"They played four or five of their squad players tonight, players who have been in the first team and our lads are disappointed not to have won the game. It's good that they are disappointed because we can't keep them down too long because they have done well tonight."
Two of the big positives of the night were the goals which came from Northern Irish duo McLellan and McLoughlin, both well worked goals, deserving to win the game.
"We started the game brightly, went 1-0 up and then we got ahead again and probably panicked a little bit when we went 2-1 up and dropped off a little bit and went a bit too deep," said Unsworth.
"That's when we need to be a little bit braver, get back on the ball and try and go for a third goaland try and go for a fourth goal. It's not about producing results at this level, it's about producing performances and getting good habits into them. One the whole Jamie [Hoyland] and I are pleased with the performance, especially from a couple of the lads."
The majority of North End's side on the night will face a busy schedule over the coming weeks with youth matches on the weekend and reserve games in midweek and Unsworth believes that this will be a crucial time for the future of many of those players.
He said: "They will be busy all the way up to Christmas before having a little break over Christmas. This is the time that they are probably going to be judged on, they are going to be judged not just on the youth team performances but also how they play in the reserves. Can they make the step up to the next level? If they can't produce a performance then they might struggle, but they've got after Christmas until the end of the season. When you look at it there is only 12 weeks after New Year so they have got a lovely run of games now to come out and impress, not just Jamie and I, but the first team staff - it's a big period for them."
Carlisle: Gillespie, Blake, Kane, Murphy, Swinglehurst, Rothery, Burns, Bridge-Wilkinson, Tinnion, Offiong (Bowman 64), Cook. Subs: Ball, Law, Wood, McKenna.
PNE: Comrie, McLaughlin, Carlisle, Smyth (c), Devine, Mayor, Barton, Miller (Davidson 71), Dougan, McLellan (McGreevy 80), Proctor. Subs: Quirk, Owens, Watson.
